Black Music Month: James Poyser Part 1

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Speaker 1: Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. Here We Roll. Oh Lord, I'm with it all right, Good luck James. She on the other side, James, Here we go. I'm better this.

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Speaker 2: Supremo Supremo Role, Turn up the music, Brema su Supremo, Roll Call Supreme, sut Suck Supremo, Roll Call Supreme, bring my Role.

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Speaker 1: He Tickling CD, Brother Fentoin Statue Prize and number fight time n provided yesterday in front of the song Supremo. My name is Spante.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm in my zone.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, my favorite poison joint.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I love of my own.

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Speaker 2: Roll Call Supremo Supreme, Roll Supremer, sir Son, Sure.

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Speaker 4: My name is Sugar Yeah, the roll call Master. James poisons here, Yeah.

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Speaker 5: Bremer Supreme, roll Call Wait a minute, my name is Sugar Quest keep this loop on.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm glad you're here.

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Speaker 4: James for.

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Speaker 1: Suprema Suprema roll.

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Speaker 6: Roll Yeah, and James in Town. Yeah, what a lot of songs. Yeah still Charles Brown.

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Speaker 4: Supremo, supre Roll Supremo, So Supremo.

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Speaker 1: Role, Thank you Quest Love, Yeah for this and that?

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Speaker 7: Yeah, thank you.

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Speaker 1: Notes and make Poison.

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Speaker 4: Laugh Premoo roll Came Bremo so premo role.

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Speaker 1: My name is j P. Yeah, the Lord is blessing me.

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Speaker 8: Yeah, Layla's I dressing shapsty.

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Speaker 5: That's how you need who come Sprivapremo, Rome.

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Speaker 2: Supremo, Supremo, Supremo sou.

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Speaker 1: Roll.

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Speaker 7: Wait as a pseudo Jamaican? Can we talk about your Jamaican accent?

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Speaker 8: But I got.

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Speaker 1: James already know what I said, and that's.

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Speaker 8: All I can listen some of the textas that he sends me.

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Speaker 1: You just get it.

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Speaker 8: Listen, I get it, understand. That's all the matter. That was Jamaicon.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that was great. And Steve with a double but never heard before the SoundBite that none of these joints. Wait where was where did you dig that up?

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Speaker 9: These were from Philly in the studio session.

00:03:17
Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, another episode of Quest Love Supreme. I you know it's Quest Love. We have teams Supreme. We are live in New York City, and by live we mean we're just in front of each other. We Seachi in person. Yeah, how's it going? A new bill?

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Speaker 3: Wait?

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Speaker 1: Where was your new title? I gave you? I forgot yours.

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Speaker 7: I was unpaid well for the record. I was White Bill, which was a wonderful moniker.

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Speaker 8: I was a Bill for.

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Speaker 1: Then recently I was morphed to Boss Bill for what reason? I don't remember what. No, not for that, No, no, no, because you're Boss. I'm happy. I'm just a bill up climbing up this hill. That's what. All right? Well, you're just Bill. I think I think that's the perfect Just just Bill. You're just a Bill. I'm like a silky shampoo, just Bill.

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Speaker 8: Well take that right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, how's it going.

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Speaker 6: It's going good, it's going.

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Speaker 10: I feel like we're gonna have some time not laughing today. It's gonna be full of laughs and good times and long overdue conversations with a big head.

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Speaker 1: It's gonna be a battle, so much fun going around. Be great and fickel. I'm good, Man, good, got some rest so I'm good. Okay, cool, I'm sorry, Steve, how's it going? Everything's great? Man? This and how you say it?

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Speaker 4: You've been waiting for episodes for a long.

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Speaker 6: Time, Steve anticipated episode.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I kind of want to be jumping in because I want to know how James and Steve became friend of me, Like, what's your first musical man?

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Speaker 4: Well, theiest thing is that James is the one who got me hired originally when I came down to Philly in two thousands.

00:05:07
Speaker 1: It every day, all right, ladies and gentlemen, Our guest today, of course, the needs no introduction. He's been in front of the show. Yeah, pretty much all those moments that you take for granted. You know, music can help facilitate a mood when you're watching television or you're watching movies. And our guest today, of course, is no exception to providing colors, synesthesia to graphics and scenes and makes life better. He's done, let's name it professional, being very professional, very Saidstesia. Alright, sorry you said James makes life better.

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Speaker 8: I don't know what.

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Speaker 1: You got the wrong guests. All right, let's let's go through our know we we used to celebrate our guests to come on the show. I mean well, friend of the show, wires, problem areas. We also got Harthorne. That was a Jada show correct, Yeah, okay, the break with Michelle wolf a friend of uh, you know, of the Circle, the Equalizer, starting with our good friend Dana Blackish. He's done music for Blackish. Yeah, and of course you know classic season two and season three of The Chappelle Show Award winner his name, all the artists. There's Erica, Yeah, there's Mariah, Anthony, Anthony, Eric John Legend, Rihanna, music music, so child a common Kareem Bailey, Ray my youth choir below he never heard of him, Yeah, Randy Watson and everybody, man Ship, everybody, James done everything, Al Green, Astero, Angela q Jo, Joe Scott Legend. Damn all right, and we saw his work yesterday, so that was awesome. What was just what damn man.

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Speaker 6: We saw yesterday?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah would have been happened yesterday. Motherfuckers. The clips is already the worst. I missed that. It was a big head joke. You, of all people should know that. I'm sorry.

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Speaker 6: I'm relegated to Charlie Brown and his friends. I'm sorry.

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Speaker 1: Ry Wow, welcome to James bod.

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Speaker 6: That was a good one of your actually in retrospect like that was funny.

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Speaker 1: Yes, wow, I know my fun Anyway, how are you? How are you? James?

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Speaker 11: Shut up, Steve, I just needed to get I'm great, man, I'm happy to be here amongst family and friends and I.

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Speaker 3: Mean step.

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Speaker 1: All right, So yeah I kind of knew you. So this is gonna be really hard to do.

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Speaker 6: Like you don't.

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Speaker 1: I thought James was the Philadelphia born and bred. Now where were you born?

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Speaker 8: I was born in Sheffield, England. My parents Jamia con.

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Speaker 1: I thought you're gonna say Jamaica.

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Speaker 11: No, no, no, my parents are Jamaica and they immigrated to England, you know, the win the Russian generation.

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Speaker 1: And where is Sheffield?

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Speaker 8: Sheffield is like two hours north from London.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So even then I thought you were from like South London where all the all the cool people. Jamaicans.

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Speaker 11: I mean, listen, Jamaicans is everywhere, bredwand everywhere. So I was born there, lived there for nine years and then we moved over here.

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Speaker 1: Did you at once had a UK accent? I did?

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Speaker 8: And it was weird, like to school, like speak English to me and I'm like I am speaking.

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Speaker 1: Do you know where?

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Speaker 8: They wanted to hear the accent?

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Speaker 1: And you know, I got tased quite a bit, you know, so you purposely lost your accent.

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Speaker 6: He hasn't lost it, though. It's certain words that come through.

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Speaker 1: But all right, so talk talk with you.

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Speaker 11: It's not the type of thing I can fill on like certain words if I say digital digital, But yeah, you don't grow up in West Philly with an English accent, so I had to lose that trying to quick.

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Speaker 1: Girls thought that was cool.

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Speaker 8: I was nine.

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Speaker 4: I have a question, like, so, when was the first time you actually went to Jamaica at all?

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Speaker 11: When I was a baby, we went over, I don't remember, but after that, I think I was fourteen thirteen and we went to the town where my parents was from. It was like one dirt road up in the mountain, like literally like five six blocks and it was like, you know, the bathroom in the outhouse and chickens running around, and I had was great back then. When I've gone back recently, I'm like, where's.

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Speaker 8: The risk calling?

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Speaker 10: Oh, I got I got one? Because we always used to tease James about being a p K.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so I'm.

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Speaker 10: Curious, like, was your dad always preacher's kid?

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Speaker 1: Actually? Can I add on to that? Because I also know that the usual scenario of Christian household with music and secular household with music. I'm very curious as to how did secular music seep into what I would think was an unpenetrable household as far as like what you're allowed to listen to not allowed to listen to all.

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Speaker 8: Right, So grow up in church in England. My dad was a pastor there.

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Speaker 11: Now, the way it works immigration was my mom had to move to America, had to she well to set it up. She had to come over, you know, work out our job and whatever and set up. So for a couple of years I was just with my dad. And one of the earliest memories I have was coming home from school, maybe like six or seven, and there was this woman dancing in the living room to this Are Crouch record and I was like, Oh, that's my that's my mom.

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Speaker 6: I mean, these are the type of things you gotta go through, you know, that's your mom's record.

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Speaker 11: Yeah, So it was these are Crouch records, and you know when we moved over here, those are kind of things that were in now some are Crouch records and James Cleveland and all that kind of stuff. And we had a stereo system and I would sit there with my headphones on listening to that stuff because that's all that was allowed in the Bishop Poiso's household. But I had an FM and radio upstairs in my bedroom too, so you know, I was listening to all the stuff. You know, you walking through the streets of Philly, going to school and being around you're going to hear anything sound, so you know, it's funny hanging, you know, hanging with a mirror. You know, all these years, there's certain things that I realized I missed, you know, just because of that kind of thing, like street, Sesame Street. I never grew up with Sessimon. So there's times he referenced, you don't remember this, and I'm like, bro, I don't know.

00:12:13
Speaker 1: Love for breacanteen and milk and stick of butter.

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Speaker 6: Was like and hosehold.

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Speaker 3: No, No, I was not.

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Speaker 8: I was in England, so I was so when I came over here, I was like, bugs, bunny.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, was piano your first instrument?

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Speaker 11: No, I grew up playing drums in church. We moved over here, a small storefront church, and there was a little drum set there and nobody to play, and I was like, I won't play now. You gotta remember, I grew up playing on pots and pans with my mom's knitty needles when I was a little, little young one. So yes, you know, started playing drums first, and then I moved to bass guitar, which is still my favorite instrument.

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Speaker 1: Really.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, because you have a few of them, right. Do you have a few bass guitars the house?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 11: I can't play bass, but that's like my that's what a base I played. I played bass a little bit. I play based on record before.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 8: Yeah, But I can't really do any gigs. You know, I'm a pino Mark Kelly.

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Speaker 1: But I'm saying that is the muscle memory thing or I just don't.

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Speaker 11: If I practiced on it, maybe I would, but you know, I'm still trying to practice on this piano breach.

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Speaker 1: I see. Okay, So you came here at nine. Which school did you start?

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Speaker 11: I started off at Anderson Where's fifth grade? That's sixtieth in Creek. I went to a West Philly school, Yeah, sixty I started there, and then I went.

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Speaker 8: To Turner for a year.

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Speaker 1: Where's Turner?

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Speaker 11: Turner is fifty ninth from Baltimore. And then I went to Hamilton and where he is? Hey, what to call it from your crib? Fifty six and Spooce. So you went to all West Villy high schools? Well this was on high school high school. I went to engineering and science for two years before and then.

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Speaker 8: School. See what happened was Steve?

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Speaker 1: Wait? Did you know bubbles. Everybody where's she working? I'm no, yo would have graduated the same the same year.

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Speaker 8: No, I'm not sure. Okay, but and then I graduated from West Catholic. West Catholic. But turn it down. Didn't you live around the corner from Hamilton?

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Speaker 1: I did? But all right, so explain to me, because the thing was, is that now that I live in a time in which you know, posts Facebook, you know, uncles that like put up like weird random websites of things that are not like you know, mark being our threads, Like it's not CNN, it's like some other So I'm now wondering if the picture is that adult figures painted to me, which was basically like every every school in West Philadelphia.

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Speaker 11: Is mine as will be like a prison now. But then back then, I mean, yeah, I had some drama in school. You know, I got I got guns pulled out on me. I literally on the corner waiting for bus and these dudes rolled up on me. One dude punch in the face. I got upraidy to fight, and he pulled a gun and put it in my head.

00:15:20
Speaker 1: He was just messing.

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Speaker 8: This was in seventh grade, just messing, just messing with me. Yeah, I've seen.

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Speaker 11: Dudes on the on the playground. You know, I'm my boy on the playground. This dude came and pulled a knife on him. We're on the playground, seventh grade. This older dude, he had to be in eighteen nineteen, a big machete, like a Jamaican machete pull. So yeah, you know, I ain't no fuck but you know I've been. You know, you see that stuff. You experience that stuff growing up, you know.

00:15:51
Speaker 1: Oh okay, so it was real Yeah, never mind, Wait, engineering science. Where was that located though?

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Speaker 8: That was like liberties or no, this was a cease will be more like right on Temple's campus.

00:16:03
Speaker 1: Okay, I see that.

00:16:04
Speaker 6: Are we not going to talk about why you you didn't finish there?

00:16:07
Speaker 1: See what happened was bong hitch. I was.

00:16:14
Speaker 8: I was the class clown and I was goofing off. I don't be believe that.

00:16:19
Speaker 1: I don't believe that at all. Yeah I was.

00:16:21
Speaker 8: I was a bit of a class clown, goof through.

00:16:23
Speaker 1: I don't believe that at all. I was. Are there is a mirror you get you get kicked out for that?

00:16:29
Speaker 7: Yeah?

00:16:29
Speaker 11: My my grades, my grades, because it's like it's a really school. Yes, the school to maintain a certain ye.

00:16:40
Speaker 1: Smart kids schools, you know.

00:16:41
Speaker 8: And of course my immigrant parents were very they weren't having that, so.

00:16:46
Speaker 6: They put you in the strict Catholic school.

00:16:47
Speaker 8: Well I was going. I went to BArch them for like a week experience like twenty.

00:16:56
Speaker 6: Oh see that's it wasn't without Philly.

00:16:59
Speaker 3: I lean on me, oh Joe.

00:17:02
Speaker 10: It's now a beautiful gentrified building with lots of shops and they have rooftop parties on it.

00:17:06
Speaker 8: Really is now like let's go.

00:17:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, it got artists and pickled and got flower grass.

00:17:17
Speaker 6: Am I think you dj? They are like about five on the roof.

00:17:21
Speaker 1: I know I DJ'd on the roof of what.

00:17:26
Speaker 6: Oh it's it's not Barto's good, it's Bob. You're right, I'm sorry, Thank you Joy.

00:17:33
Speaker 1: Aren't you from Hens? Ain't you from Pittsburgh? Yeah? I did not know that. Okay, So cousin Jake has revealed he's in Philadelphia. I did not know that. I tell you straight, Pittsburgh. Okay, maybe we should start interviewing like the.

00:17:47
Speaker 7: Actual it's funny.

00:17:50
Speaker 6: It's funny.

00:17:50
Speaker 10: As we're talking to James, I'm like, this is the moment where Amir gets to know the people that he's been loving for thirty years.

00:17:54
Speaker 6: Just like when we discovered about.

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Speaker 1: I didn't know that. I did not know that James was a juvenile Delincoln. It doesn't come across as one. I will say that. So were you part of any because the way that I got into the circle, like when you meet the people that we see now, the little John's of the world and the carving and you know, all those guys, Dre and Vadoald all that stuff, were you ever part of like all city? None of those.

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Speaker 11: I wasn't part of that whole thing. I was playing in church, you know, but I wasn't part of the you know, I wanted to part of me wanted to go to to Caper at the time, but you know, I was on my smart I was an engineer and major in college for the first two years, you know, finished up with my degree in finance.

00:18:43
Speaker 8: So you know, it was that kind of immigrant thing, Jamaican thing too.

00:18:49
Speaker 1: So your parents wanted to do engineering, yeah, all I wanted to do music.

00:18:55
Speaker 8: Yeah what'd you wind up doing?

00:18:58
Speaker 1: James?

00:19:01
Speaker 11: So I went to Drexel for two years for engineering. I actually went to Roman hause he took us on a field trip to see what engineers do, what kind of engineering? I was chemical engineer, and uh, I was like, I ain't trying to do this.

00:19:17
Speaker 8: That real, I am not trying to do this.

00:19:22
Speaker 1: At any point did you think of doing sound engineering or no? No, no, no no no.

00:19:28
Speaker 11: I was just like, okay, let me I'm going to graduate and get a job in a bank. And that's why I went to.

00:19:32
Speaker 6: School for fun with Richmond.

00:19:35
Speaker 7: When you were in church, was it plactical training or it was just like you're learning by listening classical you know what I mean? But like you ever did you ever take lessons or was it just like listening?

00:19:43
Speaker 11: So it started off I taken They had a little lamb lessons with this piano teacher, mister Costa, and I didn't like going over there because she had these two chihuahuas that you know. I'd walk in and take lessons and they were cool, but when you're walking out, they would always like bite me on the back of you know.

00:20:01
Speaker 8: I hated going to those lessons. They will freaking me out.

00:20:04
Speaker 11: So I stopped and I was That's when I was playing drums and bass, and I remember we went to this church, and this guy that was the same age as me was playing keyboards, and I was like, oh, I want to do that.

00:20:15
Speaker 8: And I took a cassette tape of that song.

00:20:17
Speaker 11: It was a simple progression to five three six progression whatever whatever, And I studied it for a couple of months and then transported and all the keys, and I was like, oh, I can go play in church.

00:20:30
Speaker 8: And I went. I went to church and couldn't play because I you know, I just didn't have the experience. But I figured it out.

00:20:37
Speaker 1: Was that your warfare.

00:20:43
Speaker 8: That came a little later, that's on the end of most of the records.

00:20:49
Speaker 1: Like James, one of the people that will you know, we've made fun of like the level of snobbery on stage. Well, laugh at each other, make fun of each other, and we make fun of it so much that it actually winds up becoming the fiber of what it is now. Like James used to like playing the wrong chords of a song and it'd be funny, But now like that's all we wanted. I don't want nothing sounded normals. I want it all wrong chords.

00:21:30
Speaker 6: Wait, so how long did it take for you to get it on the piano?

00:21:34
Speaker 8: I'm still trying to No, no, no, we're not doing that.

00:21:36
Speaker 6: How long okay, I'm a rephrase.

00:21:39
Speaker 10: How long did it take for you to feel confident enough to go into the church and play the piano and people were like you can stay?

00:21:44
Speaker 11: It took a while, you know, like almost close to a year until you know, and again, my church is very West Indians, so it wasn't all of the stuff that y'all Yankees do. It was really one four five playing a reggae beat.

00:22:03
Speaker 8: Oh, then we played the Calypso stuff now too.

00:22:05
Speaker 6: I've never heard cllips go.

00:22:10
Speaker 7: That's like one one one you've seen that video with that dude said.

00:22:17
Speaker 8: They did then snl sketch on them.

00:22:18
Speaker 11: Yes, yes, yeah, that's like my church iday.

00:22:24
Speaker 4: So did you already have the rhythm part down because of the drums and bass experience?

00:22:30
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:22:30
Speaker 11: I think I had it just because I was listening so much too stuff, you know, I was listening to so much music and going to record stores and not having money and just standing there reading the back of album covers.

00:22:42
Speaker 8: You know, just to learn the names and yeah.

00:22:45
Speaker 1: Studios and what that.

00:22:46
Speaker 6: But when did you make the change. Where'd you go from drums piano, like, this is it.

00:22:50
Speaker 11: I ain't going back right after that experience I told you about, I just kept practicing and practicing.

00:22:56
Speaker 8: I was like, okay, this is it. Okay, so walk me through the Can I backtrack just a little? You gotta remember too, my older brother played.

00:23:03
Speaker 6: Right, Okay?

00:23:03
Speaker 10: Thanks?

00:23:05
Speaker 11: I know my older brother, Steven, who's now the bishop of the church, he was the one that played. And I was trying to, you know, trying to be like my older brother. So what did he play? He played everything? He played, keys, played bass, played druones.

00:23:15
Speaker 1: Is he good?

00:23:16
Speaker 8: He was good?

00:23:17
Speaker 3: No.

00:23:20
Speaker 1: If he says it I taught, he'll say he taught me everything.

00:23:23
Speaker 10: I know.

00:23:24
Speaker 8: He taught me everything he knew.

00:23:26
Speaker 1: You know, all right? That makes sense?

00:23:30
Speaker 8: Like is he listening?

00:23:31
Speaker 5: What?

00:23:32
Speaker 1: So, even though I haven't seen it with my own eyes, Like, is it generally correct that because of lack of venue structure in Philadelphia that the Black Church was like the prime spot where every musician could get a chance to play.

00:23:46
Speaker 8: Absolutely And as.

00:23:47
Speaker 1: A result, if there are five keyboard players waiting to get on, and four bass players waiting to get on, and twelve drummers ready to get on, that they're going to try to outdo each other absolutely, all right, can you walk me through that process? Like, is this the inspiration for gospel chops? Yes, Like the reason why most black musicians overplay is because they have some evil to make an impression. That makes sense, right, Like you can't play like if you play like me, then it's just like old people will like it. No, but that's the thing, Like myfrow is like I want to make the musicians sound good, so I'll just play down the middle is least the less I play, the.

00:24:33
Speaker 2: Better it is.

00:24:34
Speaker 6: Change. You never took a mire to church, and just like I would love to.

00:24:37
Speaker 1: See that church before church, Like I purchase drums for them, but that's church. Even hired a drummer. There's one.

00:24:52
Speaker 8: Church.

00:24:53
Speaker 1: Actually I have played in church. But the church that I went to was all right, it was a weird kind of non denomination. Wait, why did you already have the I'm.

00:25:08
Speaker 6: Already not here, Like I'm not when you say non denomination like.

00:25:12
Speaker 1: Church too, I mean I did it. I had a Pentecostal church. What was the w wzz D? So I actually I did play drums in Pastor Charles something. He was a known preacher in Philadelphia, Like I did that for like maybe like three years, because it was also paying the ass of packing my drums at home. And then you gotta do a double trip, like uncle Bud and Dad have to come and and put it in there, you know, and then it's like you gotta break the drums down the church and bring it back home. I got lazy with that. But yeah, once, once I discovered we discovered a church that let us wear regular clothes, which is like a game changer, like wait, I can wear jeans in it T shirt in this church. And they were very hipofyed like Tarik thought was the most hilarious thing ever because you know, like praise like praising black church. But these people would just like do hands across America across the church, like they were just like someone would start a conga line, and that was the thing. It'd be like a seventy nine person conga line.

00:26:26
Speaker 3: It sounds like midsommar.

00:26:28
Speaker 1: This sounds yeah, I mean.

00:26:31
Speaker 7: It sounds like a white person church, right, I mean, once I can say something.

00:26:42
Speaker 1: Believe it or not. It was actually drawn down the middle like it was equally black white and uh uh Hispanic. Well yeah, so that was the drummer.

00:26:55
Speaker 12: So what the fuck I want to ask you about to that point, James, about you know, we talk about the Black Church and it pretty much being kind of like the breeding ground, like the training ground for musicians. So now with the Black Church, what what do you think is the role of the Black Church in the musical community, because now it's very much you see the rise of you know, I guess what they call CC and contemporary Christian music, which is you know, it's not it ain't Notre Crouch, you know what I mean.

00:27:25
Speaker 3: So does a Black church still have that role in the musician?

00:27:28
Speaker 1: Are they being trapped down church?

00:27:29
Speaker 8: Absolutely? Man, they're doing stuff. I mean again, I'm older now.

00:27:33
Speaker 1: So some of the things that my question I was like like trapp and drill in church now or like oh you hear that kind of stuff, like if they do it now in your your brother's church. One time, I try to play Peter Piper, like I just told the percussion player just do this, and I played it, and one elder who is like the youngest elder who like knew what I know what y'all doing, Like, they called me to the principal's office. It was like because the kids started whopping and on, so it's forbidden. I couldn't play anything that made them morning starting listen.

00:28:14
Speaker 8: I was playing this kid, I played the changes to on Broadway. One of the looked at me like no, no, no, no, I like changes exactly.

00:28:30
Speaker 3: So, so how is it now?

00:28:31
Speaker 8: Like how was playing?

00:28:33
Speaker 11: I don't know if you saw this thing a few months back through this church in Georgia, he played the actual record.

00:28:39
Speaker 8: Walk it Out, I walk.

00:28:40
Speaker 11: I think I played the minister and played the verses and everything old churches of Dancing, and I was like no, I stopped watching.

00:28:49
Speaker 8: The video was like, but yeah, the influence is definitely there. The stuff they're doing now.

00:28:57
Speaker 11: You know they're playing to tracks, you know, so it's extremely the church that's extremely musical. You know, those guys are still playing and playing beyond you know, it's like Todd rises and then it just keeps.

00:29:13
Speaker 6: So, I mean church has got orchestras now, yeah, it's.

00:29:17
Speaker 7: I think it's less religious. No, what about guys like Corey Henry and p J. Morton, like like, it's still church based, but it's not religious.

00:29:25
Speaker 3: Would you consider to Triviat was he kind of in that same lane?

00:29:29
Speaker 11: Yeah, Todd, I think Todd helped change a lot, you know, because him in the band sound check, they were just doing some things that were like, wait, what is that?

00:29:38
Speaker 5: You know?

00:29:38
Speaker 8: I mean, Ale, you can attest to that, you know.

00:29:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I don't know. It's it's to me, like I still am, I like the the cranky old guy in the corner that everyone's already bopping their head. Yes, yes, no, but it's it's for me. I feel like the overdoing it of it all, yeah, frustrates the shit out. I mean because like I don't know, like I feel like the less if you act like a team like you're now boring. All Star games are for basketball because just like everyone's just taking leaps and everyone's dunk in offensive shootout right, And that's where I feel like gospel chops are now where it's just like, all right, we know you're amazing, but like, what do you guys like as a team?

00:30:29
Speaker 11: Right, But it's again I would not argue with that, but well I would argue that from that point of view, like that's the level of musicality that's risen to. Now that's the norm. So they just expressed it on getting more musical and more musical you know what I mean. It sounds like I mean the stuff that we listen to, fusion stuff, that chick career, electric band and all that stuff, which was special and different.

00:30:54
Speaker 8: That's the normal church.

00:30:58
Speaker 1: Do you ever do be power.

00:31:01
Speaker 8: Is amazing, Gospel was amazing, his whole his whole family.

00:31:07
Speaker 3: You are old or no? Now?

00:31:10
Speaker 12: Yeah, he's called Doob is a monster, dude you but it's very uh d o O b I E. But yeah, but it's very music like changes.

00:31:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's real.

00:31:20
Speaker 1: You said fusion. It kind of like Vegas changes or like nah nah na.

00:31:27
Speaker 3: Nah, he's not he's wrong.

00:31:28
Speaker 1: Do me the truth. Yeah, send it to your mir Okay, why are your school me?

00:31:32
Speaker 8: Now?

00:31:33
Speaker 6: No, I just always like to keep up with everybody on this show. Y'all don't know.

00:31:36
Speaker 10: I'll be sitting here looking up everything y'all talking about. So I might as well just send it to you too.

00:31:40
Speaker 1: I see, thank you. I appreciate it, all right. So what was the period that told you like, Okay, I'm going to take the serious and pursue my dream of playing music.

00:31:55
Speaker 8: When I was in college and after the Chemical Engineer and thebacle Peter and uh so, I left Drexel.

00:32:06
Speaker 11: I went to community college for two years and was working at Strawbage and Clovia, and I started getting gigs. And I started doing local gigs around town with different choirs and different club things, and then started doing some things with some national artists. You know, some national gospel artists. There's a choir called New Jersey Mass. I was working with them. There's a gospel singing name Vanessa bea Armstrong Yes, then Walker okay. So then I started working with the white Head Brothers, went on tourter.

00:32:48
Speaker 1: Europe with.

00:32:52
Speaker 6: That's why is that when I meet you when you are a Philadelphia International? Is that how that happens? Because that's when I met James and Victor Is at Philadelphia.

00:32:59
Speaker 11: Well that was after after that, that's when I met Jeff Okay, the that's just Jeffrey Jazz. I mean Jeffrey Towns, Jeffrey Jazz town.

00:33:09
Speaker 8: Jeff.

00:33:10
Speaker 1: Wait, you're you're skipping over very crucial things. I want to know about. Who is your longest gig with as far as like National Gospels concerned.

00:33:18
Speaker 11: Bruce Parham, he was a Philly guy and I worked with him. So it was Bouce as a Kywalker. Then I played with.

00:33:24
Speaker 8: Try try City with Donald Lawrence.

00:33:27
Speaker 1: Oh wow, all right, so guy Walkers call him up right?

00:33:32
Speaker 8: No, no, no, no, that's just no, that's right. That's keep fringle.

00:33:37
Speaker 1: All right. So here's the all.

00:33:41
Speaker 8: Right now the.

00:33:44
Speaker 1: DJ Rogers one make it anyhow? That was Tarik's first got that saying serious. Oh no, yeah, like you know, like the special Sundays were like you're gonna get annointed or something like that, like Tarik was for one week Threek, It's going to be like Aaron Hall, like seriously, handkerchiefs everybody this evening singa.

00:34:15
Speaker 6: So does the gospel community do they feel like you're secretly theirs? First?

00:34:18
Speaker 10: Like they look at you when they see you in the streets like come home.

00:34:22
Speaker 6: But I mean like but like you can leave, you can leave them, You could really just be with us, you know.

00:34:29
Speaker 11: I mean it's changed up so much. It's like where would I start going back to do some gospel records? You know, I mean, I'm do them my way, but the way they're doing them now, you know what I mean, it's like.

00:34:39
Speaker 1: It's like super advanced now.

00:34:41
Speaker 11: Yeah.

00:34:41
Speaker 1: Man, so wait, you're saying this is like eight degrees way past.

00:34:46
Speaker 11: Uh Commission Commission so there's way past commission now, yes, and I mean commission was just so cut measure.

00:34:53
Speaker 3: Yes, that was like the foundation almost like yeah, so.

00:34:56
Speaker 11: But there's still you know, there's still growing. There's a lot that gods are doing that. You know, Like you say, the music level is too high, dude.

00:35:04
Speaker 8: Like Kim Moarell.

00:35:05
Speaker 12: Yeah, yeah, it's just very it's very technical, like the gospel singers because I mean I work with a lot of singers and the thing that you have to that I notice with a lot of gospel singers or have to have that background getting them to understand the difference between being a singer and being a recording artist because they just want to sing. Like the run it's runs every two minutes. It's like fam, you can just sing the melody and it's okay, you know what I mean. Very Yeah, it's that like you said, like it's always that very flashy you know what I'm saying, but technically brilliant, you know what I'm saying. But it's like if you're singing a song, you kind of got to give the audience some room to you know, to sing along with you, you know what I mean?

00:35:50
Speaker 11: Right, So yeah, but but they be saying the ass all though it's funny. Back back in the day there was one or two singers that could do that kind of stuff. There's one of two musicians that could do all of you know, now everybody does that stuff, and it's like, let's go back to.

00:36:05
Speaker 8: Keeping it kind of simple.

00:36:06
Speaker 6: But it seems like approach.

00:36:14
Speaker 1: Take me through a typical week of this circuit, gig wise, like what rehearsal wise? What what what required? Dress code? Traveling?

00:36:29
Speaker 11: Yeah, so rehearsing doing like you're you're Morgan Freeman and this is a shawk. So we're rehearsing at some church, some small church somewhere. Okay, you know what day, like Tuesday nights sometime during the week, it doesn't matter, you know, Funday night, Tuesday night.

00:36:48
Speaker 1: Is it always organ or is it piano?

00:36:51
Speaker 8: It's uh piano, keyboards whatever was there?

00:36:53
Speaker 1: You know what, do you get a concept versus what you're going to learn or you have to know it already.

00:36:58
Speaker 11: But some things with some of the choirs, some things are just like standards that everybody would know, not like we were just people that know you you always you always, so.

00:37:09
Speaker 1: You know what everyone knows? Okay, Pactice of stuff.

00:37:14
Speaker 6: Go do it.

00:37:15
Speaker 1: Go do a gig.

00:37:16
Speaker 11: You know, there's a there's a gospel concert with like forty people on it. You go up there and do two songs. You know, you gotta have the d X seven or you share. Sometimes you bring your stuff in or sometimes you share. And sometimes people didn't want you playing and stuff. You know my settings don't don't don't move, don't don't don't don't change the transpose on this or the drummers, don't change the symbols around. Drummers bring the snares in drump. I've seen drummers walking with a snare and some sticks and walk out with the snare symbols.

00:37:50
Speaker 6: How much pack?

00:37:52
Speaker 11: Oh man, I got quite a few cheese steaks and listen, no, not even thirty five bucks, Like yo, let's just go get a chef steak.

00:38:01
Speaker 8: Ye and I had to split a chief steak pay.

00:38:07
Speaker 1: Damn.

00:38:08
Speaker 6: So your strawbridges money is your real money?

00:38:10
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:38:11
Speaker 10: So?

00:38:11
Speaker 1: But is but also like are you in units? Like is it the goal to show out? And yeah, like we going to that church? Yeah, all of that, all of that.

00:38:25
Speaker 11: You know, I was you know some of the bands I was playing, and you know, I was always blessed to have the greatest drummers to work with, so little John.

00:38:36
Speaker 1: Laura, you know.

00:38:37
Speaker 8: So you know we go do these gigs and show.

00:38:39
Speaker 11: You know, everybody was more excited for Brian and John than me because you know, they they was putting on the show and I'm like, I'm just holding together with my two cords.

00:38:51
Speaker 1: Broadway, all right. So what was your first foray into the professional world that will take you to where you are now? Like, what's your what do you consider your first I got hired by Richard Timple's field.

00:39:06
Speaker 8: I said, White, Okay, what was this?

00:39:11
Speaker 3: The love is the one? Eight seven? Was this that one? Or was it?

00:39:14
Speaker 8: What was the record they had Feel Your Pain? Oh my god, my memory.

00:39:20
Speaker 1: So it's gone right now. It's just the white Head. Forget. I was a g it was it.

00:39:24
Speaker 8: Don't forget I was a gink Yeah that was what this is?

00:39:27
Speaker 1: White? That was the white had that kid the kid the.

00:39:29
Speaker 3: Son, Yeah, I forget forget. I was the g was the that was the one that was on the Jason's Lyrics soundtrack. That was like ninety five.

00:39:38
Speaker 8: We went towards Europe. You know, I'll never forget this.

00:39:41
Speaker 11: We played London. This guy opened up for us and everybody was laughing at him. Just do It's terrible, Mark Marrison.

00:39:55
Speaker 8: No, he was saying, I.

00:39:59
Speaker 3: Met you.

00:40:00
Speaker 8: No, this is in London. I meet you in London.

00:40:02
Speaker 1: I mean you know what I mean? Questnesia like, never heard that before, loved that. How many times I meet you before?

00:40:13
Speaker 7: I'm like, oh, Bill, well you thought it was your accountant, like seventeen exactly. I'm pretty sure you still think I'm your account right, That's fine.

00:40:20
Speaker 1: No, No, you're consistent in your accounting sheikh right now. I love it. No, No, but I remember I was hanging out the Apollo. Who are the white Heads opening for?

00:40:30
Speaker 3: That?

00:40:30
Speaker 1: Was it black Street at the Apollo? At the Apollo in London? It was black Street? Okay, we were over from the Foot Did I meet you? That's when I remember that's James Poyser. That's when it registered, because you're like, hey, Philly. I was like, huh, really.

00:40:48
Speaker 8: You remember something? I don't mind.

00:40:51
Speaker 1: This was Black Street and the white Head brothers came to the Apollo. I think around December nine, December of ninety five, I decided to not fly home for Christmas and just stay at our apartment everyone went home for Christmas and I stayed at our apartment in London and I went to go see Black Street. I think you are there three nights in a row or something.

00:41:14
Speaker 6: That's cool.

00:41:15
Speaker 8: Yeah, I don't remember that.

00:41:17
Speaker 6: So wait, then, how did you hook with White Hair Brothers then?

00:41:19
Speaker 1: Because yeah, how did I just really?

00:41:23
Speaker 6: I know, I know? But then did that?

00:41:26
Speaker 10: Was that what lead you into like being because y'all were kind of like supposed to be like the cannon for for p I R.

00:41:31
Speaker 6: For a minute, it felt like no, no, just wait this way before that.

00:41:34
Speaker 8: This was a little bit before p I R.

00:41:36
Speaker 11: This was right when I met Jeff okay and became and you know, he took me in a touch of jazz.

00:41:43
Speaker 6: Have you met Victor yet?

00:41:44
Speaker 8: Yeah?

00:41:45
Speaker 11: Jeff and Vick I met at the same time. This was Vic with the blonde head. Y'all remember that phase, this before this is grand Master.

00:41:54
Speaker 1: At one point Grandmaster Vic was probably neck and neck with like jazzy Jeff as far as I cut.

00:41:59
Speaker 6: The straight talking about a different victims Victor.

00:42:02
Speaker 8: Yeah, Grandmaster Vic, Grandmaster Vic exctic.

00:42:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was Grandmaster vict exotic Don and Jeff and the first print.

00:42:14
Speaker 10: Different Back then, blond okay, because I was working, because he always because also a Mary didn't.

00:42:18
Speaker 6: He started wearing a turban and he did some locked like you know, went through.

00:42:21
Speaker 1: The hes, going through the sealed thing. Yea. And according to vict he saw Daphne play the fine as Playboy model of I believe that she was at Tower Records signing. This is like a week before Things Fall a part came out. She was at Tyro Record signing like a I tens for the new like Playboy DVD or v HS thing and I went in and got autograph. She and her thank you, Like how did y'all get that? Was that my eight ten? That singing in your studio?

00:43:00
Speaker 8: Of of that mean to play might or was it his? Because he came back and like I'm changing my name.

00:43:12
Speaker 6: Yeah, he said the same thing, said the same thing.

00:43:14
Speaker 1: She was that fine, She's fine.

00:43:17
Speaker 8: He changed his name.

00:43:19
Speaker 1: I never knew from she was in a Visa commercial that was like her first national thing in addition to doing Playboy. But she was like in a Visent commercial, fine as all hell. Yeah.

00:43:35
Speaker 9: I always felt sort of from an outsider. I arrived in Philly in like two thousand and four, but like he always seemed like he was somehow a crux to what had happened, Like was he at the center of a lot of the stuff that that was happening.

00:43:48
Speaker 1: He was there, He was involved in a lot of stuff. He was also just way ahead of his time, because I admit that I was laughing, like when James explained to me, like, yeah, you know like Victor, and I'm like Grandmaster Vic. He's a not like Victor, who play trying to like you know, he's trying to do some cool sexy thing like seal sting, and I'm like grand Master vict wants to do that type of stuff. Right, was just way ahead everybody. He was first of all, the youngest. Is that Kenny or I think it was Kenny. Yeah, yeah, it was Kenny on tour. Did he ever play guitar? Because I don't think the world knew and Philly didn't know. He was like Kirk Jimmy Hendrick the level of guitar playing. So I met him, I met Kiddy. I think it's Kenny Whitehead, the youngest, you know a street music and he was just shredding and I've never seen like a young black person shred like guitar like that. And when I heard Whitehead, I was like, all that ain't My dad was like his father, ain't no stopping this stuff now, right.

00:45:05
Speaker 8: But on the tour where they just now, yeah, just singing, well, we would just you.

00:45:11
Speaker 1: Know, I always thought that was just wrong call, and like he should have played guitar more.

00:45:15
Speaker 11: And like, you know, it's funny. Can I just take you saying the first time you saw him? So I grew up in West Philly. You grew up in West Philly. We didn't know what, we didn't know each other. But I see this weird dude walking around because I take the g I take the l right, and I was like, who this d And then I did a session at the studio on Delaware Avenue and you were leaving, okay, and I was like, who's this dude?

00:45:39
Speaker 8: He was like, Yo, you don't know him.

00:45:40
Speaker 1: He's wanting studios. I think it was a Cajun.

00:45:44
Speaker 11: He's like, we don't know this dude on drums. I was like, he plays drums. I see him in the neighborhood, but I didn't know he played drums. And then the Boys and Men video came out.

00:45:55
Speaker 3: I got it.

00:45:59
Speaker 1: That's my entry. So how did you meet Jeff because you came around he's now he's the tail end of he's DJ. I'm the rapper.

00:46:08
Speaker 11: But really in the beginning of and in this corner, it was little John, little John Roberts who he was playing drums at Jeff and they had a gig at the Zoo the Philly Woo.

00:46:21
Speaker 8: I went to hang out. I was like, yo, I want to be done with this.

00:46:26
Speaker 1: Performed that okay.

00:46:27
Speaker 11: Oh it was just Jeff DJing but with the band and he had some other musicians playing, okay, And I was like, I'm trying to know what's up. So, you know, got cool with him and Vic and uh, this was right. They just moved a studio from Delaware Avenue up to.

00:46:48
Speaker 1: He left Studio four.

00:46:49
Speaker 8: Yeah, and went up to Near City Avenue. I forget the name of this.

00:46:52
Speaker 1: I didn't they moved there, yeah, okay.

00:46:55
Speaker 11: So I started working with him there, okay, and worked there for a few is some remixes whatever this was. This was that when Jefferson always in a light doing that fresh Prince. So then me and what you're on, Yeah, I'm in a couple of episodes, really a couple episodes. I was hanging out with Jeff and I was like sitting in the back eating Roscoe's. I'm like, yo, will man, let me get on one of these scenes.

00:47:21
Speaker 6: Man.

00:47:22
Speaker 8: It will took me right.

00:47:23
Speaker 11: And it was a Friday, just before they're about the tape and you gotta remember those extras there all week for rehearsal, and he put me right in front and they were looking at.

00:47:31
Speaker 1: Me like you the cutters extras hate line cuts. Boy.

00:47:42
Speaker 11: So again we're working there and Chauncey Charles, my brother, was up there working with working the business with us.

00:47:48
Speaker 8: And then we were like, you know, we're doing this ourselves. Let's go off by ourselves and do our things.

00:47:54
Speaker 11: So we're working at vix apartment doing nothing, and Kenny Gamble, who was a friend of Vic's mom or Chelcey's mom, was like, man, you guys, come, I'm gonna teach you all what's going on.

00:48:10
Speaker 8: So that's where I had the room.

00:48:12
Speaker 11: If that's when that's where we first met you and Keith too, Yeah, Keith, Keith's working there yet Chance brought Keith down to like help handle little books or whatever whatever.

00:48:22
Speaker 1: Keith mcpheie Keith McPhee started at Philly International.

00:48:26
Speaker 11: Because I think he had just quit this jan did he quit m TV at the time, and he wasn't trying to travel too much?

00:48:33
Speaker 1: Uh yeah, yeah yeah.

00:48:36
Speaker 8: And then right after that, that's when he was like back on the road with y'all.

00:48:40
Speaker 1: Yes, Keiths who called me earlier, interrupted me.

00:48:43
Speaker 6: They'll get to write songs for Damon Keith Williams all of that.

00:48:47
Speaker 1: Okay, So what was your day to day at Philly International? Because I always heard of like Philly Internationals opened back up and everybody worked at Philly International. But did anything come out?

00:49:00
Speaker 10: Man?

00:49:01
Speaker 6: You forgot no question, rumber, no question the group. I don't care what your mama.

00:49:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, y'all okay, I remember Wow, yes, but but but didn't respond to it.

00:49:14
Speaker 8: I was like, I just got big.

00:49:16
Speaker 1: This is an R and B group, can take I take it. I's no questions. I mean that kind of Yeah, they steal their own faith. But you're right.

00:49:26
Speaker 6: I'm sorry, you're right, You're right right.

00:49:28
Speaker 11: So we go down in the morning and just work until like ten forty five, And that's when Zog who was mister Huff's right hand man, and Zog played drums on Curtis mayfield Superfly album.

00:49:40
Speaker 3: Wow Okay and be.

00:49:42
Speaker 8: Like time to go.

00:49:44
Speaker 11: So we were like, yo, gams Man, can we stay later? And Gamseling ain't no flophouse, y'all leave it out of here.

00:49:52
Speaker 1: You wouldn't let y'all work late.

00:49:54
Speaker 8: No, make sure close close the doors and send the old But it's crazy. I had Linda Creed's.

00:50:03
Speaker 1: Over them, the Creed who wrote people all the records.

00:50:07
Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was so had the psychedelic carpet on the wall.

00:50:11
Speaker 6: It was crazy, all the original stuff and.

00:50:13
Speaker 11: Just being there in sessions and louver All's being it's crazy like the old louver Balls.

00:50:18
Speaker 8: They were finished up Phillis Hymon's album at the time.

00:50:20
Speaker 1: Did you play on any of those things?

00:50:22
Speaker 8: I think I played on a louver All song.

00:50:26
Speaker 1: Phyllis Nice.

00:50:27
Speaker 8: I didn't get to I didn't meet her.

00:50:30
Speaker 1: So what what years? Just so we know what was Philly International? This is eighty eight? Yeah, ok, based on his albums coming out.

00:50:39
Speaker 11: But the greatest thing I got from that was just sitting around listening to Gams and mister huff talk.

00:50:44
Speaker 10: Yeah.

00:50:45
Speaker 8: So I remember one time they were watching videos on TV. Some girls group was on. They all right, but they ain't let them girls.

00:50:58
Speaker 12: Yeah, I wanted to ask you man, talk about your process of going from being a musician, being a player to being a producer, because there's a lot of people who can play, but you know, making tracks or you know, being that it's a different thing.

00:51:17
Speaker 11: So at the time, I would I really wanted to be a musician, just be on the road and whatnot. And I met some guys that were constantly on the road and I saw their living situations and I saw that and I was like, remember me smart, because I.

00:51:32
Speaker 1: Me me smart, me kicked out of ten different.

00:51:42
Speaker 11: So I was like, Okay, this is not going to mount to much, you know what I mean. I can keep this is a monkey hustle. You know, I can keep chasing this. And I was like, okay, what's the next step to us? So I was like, okay, let me be strategic and start writing songs.

00:51:56
Speaker 1: Okay.

00:51:57
Speaker 11: And I wrote a bunch of gospel songs that you know it's a Walker, recorded some Bruce par Ham and you know a bunch of the So I started writing other other songs. I remember, I wrote some songs and I let this guy and feel he was like a pretty well known songwriter.

00:52:13
Speaker 8: Hear some stuff and he was like this is terrible. Who His name was, Spencer, Bernard Spencer, Big Spencer.

00:52:23
Speaker 1: I know the name Spencer.

00:52:24
Speaker 3: I know that guy.

00:52:25
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've heard it name.

00:52:27
Speaker 2: You know.

00:52:27
Speaker 8: That's happened to me quite a whit when I send music to people and they hate it. Being one of them, it is cool, good stuff I did at the.

00:52:39
Speaker 11: Time, I was searching, and it was it was absolutely trash. Remember, no, I appreciate you like you you ain't lying and be like, oh this is cool.

00:52:47
Speaker 8: You're like nah.

00:52:50
Speaker 3: That his wife.

00:52:53
Speaker 1: And I appreciate that. Yo, I love you.

00:52:55
Speaker 3: I'm like, yo, bro, I don't I don't want to have you out.

00:52:57
Speaker 11: I know, I appreciated that. I absolutely appreciate that. You know, somebody would have lied.

00:53:02
Speaker 7: Yeah, I still be doing some waknesste first to tell you the truth.

00:53:07
Speaker 10: But wait, how long ago was that because don't remember this, this is this had to be maybe early two thousands.

00:53:14
Speaker 12: Yeah, man, James like so with him, he and I like this was probably like, man, this is early two thousands, and we were doing this is when we were doing the Mentrol show. This whenever he was on the Mentro Show and we came up to the studio and I was just playing You records. I'll never get this was. I was just playing you records and we played the All for You record, and James just immediately went to the keyboard and just started playing over and I was like, oh, Ship, And I was just so honored that he would.

00:53:41
Speaker 3: Even play on one our records. I was like, ship.

00:53:43
Speaker 12: And so we ended up keeping it. And so he played on All for You on the Mintel Show. He's playing the keys and stuff on that. And then a couple of years after that he reached out and uh, the Fame movie.

00:53:54
Speaker 3: I did Fame.

00:53:55
Speaker 1: This was the movie did absolutely the movie.

00:53:58
Speaker 12: Did nothing but h maturity now and she was playing she had a role and they needed a song, and uh, James just saying he was like, hey man, I'm working on this.

00:54:08
Speaker 3: You think you can write something again.

00:54:10
Speaker 6: I'm like, holy shiped anybody?

00:54:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, straight up?

00:54:16
Speaker 5: Now?

00:54:16
Speaker 12: He and he sent it and me and my homegirl, Carlida Carlila Durant, we went in the studio. We did it, and I sent it back and I'm just hell, Mary, I have no idea, like maybe this works, and so James he hit me.

00:54:28
Speaker 3: I remember, I never get We was on instant Messenger. He was like, man, you show off, show off. I was like, all right, I think we got it right. So so now we did those records and.

00:54:39
Speaker 6: Yeah, then uh god, man, your first Place record.

00:54:43
Speaker 12: That was one of my first Yeah, writing for a movie that was like oh nine, and then I was and then like a couple of years after that, we did I red the phn ex Changes cover if She Breaks Your Heart. He remixed that, and he was one of your drum loops.

00:54:57
Speaker 1: Actually, yeah, for the rebix, this should be called I played on that two of you. Yeah, he did it.

00:55:06
Speaker 12: So now, man, James, he was always I mean outside of just you know, me being a fan of the music, I just always appreciated the way that you would reach out to me and just give me those opportunities and would always show up. And you know, just aside from me being a fan, like just you giving me those calls, man, that ship really meant a lot. And so anytime you call my all way, I'm like, yeah, I gotta deliver straight up.

00:55:27
Speaker 8: I love you.

00:55:30
Speaker 7: I get really nervous around poison. Also, man, he came yeah all the time he did a thing. I said it to him.

00:55:34
Speaker 8: I was like, fuck, listen this thing that you sent me. He was like this.

00:55:40
Speaker 1: I was like, what is wrong with you? I was terrified. I was terrible.

00:55:46
Speaker 8: I was like he shouldn't. Tru A million called me, was.

00:55:50
Speaker 7: Like, we're gonna do it, but James gonna be.

00:55:51
Speaker 3: I was like, fuck.

00:55:54
Speaker 1: If he has to be?

00:55:55
Speaker 6: Is that your instrument? Bill the piano?

00:55:58
Speaker 7: I mean sure, but I'm a fake. I'm a fake piano player. I can't play like James can play, but I can like I can manipulate.

00:56:09
Speaker 1: With Submitty magic.

00:56:11
Speaker 8: You know, yeah, make it happen.

00:56:13
Speaker 1: Family love.

00:56:18
Speaker 9: Okay, folks, this is where we're stopping part one with my favorite member of the Roots, James Poyser. Actually Kirk is my fave. And then Black Thought and the questl Ever kind of tied for second place, and wow, wait second, I forgot stro He's definitely in the top five. And the horn guys Dave and I and there my bros. So yeah, James would be like six No wait, Mark Kelly, Oh yes, he's my man. So James is like, wait, me and Kamal have really bonded recently. So James Poyser is like, whoa hold on a second?

00:56:51
Speaker 1: Tuba?

00:56:51
Speaker 9: I forgot tuba, my man. That's my cousin. So uh oh, bad news for James, but good news for you, our listener. In part two, the conversation about you is transition from a musician to producer continues with some deep dives into the records he's made. Come back next week or check your podcast feed for that one.

00:57:08
Speaker 3: See you later, James James, James James.

00:57:10
Speaker 1: What's Love Supreme is a production of Iheartradios James. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.