QLS Classic: PJ Morton

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Of Course Love Supreme is a production of I Heart Radio.
This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora.
What's up, y'all? This is Quess Love and this is
another q lest classic. This episode, we talk to our
pal p J. Morton, member of Broom five Monster in
his own right Grammy winner, and he talks about his

(00:22):
journey uh for being a preacher's kid in New Orleans
to uh world domination. You know it should be quite dope.
I hope you enjoy it all right starting, Oh God,
here we go. Su Primo roll call, Surema, su Premo

(00:45):
role called sub primam roll call, Soma roll call, tenants
pool Yeah, Rocket Simmons shoes signs from the heaven above. Ye,
some water. Primo road call. My name is Fonte. Yeah,

(01:11):
I'm kicking my game. Yeah where everybody, Yeah knows my name.
Prima road call, some Prima Prima road here whole Yeah,
and you know I'm no sucker. Yeah yeah. Oh that

(01:32):
hurt like a motherfucker. Some Primo road Sorry you Prema
road call. My name is Sugar, Yeah, yes, please, yeah,
won't you come? Ye put it down on me. Cama

(01:52):
road call. Some Prima road call. It's like yeah, and
I'm all of that yeah with my boy PJ. Yeah
who that who that din me tell you you have
to do this? My name is p J. I could

(02:16):
just scream yeah, I finally made it quest love to
bring something roll roll. So wait, so let me get

(02:39):
it correct. You knew what you had to do on
this theme. Yeah, so it's it's taking us one hundred
plus episodes to get someone on the show that listens
to our show, I mean the first twenty and so
we can excuse him because you know, no, it's just
usually what what what listeners of our show don't know
is that no one is warned, you know, and they

(03:04):
don't listen. And PJ is actually like the first person
who actually listened. I take that we might have our
first music nerd. Actually the wait, we've done over a
hundred and this dude don't know what ordered roll calls in. Okay, sorry,
seems it seems like we was just going around in
the circle. Yeah, because that's how we always deal with Well,

(03:25):
you shouldn't have sent me in the seat, you should
have sent me where you were sitting. You got here
early ones like oh I'm the boss, I'm boss, Steve
Clear you're gonna bos'n that. Wait, you know what not
Sugar Network? Right? One year? Got a year? Right? One year?
Like a month ago? Yeah? Month? Yeah? Yeah, congratulations Steve,

(03:46):
thank you. So what what developments have occurred in the
Sugar Network? You know, the same as usual. We just
continue to grow, thanks to thanks. I saw some weird
last night. Yeah in grep Times. What was that? As
an electric circus? Was so dope? Yeah, one of the
one of the Sugar celebrities, Soldier, made that for network

(04:07):
to celebrate the first year. It's very cool graphics. It
was dope. It was it was everybody else on the
team except me and that I know. You want to
Bill that wasn't there either. You guys got to participate more.
Those are like the major select that hit him alive,
don't I'm I'm on social media completely now, So how's
that going? How's your social media fast? Is it? Because

(04:33):
on the group chat I made a reference to a
few things that you didn't know about, And you know what,
I have no no fear of missing out. I don't care, really,
I don't care. Hopefully really hopening up to the world
these days, then I guess hopefully more people will follow
the suit, you know, actually get stuff done on time.
Now you know that I can actually sit through a

(04:53):
television show and know what's happening. I wonder, but you
don't get tempted or all to look at trending topics
or no, I don't give a ship. That's why I quit.
That's why I quit in the first place, because I
looked at all this and I was like, I don't care. Wait,
back in the December, you told you just dropping your Facebook.
It was you think I was gonna drop everything once
and then you know, have shocking and go out and

(05:14):
steps like, actually, the way you're looking right now, that's
why I'm sitting because like, yeah, it was like, okay,
I quit Facebook because that was easy to do because
most most people, you know, I know everybody I keep
family on Facebook. I don't even keep family on Facebook.
That would have been too much, y'all would have y'all
would have unfriended me a long time ago. Um, But

(05:36):
you know, Twitter I hardly ever used, so it was
easy to just hit the delete button on that. Instagram
was probably the hardest. How do they do they delete?
Is it like are you sure click? Are you really
sure click? I mean I I downloaded all my information,
so you know, if I get all missy eyed for
the days of Twitter your I can go back and
read some bullshit. Okay, so wait it lets you download.

(06:00):
You can download you you can download everything, really because
it saves everything. It saves everything. It's the Internet. Nothing
is deleted. You can download what Twitter and Instagment and
Facebook and Instagram. You can download all that ship Okay,
I would like to revisit my old m hmm. Maybe
I need to do that, mm hmm, just in case. Yeah,

(06:21):
I mean, if you want job number twenty five. Yeah, exactly,
That's That's what I mean. Sort of make sure I'm straight.
I caught out there, not caught out there. Um wait,
did you want to, oh, tell me something? I had
a story. I don't worry, sir, Like you should know
the drill since your fans jump in. This is something

(06:43):
that as soon as it happened, I wanted to tell you,
but I was like, Yo, we're taking a show tonight.
I need to put this on the air. Oh no,
what did I do? Wait? Did I do something? No?
You were just on television and my mama wasn't was watching. Okay,
my phone rings okay, junior, what's this let's see on
television with quest Love and his daughter? Who is his daughter? What? Mom?

(07:06):
He ain't got no daughter. He he's he's on here
getting helping her get her wedding dress for her wedding.
I was like, Mama, that's his sister. First reactions like
congrat Don Thompson, who is unless you lead the older sister.
But you know, we don't know. I'm looking. I'm a

(07:29):
quote big brother three hundred plus. My mom thought your
sister was your daughter. Just thanks, I appreciate that. Thank you?
When did she? When did you get married? Three times ago?
We shouted six seven years ago, right ago, seven thousand fourteen.

(07:50):
My dad was still alive, so made me like yeah,
two December two thousand fourteen. Yeah, oh wow. He also said,
shout out guarantee of more. Uh yeah, that my daughter.
Apparently I haven't laughed that hard and so long like me,
and like you had. We had a conference call right afterwards,
and why I got on the phone. I was still laughing.

(08:12):
She really meant that. Damn. Then I look that old.
I don't know. Oh here's a killer. And she's like
she had one more thing to say and you know what,
he had the nerve to be at that winning with
that dog. Don't pick in his hair. Older people should
haven't adjusted to that. Yeah, that's a prep and you
that's a part of your fit. Apparently you know Cindy

(08:34):
Lou at work, Steve the other job we have. Yeah,
her mom about rest in Pisa. People die, no, no,
no no. Her mom says, uh, she always calls it
a fork, keep that fork. And I gave her the

(08:56):
fork for Christmas, just you know, because she's not a
new girl. Yeah she's Yeah, she's Asian. Okay, uses waiting
for the other one. Yeah, black black, I forgot it's
been i'ven't seen you guys. And you should have dropped
Bill's match it a minute ago because he was angry. Yeah,

(09:20):
sorry about that anyway. Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another
episode of Quest Love Supreme. We are we are here.
We gather it here today. We're here with no Orlans
Nolan Zone. Can I say no Orlans Sure you can't?
Okay by Nolan Zone, Grammy Award winning, winning, winning, we

(09:43):
will we will say the hot sauce to Maroon five
take a salad gumbo wearing in the Mustard Greens too. Yeah,
I say, I'm the only Marone in my road. So
my dad have you. Yeah. I was like to say,

(10:04):
has anyone ever said that to you? Oh? My dad
look like you? When they said yeah, yeah, that was
Oh no, it didn't come from No. Ladies and gentleman,
please welcome from the show. And apparently, uh lover of
the show, our first one, p J Borton. I talked
to him. I talked to Gregg filling games today and

(10:24):
it was because of the show that I knew, you know,
his history, and he was from the Stevie School and
I'm doing something with them, and I was like, he
was playing first be game while I was on the
phone my song and he was saying, I told him
I went to the Stevie School. Indirectly he went to
the real Stevie School. But yeah, that was this show
that connected me to that. Yeah, like that that great
episode is probably I mean, we we all hold the

(10:47):
Jimmy jam episode in highlight, but I'll say that the
Greg episode probably my second favorite. Yeah. It was a lot,
a lot of show of art. Yeah, it's edgy mccational
and he got great energy energy. It's crazy. Yes, great
natural energy. So wait, I gotta ask uh having won

(11:08):
that Grammy and that's your first grand because that's my first. Yeah,
well yeah, this this is funny. I actually didn't. I
thought I want to Grammy. We're doing a performance and
said a song No. I wrote on ind i re
S album. My first major placement was in college when

(11:30):
I was at Moorhouse and um bet she won Best
R and B Album and and for years I thought,
because I wrote and produced on that album, man, that
I was a Grammy Award winner. And it wasn't until
I became a governor of the Memphis Chapter and I
was that they were like, yeah, you know, you haven't
actually yeah a little yeah, I got the but this

(11:57):
is my first trophy, you know, but I didn't even know. Yeah,
good night, or at least you learned that way. I
learned in front of all radio city music all oh no,
all right, you So you remember the night when Old
Dirty got on stage and wu tanks for the children,
a lot of money, a lot of money and the
the the Sway Bomb Bob Dylan Knight wasn't and Aretha

(12:21):
Franklin taking over for prop um so Erica had one
album for bobois m And we didn't realize that with
the non main categories, even though they even have a
pop category, with the non main categories, that there's amount

(12:45):
of goal post moving that happens and the worst. I mean,
a lot of these rules were established because of the
amount of samples and writers, you know, like again like
if if uh, I remember last year when Kanye was
up for him for all day, all day, like Paul

(13:09):
McCartney and all these other people, Like even then you're
only limited to uh, I think only seventeen are allowed
to officially grab one. But whatever the case was, like,
I didn't know that the people can win one award
well for when the big ones right, like album or something,
Well for uh, I'm about to say, I don't want

(13:33):
to insult him by saying, Mr Kylie Jenner, Uh, Travis Scott,
I'm sorry. This is the only way I could have said.
I couldn't say it's that Rocky. I don't know. Wait,
I don't know if you guys been knowing, but TMZ
has been trolling asap kind of hard, like wherever he goes,
then they have a camera, like hey, Travis Scott, publicism

(13:58):
just you know, tip them off. No, literally, like the
fun of following TMZ now on social media. I know
you're off that now is watching tmz uh post up
another a SAP guiding movement. Yeah, it's they found something
viral that works. Okay, Yeah, so they're gonna overdo it

(14:19):
all right, I got it. Of course, you know TMC
the entertainment industry. But with Travis Uh, there were over
thirty writers for umio mode, but they have to figure
out the sevent um. Everybody's Sicko Mode is actually technically

(14:40):
four songs and Malcolm maated into one. All that publishing
you ain't getting listen. Yeah, like the Drake part of
the beginning. I know you probably never heard of single mode,
No I haven't, okay exactly. The Drake part of it
was a whole another song that was done by like
six people. And then because well and also because someone

(15:03):
I don't get about modern hip hop, where even if
they give a reference to a song, has it just
turned into the literally just says give me the loop,
and all of a sudden like Biggie and all this stuff.
And then he made uh a tribe reference and all
of them got from that song, and then what like
a k Luke right, Yeah, I stop getting get it

(15:27):
or not right? So literally, literally somebody just needs to
come to all these cats, stop giving your publish in
a way, come up with something originally, or you're gonna
be broke for the rest of your life. It's like
a hip hop but Himan Rhapsody, but without like just
a few writers writing. Are you guys telling me like,
basically hip hop is now the modern day brill building
even Yeah, well I'm not. I'm not. I'm talking where

(15:52):
you got basically just a whole bunch of people writing
ship songs written by committee. Oh no, that's exactly what
it Yeah, that's exactly what it is. Yeah, it's very
few people you'll see that actually work by themselves with
small groups like everything. Whenever you hear like or whatever. Yeah, yeah,
check the credits. I will, but I'm just going gott

(16:12):
to buy the album first. So Jimmy Jimmy Jan was
basically saying, it's problematic trying to figure out which one
of the seventeen will get an award. The killing killing
the business, that's not no, they're killing their own business.
Ye just fine, yeah, because they wanted that. How many

(16:38):
writers on the Casey mustgraz is album gonna look that up,
like just okay, I didn't even get my point out.
So my point was when Erica one yeah, and they
were like down, They're like, and I was like, but
produced this record? You one? But you didn't. Yeah. Well
I was headed on the stage. And then that's when

(17:01):
they told me afterwards that um, we would have to
produce yeah, because I think that's the same thing ninety seven.
And then after hip hop really took over the Grammys,
then it was like, yeah, so statues got got expensive
to produce. Huh right, right? Can I ask you all

(17:22):
the question? And this might not be politically correct, see
and it's Doe PJ just coming off a fresh whim,
But was Drake right, like are the Grammys becoming not?
Well no, he's writing a lot of ways. Well I
think yeah. I think his point was it didn't define you,
which I agree with the reason I wanted to Grammys
because all my heroes one grand it's a personal thing,

(17:45):
doesn't validate me. I'm still doing what I'm but are
they going not now? But I feel like maybe the
next two years is it going to be the same
status situation that it is? Absolutely? You know, what. No,
I'm gonna say no, and I'm gonna tell you why.
Get on Wikipedia right now and type in list of
Grammy winners, and it's going to tell you how many
people have won Grammys, how many they've wanted, how many
times they've been nominated, And you're going to be disgusted

(18:07):
by some of the names you see the top, and
some of the names you see at the bottom, like
from we never won one because we like a Sealers
number one one. I think like Marley, Bob Marley number
one one, Like Marvin Gate has like what two? Yeah
that sexual and Beyonce have like forty like combined active. Yeah,
just looked it up yesterday. Beyonce has like yeah, I

(18:32):
looked up to Wow. But seventy seven nominations, jay Z
sixties six? How many times were for guest bots on
other people's records mainly yeah, when we like when we
were up for Gramm sping screw Yes, I like that. Yeah,

(18:58):
well we were, we forest, we were nominating and we
lost and it was like okay, and then I realized
that Ashanti at one one in your category. I was
good yet one one not category. But it was just
one of those things where it's like you know what, Yeah,
you can't, Like you said, you can't let it define
you can't. You know, it's just accepted for that motherfucker.

(19:21):
That's how I tech. I'm cool with never winning one again.
To be honest with you, that was a personal time out. Yeah,
time out me all right, I'm your Jacob Marley. Yeah
in the future. Yeah, you might want to be careful
with that quote. I'm just saying that it is possible.

(19:43):
I don't think there's no artist on earth that's not insatiable. Yeah.
And when I won that first Jordan you want more
then I was, I was like, cool, I'm cool with that. Well,
an example is I want I want mine in the
pretail before and I knew I was up for R
and B album on TV, but I was happy as

(20:05):
I could be on TV. Just like man, I don't
care if I lose. I'm probably gonna lose. But I
was this as a goal. I just I just wanted that.
I do want to win more. But I'm cool that
I did that, and I'm straight never if I never
do to me Like the best Grammy story and I
don't know if it was ever confirmed, but allegedly daft Punk.

(20:26):
When they won, sent other guys up there in the
in the suits. Yeah, and they watched. They watched from
the audience. Yeah, Like I thought that was like the
ship maybe to watch yourself get a Grammy. Like I've
seen one of those guys without this man, dude in
the purple gave you your award, right, the guy the
purple jacket, Jimmy was towards the end. Okay, okay, So

(20:53):
what was what was the feeling in your stomach when
you heard your Well, I heard tie first. That's what
they said in gentlemen, we have a tie. And I
was like, I was like, come on, man, so I've
been it's been ten nominations, right, So I used I
used to playing parties and stuff. What I used to
be like, hey man, we about to turn up. I
lost those. I lost those few times. I'm like, man,

(21:15):
we ain't. I ain't playing nothing, not this year. I
ain't playing nothing. So I'm just like when you said tie,
I'm like, oh man, what's about to happen? And it
was me and Leon Bridges. But once he said my name,
so he said your name last. Yeah, he said my
name last. Yes. I was like and Leon, Yeah, no,

(21:37):
it was a crazy feeling. I'm gonna tell you something
funny about that. So my manager was in was at
Fallon the first time you sat in with us, right okay,
and he said to me, he says, yo, I'm gonna
tell you something. He's like, on the low the way

(21:58):
y'all did it on stage, you need to approach him
now and do that ship. That's just gonna be a
Grammy Award winner. This is Rich saying this, no, no, no,
this is we we we we did. How deep is
your love? And like we hooked it up? All right?
And he's like, I'm telling you now the second that

(22:18):
ship he called that one from my phone, like what
did I tell you? What did I tell you? What
did you say? I? Alright, we weren't ready even you know,
we weren't in the no, I get it the headspace
to record. Then how much different is it now? Because
I'm like, he just did it every jam. And it's
funny because it's it's weird that that song like turns
the party out, even though you know it's a it's

(22:40):
an O B G song, but it's like feel new
when you do something. Yeah, Yeah, it's just it's just
interesting because everything you know, somebody can remake a song,
and that don't mean everybody's gonna jam to it. But
I didn't expect that that was the last Like when
I did on the studio version, it was like last minute.
I knew I wanted to do a cover. I had
always tried to do a cover on albums and just

(23:00):
never worked out. And um, so we had a contest
and I was looking up songs and I looked up
the top twenty songs of all time, I think, and
then I saw that one. I was like, oh, I
love how deep is your love? Anyway? And I figured
out last minute and handed it's always the afterthoughts. It
wasn't a grand plan or not. It was just like
last minute cut it not even in the studio where

(23:20):
I did the west rest of the record, just all different.
And then we toured and I just saw how crazy
was going and that's why I said we had to
record it live. And then I mean, here we are.
Whose idea was it for you to collaborate with? Yeah?
But yeah, but I um, I saw her singing my
version on Instagram and I was like, that was last

(23:41):
minute too, because we're playing that basically, I'm like, who
is she? Why is she so fantastic? Was on Instagram?
I asked her and she was like, yeah, I'll do it.
She lived in New York. Grahams were in New York
last year and she came and year too. I did

(24:04):
it because that was before she was on it. We
recorded it that same weekend, the day before I did
the Rust Jam lash. Yeah, damn yeah, you all up
in this story because if you think about I was
doing the mathterday and I was just doing my my
PJA research and I was saying, I saw that Adam
Blackstone kind of introduced you to the Room five, and
I was like, well, that's that's your our first day.

(24:27):
That that that's how we are. Yeah, yeah, that's okay. Yeah.
So for those who don't know the background story, I
guess after I'm plugged with jay Z, then everyone else
starts calling like put my band together, and Eminem and
pauling them call said put our band together, YadA, YadA, YadA,
And by that point we had just started failing. So

(24:52):
I couldn't the attention that I gave jay z s
band I couldn't do for everyone else because now I
quote have a day job, so I I gave that
to Adam Blackstone. So Adam had hit me up, Adam Levine,
Hi Levine Vine because wait, no, no, no, no, it's

(25:14):
only because I because a few months ago on folon Avril,
Levine was on the show. You said opposite of that, right, Okay,
so it's Levine, Adam Levin, Yes, hit me up about uh,
advil Levine? Is that? Sorry? Adam? Adam hit me up

(25:38):
about uh putting their show together, and I was like,
you want me to put a Room five show together?
And I agreed, but they're not. You know, someone's like, yo, dude,
just take Adam with you, have them carry the weight
and just be out there to babysitting. YadA, YadA, YadA.
So that day that we came out, that was your
first day with him. That was yeah, after I had

(25:59):
add and my first rehearsal was the day you were
in there. I had had that video of you like
playing this love to show him a different groove to
this love. It's kind of weird, like I didn't want to.
So I was. I was brand new. We were all
brand new. So me and Adam Blackstone, you had just
brought him in and he brought me in and so

(26:20):
we were that was so I'm known black I don't
know forever. I don't even know where we met. It's
like Franklin Bridge days. And I knew him when he
was in Franklin Bridge, so it was probably before then.
I don't remember how we met. Maybe he was remember no, no, no,

(26:44):
it was a TV show on ABC that did a
national Battle of the band. It was like bands. Oh wow,
okay about that. I don't know Blackstone just kind of
as far as I remember, Like, I don't remember meeting him.
I didn't met all those Philly guys that want was
the tie and those guys all the band show. No,

(27:10):
it's a small world. Yeah, so you you were born
in New Orleans, born and raised? Okay, we're part I was,
uh grew up in the East. I'm confused because I
lived there. Now I moved back, but I grew up
in the East. My whole life New Orleans eas So

(27:31):
what are the can you describe for most? For me? So?
So East, I guess in the eighties was considered like
the new town, like New New Orleans and um so
like I had where I grew up doesn't didn't really
look like up. It doesn't look like New Orleans in
that way. I had a palm tree in the front
of mine. It was like they made it like the

(27:53):
New suburbs, right, So that's where I grew up. There's
also a rough part of the East, which is why
the Katrina took them forever. It took like eight years
for them to even start to work on New Orleans
eas But um, I grew up in the East. Then
you have Uptown, which is where my dad's church was,
And then you have Downtown, which is kind of where
the super Dome is and Convention Center and all that stuff.

(28:17):
So away from when tourists come there, of course, we
come to the French Quarter. Yeah, that's downtown. So is
that the equivalent of you hanging out? Like? Not really,
that's I mean low key Bourbon Street is that? But
the French Quarters. What I love about New Orleans is
kind of like the Tories. The stuff overlaps with the

(28:37):
real stuff like that, where are you hanging? Um? I
mean I'll go down there. Are you holding a wall? Guy?
Are you like? But I'll go and play and listen
att on Frenchman Street. I'll listen to music on Frenchman Street.
I never go to Bourbon. Should you do Frenchman mayor?
Is that a bourbon? Because that's what I was told
to by New Orleans natives, like if you're gonna do

(28:58):
a street inversion, I mean I rarely do bourbon. Yeah,
I mean bourbon is a sitist. I do it when
people are visiting, you know what I'm saying, because it
is something to see that that is on. I mean,
it could be a random Wednesday night, you know, and
it's full, it's packed, just like like it is during
Marty Grass something, you know. So as far as like

(29:21):
seeing bands and are there still an abundant especially in
the wake of Katrina? Uh, which okay, I guess we're
years thirteen years later. Um, are there still an abundance
of musicians and band members there? Because I know that
there was a mass exodus. Oh yeah, a lot of
people got out. But there's a there's a new generation

(29:43):
now too of musicians and it's a bunch of it's
it's still a bunch of musicians. Now, how are they
with tradition? Um, the young guys, I mean they still
have to play in the quarters, they still have to
come up there, so it's almost like they go through
that little school of all right, I gotta know how
to do a shuffle, or I gotta know how to
do a second line be you know, because you have

(30:04):
to come through there to get to you can't really
skip that step unless you play in church, you know.
And even still when you want to go from Chi,
I just was lucky enough to leave and go to
school and start to write and stuff. But if you
want to stay a musician in New Orleans, you kind
of gotta go through that scene and play on bourbon
and stuff. Because I don't know if any place in
the United States or even the world that hanks so

(30:27):
tight to a tradition, probably Second Broadway. It's probably the
only other culture I know that's so stuck or like
post tim pan Alley, you know, Gercewin era jazz that
that I would love to just pry their hands off
of and have them start a new But yeah, that's

(30:50):
what I'm about since I've been back home too, you know.
But how is is New Orleans a place where some
people feel as though we need to eve of Like
are there people that just start straight bounces as a musician,
like I'm gonna start with or even now bounce is
like tradition. I mean the idea of Drake doing fifth

(31:10):
word webby type songs, yes, is old old school. So
you know, is there any space for trap culture in Yeah,
it's a brand new way. It's a brand new wave
in New Orleans. Now. Um of artists that I'm seeing
that are totally I mean they respect that history and

(31:31):
know it. But I think what I've been preaching since
and I've been back home three years, and um, kind
of what started me off Buddy Bolden's house, who is
attributed as the originator of jazz music, right, like Louis
Armstrong credits King Oliver, Buddy Bolden. Yeah, see I thought
King Oliver's right, he's King Oliver credits bit Buddy Bolden. Right,

(31:51):
So they say Buddy is that he lost his mind
when he was like twenty six and and and and
lived his life in a hospital in a hospital for
the rest of his life. But we the house is
like ten steps from my dad's church, and after Katrina
the my family bought up all the real estate around there,
not knowing that they bought Buddy Bolden's house, his childhood home.

(32:13):
I didn't know who Buddy Bolden was until I moved
back home, and they were like, Yo, we're about to
do something with this house. And people were coming from
Europe and lining up and making pilgrimages to to this place.
And we didn't know what it was. And when I
got home, you know, um, but it made me start
to like think about that history. And I think that
New Orleans and the reason I left, the reason why

(32:35):
a lot of us leave, is because we focused so
much on jazz, jazz, jazz, like we started this, this
is what and and I think what needs to be
more focused on with New Orleans is innovation. Right. It
was Buddy saying, I know y'all playing Dixie, and this
is how I want to play my horn, and it's
gonna be different from everybody else. And that's what created that.
That's what created Bounce, was us not caring New Orleans

(32:57):
could just a bubble in that way, was like, I
don't it was on the radio, I don't care what
this is our what we're doing. But I think that
is what makes us special, not the actual thing, not jazz,
not bounced, but the not caring, right, and the gift
of that and the innovation of that. So I think
a lot of the generation now and the and the
generation coming up they're thinking that way. But it's still

(33:21):
that same I don't care attitude. I mean, you still
have the I mean I would say that the not
necessarily the entire Marcella's family, but definitely is head, headstrong, purist. Yeah,
but he's also not in New Orleans. It hasn't been
for a very long time. You know, uh, more New
York than anything. Yeah. Yeah, he been in New York

(33:45):
for a very long time. So I'm saying, as far
as the scene is going, that's that's cool, And that's
what happened, by the way, like that jazz went came
to New York and the jazz we know now is
that right? Our jazz turned into R and B and
like Fats you know, in rock and so like that.
That's the extension of us more than preaching jazz is

(34:05):
how we know it now, you know. So are there
funk bands that we're in the tradition of the meters? Like,
are there still people that I don't really? Not? Not really.
I mean you got like Galactic. I was gonna say
Galactic it take the jam band, yeah sort of thing.
So Galactic is now the the steady groove, that's the

(34:28):
standard funky jam band type thing. Yeah, if you're if
you're a musician in New Orleans. Um, and let's say,
how were you when you first started? I was like eight, Okay,
So what's the first thing that you're taught? Is it
a boogie woogie? Like, what's the what's the what's the

(34:50):
top five? Like stuff that has to be in your
DNA or for you get respect by. So to me,
it was like two different worlds, right. I didn't. I
didn't really get into that French court of world until
I was older. My dad was I was. It was
all church for me. That's where all my music came from.
I'm a preacher's kid. Your father must have a rather

(35:10):
large church, right, because your father is very known in
the community, correctly. Yeah. Pre Katrina, we had like twenty members,
So it was like a huge church. Brought up a
lot of said, you brought a lot of property. I want, yeah,
but but yeah, so my my dad was kind of
like the premier church you know in New Orleans pre Katrina,

(35:32):
and that brought through a lot. But my dad's from Windsor.
My dad's from Canada, right, so he and his father
was a huge pastor. The first pastor to have a
church in Detroit and to have a church in and Canada,
so that connection. My dad grew up with the Clark's
sisters in the Windings and all of them. So when
he when he came to New Orleans and started a church,

(35:54):
he brought musicians from there. My my heroes were like
this guy Joey Britain from Detroit and guys like that
that he brought down. So the flavor was totally different
in our church than outside of the honest so I
was I came up with. I didn't get the New
Orleans training early, and it's probably why I was so different.
You know. Ellis Marcelle's wanted me to saw me play

(36:14):
when I was like ten or twelve and wanted me
to go to NOCA, but I wanted to go to
this high school saying, oh you know what I'm saying
that was known for his margin band. So I was
a little different, which is kind of why I always
felt out of place kind of growing up. You know,
it was like I'm not really that New Orleans guy
in that way. How lenient as a PK. How lenient

(36:35):
were your family on music outside secular music? Yeah, it
was it was it was strict, strict, yeah, it was.
It was a balance because my dad was from Detroit, like,
I mean, he loved Anita, he loved certain things right,
and my dad was a singer and a real musician
in that way. So he always appreciated the Stevis and stuff,

(36:56):
you know. He tell me stuff. Yeah, my uncle played
on some early some old town things back then. I
used to play for cl Franklin right, so like, and
they tell me stories of Stevie coming in and doing
a show at the church, you know. So it was
always a line. I remember we couldn't listen to the
secondar stuff on Sundays, but but you know, it was

(37:17):
only gospel music on Sundays. But they were pretty I
mean I listened to Michael Jackson growing up and even strict. Yeah,
it wasn't crazy like that. I think his childhood was
so strict I was. Yeah, and what your people like
you said, he was from Canada, so where y'all people
always I don't know why. I always think the Canadian
black foles have like a lot of Island influence on

(37:39):
them and whatnot. But were they yeah, I think there
was some with my grandparents, well not my grandmother. She
was like from Missouri. So they both passed away. Before
they passed away, my dad his father when he was
twelve and his mother when he was nineteen, so way
before me. But I think my grandfather had some West Indiana, Missouri.
They went up. Yeah, he found her somewhere. They found

(38:02):
each other somewhere. Yeah. So he your father was initially
preaching up in the d and then yeah, so he
why why what was this decision to come down to?
He said, God told him to move to New Orleans.
That's that's the only reason I've heard. And he said
he went and did a revival in Cleveland, and when

(38:24):
when he knew it was time for him to move,
and somebody stole all of his clothes out of his
car and everything. And he said, after he got robbed,
he moved. That's that's when he finally moved. Yeah, my
dad's got it's a crazy story. Yeah, because Hap with

(38:51):
Trek and Michelle first moved to brought their sprawling Uh
they would house it everything. Yeah, Tike came home and
packed all of the ship like me and to go
to pull the opposite each other. So every outfits reet
weears like worth like billion dollars, so you know, it
was like first day of school for like all of

(39:11):
his good clothes. He's he's packing his car, his Porsche
of ball things like he's packing off his stuff in
the car and like four, I guess four in the morning,
Like someone just came and took all of two weeks
skills out of his car, out of the car. A
lot of people ate off of him clothes, you know
that a lot of people smoke. It's almost like it's

(39:34):
almost like I think he wanted to stay an extra
week before that, you know that coming to American scene
where like stop let them stress ten thous dollar e vs. Jeans.

(39:57):
I know it was you, uh but yeah, no, he
said God told him to go and he didn't know
anybody in New Orleans. He said his first job was
like he was like a gas attendant around the church
and one of the guys invited him to the church.
What is the time span from that to ye maybe

(40:19):
six or something is when he got to New Orleans
something like that, and it was, um, I don't know,
it was up to twenty by the time before Katrina
so oh four. Were you a part of your father's
music outreach or were you part of the gospel. Yeah,
I was like the music director for a while until
I went to college and the choice. Um yeah, actually

(40:43):
that's what my friends were. My friends, my musician form
my drumma right now is still is the guy that
I used to play with. So for me and my church,
it was fun and the music and my friends was
all I needed. You know, I was a preacher's kids.
I was doing what I was doing. Whatever I was doing,
I was have been fine, but that was my source. Really.
Like I said, I wasn't on this New Orleans scene.

(41:05):
So all my musician friends were in church. See that. Okay,
Now it makes sense because I didn't know this backstory. See,
whenever it's jam session time or when you sit in
with us, it's always well, you know, like we always
go there and do these right, get the gospel, go
straight church. That's why it's it's fun and authentic to

(41:26):
do that with for sure, because that's why I get
it when you when you say it. So any of course,
I think I don't know if there's any soul singer
alive that doesn't long to do a gospel record, But yeah,
is that in your future eventually? No, you know what
I started out as a songwriter, and so I've written

(41:48):
gospel songs for people that have done well. Like I
wrote this big gospel song called let Go Let God,
this guy Dwayne was did and it was like seventy
two weeks in the top ten. So um, I want
to yeah, like a Stellar Awards, maybe a Dove. Um.
But if I do anything, it'll be like my songbook
and other artists singing. But I don't. I have no

(42:10):
desire to do a gospel record at all. No. I
feel like my my soul, my r and stage a
couple months ago. Yeah. But but but but we were
doing my song sticking to my guns, you know what
I'm saying. Like, I feel like when when Stevie wanted
to to talk about God, then he just did, right,

(42:30):
then I have to go and make a gospel record
to do it. And that's that's kind of my That's
what kind of with Marvin. If he wanted to reference
God to talk about guy Donnie, you felt even if
he wasn't talking about God, it felt like church. So
I get that same thing, whatever that is that you
want from that. One of the things I really like,
like my how I first got onto you, I mentioned

(42:50):
in my road call My Home girl. Carlita Durrant. She's
a young singer. She's in uh from Durham. And so
she we were this is man, this is like a
decade ago, it's like teen years ago. She was like, yo,
um you up on p J. Morton. I was like nah,
I was like the preacher. She's like, no, this's his daddy,
like his dad, he has a son. I was like,
oh ship. Yes. So she was like, um. So she
played me the first thing I heard of yours. It

(43:12):
was it was a live show and you ended with
the cheers things where everybody yeah, like dude, but he
does it like he turns. Yeah. Oh god. She was like, yo,
you gotta hear him. He got three background scenes to
sound just like him. And so we played this ship
and so I could hearing you. Now I could understand

(43:32):
how to find the church and whatever you see the
same feeling, it gives me the same whatever that is.
You know what I'm saying, um, which is why I
just never say I would never say, Okay, now here's
the gospel record. It's like, now it would be sprinkled
in there. If I want to go there, you gotta
find it. You gotta get to it. Let me find
you rather. What's the name of the gospel choir your

(43:52):
dad's church? Um? What was great to St. Stephen's Mass choir? Okay?
Did they have records and some records? Yeah, my dad
had some records, like Your Tears was a big song
that he did. Let It Rain was later on, but
that was a big song. It was like purple Rain
and Okay, how do we hear this gospel version of

(44:14):
cheers out of here? Um? I saw on his record
I did called Live in l A. Yeah, where everybody
knows as Yeah, but it felt that that's the way
we ended the shows for like eight years or something.
There was a period we I think we ended we
stopped doing it. One time I did it, Samuel Jackson

(44:35):
was in the audience and he was looking like huh.
And then I think we dropped I think what term
and just started doing like TV themes at the end. Yeah.
I did it in Europe or Asia and they were
looking like I was like, I don't want to do
it anymore. That's what kind of stopped me from doing it.
Just shout out to the jazzy because I used that's

(44:56):
how they used to close their set at the Black
Lily every Tuesday. Oh really yeah, really yeah, they didn't
tell was that you was on what they gonna tell you?
I wonder where they got that idea. Who did it first? Question?
Who did it first? Gary Portnoy did it? I got

(45:17):
that forty five. Yeah, that's like, that's such a good song. Yeah,
I love that song. I'm trying to figure out if
there's a full album that, like a Gary Portnoy album.
I never did the verse, but I love the verse. Wait,
Gary port knew there's two verses in the real Yeah,
I've heard it. Yeah, Steve song, Yeah song, I like

(45:45):
when you sing alone. Shout out to Gary Portnoy. You
know he doesn't he doesn't get enough nobody talks about
I know, man, did he spend his check? But he
did he write that song? Or did he just sing it?
I don't really know. I'm not sure. I'm not sure
you acted like you knew Steve would know the history
of it. But I'm just being honest. Oh yeah, no,
I don't. I don't know he wrote it along with

(46:08):
Judy hart Angelo. Well, since you're one of the few
or first leaders of a gospel choir church, I gotta
know how how how First of all, what's the membership?
What's the size? And yes, um, and I don't know.
I was, I was young. I don't visually maybe people

(46:34):
that's my worst nightmare. Yeah, I mean I already shaky
as an empty of my own situation that I actually created.
But how how are you able to maintain the respect
and the attention of over two hundred people? Now, I've
seen it that I never so as music director I was,
it was just banned. I didn't I never had to

(46:54):
deal with choir members. That's a whole that was never
about to be my jam. Yeah. No, I've seen that.
We've seen the wrangle the choir members and stuff. But no,
it was always the band. Okay, So I don't know. Yeah,
Now you went when when did you go to the house? Um?
I went nine graduating? No three, that's the one thing.

(47:18):
We were almost almost classmates. What is that the house?
I almost went there? You almost went there almost? Now
I went there to classes. Wait, I want some spelling knights,
And where would you go? No, you didn't go to
spelling I'm just saying, no, she just went to more house.
I love. I was saying I had some spelling knights

(47:43):
in my class. I didn't have any Clark students. Okay, alright,
well I did you over there? I was over there.
I did some Spellman's ones too. You might as well
paying for it. It's when Spike was on the show.
We didn't get into it. But what what is it
like at Morehouse? And was it? Is it as prestidges
as it's as the folklore of it, I'll say that

(48:04):
it it does instill some pride, like you know so
so so when I was in New Orleans growing up
and I was the flat preacher's kid, right who could
play and all of that, um, it was like one
of me kinda right. Then you go to more House
and you know what I'm saying, and it shows you like, okay,
well I'm not alone in that, and it it kind

(48:27):
of demands you to want to have a certain level
uh and some of the history there and the way
they teach you about that history and make sure you
know it, um, you know, and who went there too,
you know from the mL case y'all lifted up a
mail more House man like and make sure that pride
is there. Um. So whatever you do after that, and

(48:48):
you at least you have that. You know what I'm saying. Really, yeah,
don't you don't get mad like I do when those
alumni emails come through and you're like, no, where I
went to me? I went to a small state school Indiana,
but only because they paid for everything. So that's what
was where I went to Flying the Central University, graduated

(49:08):
in oh one Steve, the University of Maryland, Yes, Clark
and Morgan State. Damn, I'm the only motherfucker college. But
every time, all right, O, man, I want to go
to college. Man, they give you a degree, you know,

(49:31):
they just give you one. We had to go there,
and it's true, it's I'm sure you've been offered many.
I just got my degree from Princeton University and what
back back in February without going to one class I've taught. Yes,
I got my honor so you can call me doctor
Love now. Yeah, I'm doctor Love now. Congratulations. Weird in enough.

(50:00):
They want me to teach there and give lectures there,
but you know, I don't know if I could actually
have the jobs to that's certificate. But you don't keep
that in the bathroom. In the bathroom, keep everything in
the bathroom. I gave out the plone with my MoMA.
I gave it. I just I've never even seen mine.
I don't know where mine is. That's fun, mine's box stuff.

(50:21):
I'll sell your mine. Got to love. No, But I'm
just saying that from watching, from watching a different world,
and you know how sure, yeah, that's that's not but

(50:41):
it was. It was fun man, and and it's your people.
And so the whole school days and all that wasn't
a thing much more Greeks against you, goddamn individuals g
D I s. So in that way, that's what we
called ourselves. I was a g D. I was you
not a g D I Bill, I know you was
a g D. I I was, but I never heard
that term. I'm mad. I didn't hear in twenty years. Yeah, yeah,

(51:05):
he had an album. Yeah, I never wait, he was
real not he was real? He was a real No.
I know, I just saved me find me when they
asked me what I was pledging as I also remember
Mousa moved, but that's because I watched too much BT
back into the college hits from the streets and when

(51:26):
he went around in the he went to Howard and
when I went to high school, he's working the store
across street was over there, and he would entertain us.
He was funny. Yeah. Yeah, we didn't have the I
mean we had the for terms of course, but I
mean I played football, so I turned. It wasn't g
D it was it was severe play football in college. Yeah,
my first time. Yeah, I didn't wanna do that ship.

(51:46):
I was tired. He gave a job. Like, nigga, you
like that ship is your life, Like you were on
a football scholarship. No, no, no, I was on academic
scholarship and then I just walked on the team. And
so hey, guys, okay, yeah, yeah, that's the thing in
college football, like they don't really well, at least at
our school. You didn't really make cuts, so to speak.

(52:08):
So like if your grades was on point, you could
come out for the team. But by the time you
get through workouts, between injuries, between niggas, that's ineligible. Somebody
didn't got his girlfriend pregnant by the end of the
summer workouts, some space, that's who left. You can make it.
It's like it's like you made it. You on the team.
You didn't quit, you didn't you didn't flunk out whatever.

(52:30):
So yeah, that it was crazy. So we just call
people civilians, like if you didn't playing like when I stopped,
when I stopped playing ball, all the boys like, you're
about to go live civilian life like Seville, Like that's
what it was. So between civilian life and the AUC
and then the whole hierarchy of the Moorhouse Spellman Clark
and then at the time Morris Brown wasn't there when
you were there. I think it was on its way out. Okay,

(52:51):
So yeah, that was a whole. That was a thing too,
a little thing, but not as much as it was
on the movie. Because my first girlfriend went to Mars Brown.
Good for you, I jumped over freshman a year. Freshman year.
You brought her outside? What does that mean? She was
outside of What does that mean? Because I tell him

(53:11):
the phrase, PJ. You what you married a spellman? You know,
don't you know? The phrase you married the whole phrase?
But but basically, yeah, unfortunately, there was a hierarchy. You
married Calman girl, you cheat on her with the Clark
girl and then the Morris Brown one, you know, the
moors Browns to jump off. Yeah, wow, you brought her outside? Yeah,

(53:40):
I will say unfortunately to to help the stereotype, the stereotype.
She just had to come to Morris Brown for the
first semester because the spell and stuff was late, and
then she went second semester spelling. So you cheated. That
ain't a real more brown girl. Hey that I was
over there on that campus and it was like what
you're doing over you know that what I'm doing over there?

(54:02):
They locked the gates spellman in like eight o'clock a night.
So that's the thing. So that's the thing. So in
the black straight up, I mean, because I remember you're
in the Bible Belt. So coed visitation is like that's
like a thing. So what you would have to do,
like in our dorm in Chile, like you would have
to sign in your guests, but like niggas never wanted

(54:23):
to sign in because you don't want other people. Yeah,
so you could just sneak a john on the side
or whatever, like you sneak joints in. And so the
first sign like we came and we went to the
first time we parted at you and see Carolina Chapel Hill,
which is like the big white school like fifteen twenty
minutes down the road, and like we saw how they
lived over there how like it was like two girls.

(54:45):
It's like four girls in a suite and it's just open.
Just come. Is you different? Way different? No? No, no
she was because the thing was like she was. It
was she was black, but like she had like white
home girls and ship. But the thing was like Central.
So I guess the hierarchy, the whole hierarchy in the
triangle was, I guess you marry a duke nigga, if

(55:13):
you could get one, you catch you can catch your
duke because he got this white girl. If you get
your dukee nigga. But like, but like Central, we had
the reputation for just being just cool and like we
was just niggas, like just so like all the chicken
they like they used to funk with us because we
just didn't care. So we go to Carolina, like you know,

(55:33):
we're like many digs corny, Like we used to take
all they hold but their food in their good cafeteria. Right,
different countries, being representative ship they had when you got
to the white school. Because I have friends that went
to white had a friend and went to w and
have a friend and with the pits around in California

(55:53):
and that life was just like it opened my I
was like like one of my boys, Like he moved
in over the he was like living with a girl
in the house that was the dorm Aeron house. Like
he was Damn, I'm like, nigga, where you being? You
know what I manto And this is pre Instagram, pre
like fake soul. Ain't no track in your moves, man.

(56:17):
But I would not trade I can and I'm sure PJ.
I'm sure I would not trade my black college experience,
no way nothing. It was so good. And if you
got caught where this was the rumor, if you got
caught leaving Spellman's campus too late, they the security had
rubber bullets ship so you would have to run like
it was Vietnam duty. I never experienced it, but that

(56:38):
was the that was the folklore. They put them tricks
on pedestals too, but they was always falling off. Still better,
that's that's now. Benett was like that too, and well
now they've saved. Been in college in Greensboro. But I
grew up down the street from Bennett, and it was
the same thing. Like if you saw a Benet girl

(56:59):
the eight lots at a certain time and you gotta
get up back didn't get a clock girl any time
of the day we're here. Yeah, they like girls. Clode
girls were cool, though. I like cloth girls because they
were used to the guys being around. It wasn't too crazy.
They were always a little more chill. All right, So now,

(57:21):
all right, I always wanted to do this question, no,
because for from an outsider point of view, especially going
to Atlanta a lot in the nineties and which booty
clubs were, Like, yeah, you know, it was the thing
to do, but I also know that there's a certain
amount of bawling you have to do in order to

(57:45):
do that. But on ya, every fun out on the
college level, like how is that possible? Like house the
spelling in a different world? The rich suck a mirror,
like I transferred from Morgan State, right, I'm telling you
right now. When I walked on that campus, I was
like what fun freshmen were like BMW's and Benzses and

(58:08):
ship like you see, his daddy had twenty thousand people
in the congregation and he was the broke one in
the Like alright, Well, I was a musician already, so
I was working myself, so I did alright, Uh, but
but I wasn't a big on strip. So I was
trying to I was a nerd in the censeer. I
didn't mean. I'm just saying that the things that I

(58:30):
know Atlanta for is falsely culture is concerned. I mean
I kind of think that in order to really experience
the Atlanta that's always shown to me in TV and
movies and videos, you always gotta I'm and I'm being
very I'm trying to be those guys. You need two
d really my mind, I'm thinking, yeah, you need about

(58:52):
seven thousand dollars too. I don't want you to make
fun of Mese. Not a magic sitting listen. I never
had it, those dudes. That's why I should tell people, PJ,
why are you paying for dance when the dude beside
you was right there with the chick, just look like,
go ahead, man yourself. And then Atlanta at that time,

(59:12):
because this is when when I was there, Trip club
culture was like really starting to pop. It wasn't all
the wait at his head, but it was like really
starting to pop. And them dudes, I couldn't understand it.
They won't even be looking at the chicks like it's
a status thing. I guess, but I could never wrap
my head around it, and I'm like, I like money
too much, but they just talk throwing. I'm like, it's

(59:39):
it's a networking thing. Like it's almost like yeah, it's yeah,
like you don't I mean, you go for the women
are there, but it's almost they're just like decorations. But yeah, accessories.
I mean I got that when I went with my
friends and and we would just be hanging out for
birthday or something. But I don't know this dudes that
did that a lot, you know what I'm saying, And
I'm like, man, I don't have it like that the

(59:59):
first time. I when when like make it ring culture
is like really just starting to the point where they
keep they would keep score of I think, ah, what
is everybody in the club getting tipsy? What was right?
He was the chance like they keep a high score.
I guess the point is that who can throw. Well,

(01:00:21):
it wasn't that it was based on It was based
on when the last dollar would drop to the floor
and then they would stop the climate. Right And after
a while what's his name took me, Chris Robinson took
me and I said, yo, I said, they're not They're
not you know, he was still doing outcast videos or whatever.

(01:00:44):
But at one point I was like, wait a minute,
why do I get the feeling that they're not even
paying attention to that said, yeah, they're not, like they're
not here to trick off of the women or whatever.
They're here basically to let each other know my money
stronger than yours. At the time I was there, it
was Chuck. I guess it was a I a I

(01:01:07):
versus and I forget who. It's some football player or whatever.
There was a bank in the basement. It wasn't Magic City,
but it was like whatever is whatever it was popping
in two thousand and five. It wasn't this the other
one I remember that. I think that was the first

(01:01:29):
one I went to making certificate, getting certificates of the
posts after right, No, it was it was it was
just like players Club, like some some they gave them,
they gave them whatever, and then they came they will
back a big gass uh will barrow of like twenties here.

(01:01:49):
So here's the thing. So AI threw his his his
drawings up right and they fell down. One of those
twenties wins right between my afro pick in my afro.
I swear to God, I literally and the guy the
guards stopped me. I'll get that for you, and wow,

(01:02:11):
because that's her money, dude, b it was you know
how slippery a cheesecake factory is, like with all the
oil on the ground. Why are you laughing? Have you
ever walked in a cheesecake factory only with you? It

(01:02:32):
is noted. I think that. Look, listeners, if you listen
out there, please verify. And he gets this far in
this conversation. Deep down, I'm telling you cheesecake factories have
the slippery ist marble floor. That the collection of grease,
the collective grease on the floor. It's like ice skating.

(01:02:55):
It's like a lawsuit waiting to happen. And I'm still
going to spot I mean you godamn anyway, Yeah, you
can't get out of there with nothing less than like
two thousand colors, like like it was in the Eat
this dot net Eat This not that book and like
I bought and they were just like basically like never

(01:03:16):
eat here. Yeah. They was like, yo, this is a
never and she can't get to it because after you finished,
you're done. Yeah, the portion size is a huge, But
the point my point was that My point was that
a half hour after making it rain. It's just literally

(01:03:38):
just twenties on the ground and um. But then just
like the Players Club movie, like someone presses a green
button and then all of a sudden, like twenty people
coming out with with uh brooms and dust pans and
garbage bags and put the money inside. So then how
do they so, how did they determine who gets the twenties?

(01:04:00):
Like how it's a trust system. There's one club that
I know of in which the owner actually pays them.
I think their system is more like a like a contractor. Yeah, yeah,
it's a contracted thing. Um, and there's a pre arranged
thing so like none of the tips have a minimum. Yeah,

(01:04:23):
so wow, that was a major rabbit might be the
most random rabbit hole of history. Slippery cheesecake back. I
looked that up on Google and a lot of people
ask the same question about the floor. It is noted
that Cheesecake Factory has the slipperyest floor ever. Yeah, like

(01:04:48):
I would you could if you really want to take
off a petty lawsuit. How do you know what I
was thinking about doing this weekend? Oh wait, we're recording this.
Damn my back? Wait, damn, this is even fundamental do

(01:05:11):
you have any siblings? Are you the only Yeah, we
put you in college in the strip club. I got
two sisters, older and younger in the middle only boy,
are they in the arts at all? Or? Um? My
oldest sister is a singer. Well, she doesn't really sing
that much anymore, but she's she can sing. My younger

(01:05:32):
sister is like a dope graphic artist. Actually, okay, okay now,
And no one else in your family's musically inclined and
no I mean my dad, yeah, my uncle. Um, did
your wife sing? She's a hair stylist. Yeah. Not. I
used to date musicians all the time, like singers. I'm like,

(01:05:59):
I want you to understand it, but I don't. I
don't want you to be in it. That's a no. No.
That means y'all all know how difficult it is to
date yourself. Absolutely, Yeah, you can't. That's why I don't
know for real. Yeah, there's there's only one Mike in
this house. Actually, they're yeah, what'slow superior and not be appropriate? Yeah,

(01:06:30):
the artist artist relationship, that ship is not not. Yeah,
I mean it's good theory when you think theory, has
it ever worked? Beyonce? You know I said you was
going down, just like the elema I got you, I
got your artist artist relationship? What uh do Angela and

(01:06:50):
Courtney Beans? Yeah that counts. And I'm saying I believe that.
I feel like musicians are a different level of thinking.
If you knew how before he was famous, of any
I think actors can do it. But hmmm, because even

(01:07:12):
when like people are like, hey man, why don't you
take no no no, no no no, and I know
how crazy no no no, no, no no no, yeah,
all the people that people imagine me getting paired up with,
it's just it's you know, a matter of fact, weren't
you with me? Uh? Did you go to the Rock

(01:07:35):
and Roll Hall of Fame? Uh? With us? The year
I don't know if I inducted Hall of Notes. Maybe
it was the year after, remember n w A got
uh inducted in Chicago. Yeah, but there was there was
a there was an incident, a meltdown incident with a

(01:07:57):
well done. If you ain't gonna give us no names,
don't we tell him us no story? Come on now
and give us us. Let him finish what he's saying.
They maybe we can figure it out anyway. So p
J No, I'm world famous for not dropping. That makes
Fonte angry. I'm gonna figure out because Hall of Fame

(01:08:18):
that night and I can't remember. I'm sorry. No, no, no,
she was. I mean she was my date. But it's weird.
I was too busy trip. I was sitting next to
David Burns. You were there with I was at that table, right, Yeah,
they got inducted a year because I was cracking up
because it was nine eleven, like nine eleven when they
when they got inducted. What year? Who was was Bonnie

(01:08:41):
right there at all? That night? I don't think so.
Steve Miller was there, Okay, okay, okay, No, this is
the night where uh Linda ron Stat and the Eas
Street Band was. I wasn't there that so maybe that's
the year before. Yeah, I was seeing someone notable in
R and b uh during this time period of genre

(01:09:04):
we're near right now. She she was known, she was known.
She you know, she she had love one. She she
might have one of the six in park Love you know,
okay of that, um n. Yeah. But it was just

(01:09:31):
weird because in that particular environment, which you know, the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is is uh you know,
presented by Rolling Stone magazine and the kind of old
boy network. Okay, yes that means you mean white people
with mirror Yes, exactly why people? Right, So it wasn't

(01:09:54):
she wasn't that known to them, and so it didn't
make a difference. But then I've been in situation was
with her where it's like, but we would know how
she has way more followers than I do. Yeah, and
so um yeah, that that night was really weird with
the red carpet thing, because you know, I felt like, well,
you could take photos on your own red carpet, huh.

(01:10:14):
But because let's see what Getty talking about. There isn't
photos of us together because Getty got it, get it,
get it. Might be it might be out of the
let me see what I am is talking about. Really, guys, Okay,
just helped though. It's probably if there's some random R

(01:10:36):
and B that wasn't supposed to be at this all
that it's supposed to be. It's just that not less
like that wasn't her scene necessary? Right, That wasn't her scene,
and I think she wasn't used to it would be
that I'm really like to shanty, but I'm just saying
that I missed it. I'm missed it. I missed it.

(01:10:56):
I had to be quick. Um no, no, she's on me.
But I'm just saying that. But did she miss that? Anyway?
My point, my point is that because of this environment,

(01:11:20):
this person wasn't that known. It was a little problematic,
and um, for that person, it's a problemating the people
don't know who that person was. For her, well, you
know it's it's it's an ego blow. It's an ego blow,
and so it comes out in other ways. And you know,
I'm just waiting the next year. You tell us you
at Chef's house with lam. Where are you trying to say? Teams? Yeah,

(01:11:48):
I think she really really, I don't know. Are you
trying to start rumors? No, no, I wasn't. I just
you just check it on Google see if there's anything
first before you start putting stuff out on it. So
that's a compliment. I know nothing about her other than
just that song. So I just don't even know. The

(01:12:11):
song sounds just like the other one testing trying with it,
called to testify, bowed back up. I'm bowed up again? Okay,
so joy, Yeah, yeah, so I was creous. So did
you learn to play? Were you formally trained just by ear. No,

(01:12:34):
it's all ear. Yeah. And my mom was from the
old school and really wanted me to learn how to play,
and you know I wanted to, but I was like
playing stuff on the radio and TV show things and
that after that is when she put me in lessons.
And then I went back to and I was like,
I can't so what was the first thing to discipline?

(01:12:56):
Where's the first song you learned? Uh? I thought it
was something I wrote. Then I realized it was something
that existed already. Yeah, I used to play this this
thing and see I don't know what it's called, but um,
like the first song I can really remember. Um maybe
like like those were the days like all in the family,

(01:13:18):
which but yeah, like real songs. So I used to
play little things, you know, uh, little like pieces of things,
but I don't know if they were actually songs because
so in church, you know, with the talking music and stuff, right,
like like the guys sitting on the organ plane. Yeah,

(01:13:39):
I was playing person in the entire church. That was
my favorite person in Yeah, so I would learn things
that weren't actually songs, but they would just pieces. Yeah.
I remember people used to walk up to me, like
what you're playing and I'm like, I don't know, I
just I just playing it. Yeah yeah, but All in
the Family was one like and well, that's watching the

(01:14:00):
end credits or the beginning ones, because oh yeah, because
again the end credits or we learned that all that family. No, no,
at the end, you're talking about what's happened. That's what's happening. No, no, no,
at the end of at the end of talking about
the beginning right, right, So at the end of All

(01:14:21):
the Family, when the credits are growing up, it's more
of a Dixie Land. Okay, No, I didn't know. I didn't.
I didn't play that parts. You know, it's still the
same it's it's still the same field, right, but it's
piano in the Wait a minute, me and light ye

(01:14:41):
are the only ones that recognize all the families. The
other things I wasn't really annoying. What what you mean
that I wasn't I watched. I wasn't watching. I wasn't
allowed to watch All the Family. But I still know
that that part was. I mean, I know the theme song,
those were the days, you know. I'm knew that. I
don't know if I really watched it like, I don't know,

(01:15:03):
because I was later on exactly that she would come
on like, well, we're watching it. Yeah someth maybe I
heard that first ever get it just like it was
time to go to bed with Masha the Mash want
to tend. I don't know, I don't know. I know
it was dead when I came on. Yeah, but I

(01:15:28):
was watching addicted to it in syndication. Used to always
come on at ten o'clock. Yeah, it was time to go. Yeah,
I was gonna say that. Yeah, I only know mash
Fords theme and it's in credit. Yeah, exactly, brought to
you by you know, like but literally never seemed Mash

(01:15:49):
and always wanted to know what made it so great. No,
I never watched that show either. I wasn't a lave
in the seventies doing a fet not more so be
able to really give you a good answer for that
not relevant content. So what is your what is what
is your your your practice riche or your creative rituals? Like, um,
I'm sure, I'm sure it's more than just learning TV

(01:16:11):
themes and you know what, I used to ask people
how to practice. Okay, So since I didn't know that,
since I didn't learn formally. Um My, my practice was
playing what I knew right until I made a mistake.
And a lot of times my mistakes would lead me
to like whatever the next thing is, and I'm like, oh,

(01:16:32):
that's how they played that. But I didn't have a
practice regiment, and I was playing so much because you
had you know, you had Sunday and then you had
like rehearsal on Tuesday, and then you had like mid
day on Wednesday. So I felt like I was that
was more of my practice was like on the while

(01:16:52):
I was playing with my friends, as opposed to I
didn't know how to practice, which sounds weird. Are you
the first I mean winner that I didn't have that
You weren't under the tutelage or the thumb of a
drill sergeant Joe Jackson esque figure. No, like doesn't mean
my dad. My dad knew how to play like one

(01:17:15):
thing really well, and I thought he could really play
when I before I could play, and I'm like, man,
show me that, and I started to pass him up.
He was like, you don't want to learn from me.
So I didn't have anybody who was like I really
just wanted to do it, you know, So nobody had
to push me. Once I got out of lessons, Once
I got out of like somebody trying to teach me

(01:17:36):
how to play, it just was my That was That
became my basketball once I stop growing. Yo, I gotta
know what your dad said the day you told him
you got the MA Room five job, because I feel
like he was like, huh, well, I don't know if
my dad knew who He didn't at what point did
he feel? At what point did he know? And then
was like, oh, I guess this is probably one of
those war shows. He's like, boy, you been all right? Boy,

(01:17:59):
see you up there. I saw you on that go
probably the Grammys or something. You know. I was playing.
We played my first year. I think we did like
a Beach Boys tribute, and he and my dad probably
deal how did that come about? How did you come
and get into the band? So that that is quest
that was basically, um, um, thank you. They were looking

(01:18:22):
for a keyboard well, unbeknowns to me at that time too,
the original keyboard player was planning on leaving the band,
but I didn't know that. I think they kind of
had conversations about it, which is how I was able
to come in because after Matt like the drummer, and
said he was like, man, we didn't want another player,
like we didn't want anybody else in the band. This

(01:18:44):
was kind of Jesse's idea in a way. Um um,
and shout out to Jesse, because he just he's the
most loving person, like he wanted another keyboard player with him, right,
So the first two years, Um, well, so they called
you and you couldn't do it because you just got foulon.
This was almost nine years ago, and black Stone came

(01:19:04):
in and they asked him if he knew anybody who
could play and sing, and so black called me. I
canceled the rest of my tour. I had like three
days left on my tour. I'm like I was tired anyway,
because I was just on that same little little carousel.
I went to l a audition for them. It was
my first audition in life, you know, um, And it

(01:19:25):
was their first audition, like they had been a band
since eighth grade. So they brought me in the first day.
I auditioned first, and I could just feel like maybe
it was my ignorance of not auditioning before, but they
just want me to learn. Sunday morning, I played that
and they were like, well, what else you know? And
I was like, I know a little bit of what.
So we started just jamming and it started to feel
more like friends. I could tell they were the cats.

(01:19:47):
They were one of the guys you know. And um,
so they had another guy there waiting and they were like,
we knew already, but they just let him audition. And
they had a second day of auditions that they just canceled,
and I was they told me the next day and
that the rest was history. And I guess that next
week is probably when you came in and we actually
started rehearsals, and um, what album was that you came

(01:20:08):
in on? So they just had finished this album hands
all over. Um so just before his Boy and this
is before moves like Jack. We always call it post
moves like jaggering and pre moves like jagging. So was
that was that the records? I mean, I know, but
I don't know, like that was moved like Jack of
the one that really kind of took them to the other. Yea.

(01:20:33):
So they had this love and she will be loved.
That was they were big, right, and then there was
like a plateau kind of period. Uh, it was when
I came in. I felt like Billy Preston coming in. Yeah.
And and but then we toured that album hands all Over,
which was kind of first record that they did the

(01:20:53):
same way, all writing in the room together and um.
And then I remember when the voice call came man
and this song moves like Jagger, and it was kind
of a you know, kind of a conscious effort like
all right, do we want to you know, be big
just here or do we want to be big big?
You know? And I think I think it was a
conscious effort to like turn a corner. And that's when

(01:21:15):
moves like Jagger came in. And and then we did
Overexposed and that was pay phone and it was like
five number ones in a row usually uh are or
was Maroon five? Ambracive of these new shoes that they
were about to wear, because usually if you get hits

(01:21:35):
that easy and that I guess palatable to to America's
ears or whatnot, a lot of times out of ten
people will shy away from that. You know. I've seen
I've seen about ten artists have something so captain obvious
that it's just like this is gonna be it for them,
and I'll find that they will figure out a way

(01:21:57):
to get out of that situation. But with these guys,
especially once um overexposed happens and stuff like h like,
was it even hesitgency? Like what was the feelings of, Okay, well,
I'm gonna do this reality show and this month? I
think there was there. It was hesitant initially just for

(01:22:19):
the show, right, just because at that time, I guess
moves like I mean, the voice was like a Dutch
show or something like that, right, and it it had
been kind of successful, but nobody knew what it was
gonna be here in the States, so they were like, man,
reality TV, you know, we're a band, blah blah blah.
We don't know. And then that ended up being like

(01:22:39):
a huge blessing for us, like we premiered every single
on there that went number one. You know what I'm saying,
I got more out well straight up, I always say
that the coaches are the winners. Yeah, yeah, who's the
Kelly Clarkson of a voice? Who's the It was your

(01:23:04):
boy Noel what's his name? That peach back And he
came one like the second year Adam. He was one
of Adam's winners. But he actually had a record out
like ten years before the Africa. I know you're talking
about you can Eat for Hours. Yeah, yeah, he won
the voice like second year, I think, yeah, because yeah,

(01:23:27):
see one, but I know you're talking about but not
Navier had a record out before. Yeah, Okay, I'm gonna
figure it out. I didn't know it because I know
that the Peach for Hour dude toward with Us he was, Yeah,
it was on Raucus Smokey Robinson. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
but I think, um, at least I mean for for

(01:23:50):
Adam and Blake, it really like put it put a
you know, a battery in our backs and like the
only reason why I know who Blake shot us. Yeah.
I remember Adam saying who was going to be on
the show that first season with c Christina, him and Blake.
He and I remember us calling him the country guy
because we didn't know, you know, he was like, this

(01:24:11):
is some country guy. And then but a year later, Blake,
I mean, and he was already huge in that world,
but we just didn't didn't know, you know, kind of
a natural fit for television. Yeah, he actually I think
after sitting after sitting in with Us, Adam said in
with the with Us on a particular day that whoever

(01:24:33):
is the showrunner or the voice happened to be at
thirty Rock and saw it was like, oh, this guy
is charismatic whatever, and then at the commercial break they
that's when they actually pitched it. Like, I think it
was great for him because that was the thing. Nobody
knew his personality and he is a cool, fun person,

(01:24:54):
so it was kind of a perfect fit for TV.
And there's just something to be said about being in
people's houses three times a week at night. It just
starts to you three times a week. Yeah, once they
get into those live shows and the competition and the
it's a lot of you know what I'm saying, um,
And that's just I mean, if even if you're I

(01:25:14):
mean think with Cosby Show, even if it's one week,
one day a week, you know what I'm saying, you
start to know those people. And it just really helped
because now as being an artist, you know, it goes
way beyond the music. It's like, oh I like him,
so I'm gonna support So they felt start to feel
like they knew Adam in a different way. You know,
my mom knows him now, so that's how I know

(01:25:35):
it's official. Yeah, I bought my wife a car, and
this guy who's selling me the car was like, oh
the voice my name is Ruthy Rute. So how does
that So how does that work in terms of I
mean in terms of your life, because you know, you're

(01:25:55):
part of this you know, huge band, but you also
just you like, are you able to still go to
the grocery store and just in peace? Yeah? I think
that's one of the benefits. I mean, well, now I'm
you know, I've started to have my own thing because
of my my records and stuff, and some of the
stuff is happening. But I think one of the coolest
parts about like Mickey, you know, the bass player, is

(01:26:17):
they've they've they've been equal partners for years, you know,
like I said, since eighth grade. And he can walk anywhere,
you know what I'm saying. So have the same life,
but but but not the not the fame. There's something
to that that's kind of cool. Me being the only
black guy. I think James long hair guy and then
me black guy. They're like, okay, you know what, yeah, yeah,

(01:26:40):
but um, I think that's kind of a I knew
he I know he enjoys that, you know what, I'm saying,
because he's got that same life. Um, but for me
it's not as bad. Not unless we go to like
South America something like what they really know you Asia,
you know, and they're like, I'm I'm waiting for PJ.
How okay? So how are you able to split? How

(01:27:01):
are you guys able to divide h Adam voice time
with Maroom five studio and recording time and p J
Morton studio recording, songwriting, producing time. It took me a minute.
So maybe the first couple of years I just was
trying to figure out how to be in Maron five.
You know, so how long just how long have you

(01:27:23):
been in the band at this point nine years in July. Yeah,
So so that first I just had to figure it
out and I wasn't doing anything. So, like I said,
when they called me, I felt like it was a
prayer being answered because I was burnt. I was kind
of burnt out, you know what I'm saying. So I'm like,
it's cool, I don't need I don't want to focus
on me for a while. So that first little while

(01:27:44):
was just like me just being in the band. And
then um, but when I started to get back into
my stuff I signed a young money, like my second
year being in Maroon five, And that's when I'm gonna
how are those baby checks? Just that smile right there,

(01:28:04):
it tells me you got stories finished that I've never
seen the baby check. I knew that anyway, but um
but but so so when I started to get him
to my artist thing, the voice came right and it
was kind of a help because then on our calendar,
I could see like, oh, he's got live shows right here,
he's taping right here. So it kind of allowed me

(01:28:26):
to like do my stuff in these gaps. I mean,
it made me busier than everybody, but I just used
those gaps. So I hired us here, high us there.
We're gonna take three weeks off here. And because like
before the voice, rehearsals would be called just out of
the blue, like hey, y'all, let's rehearse that. You know
what I'm saying. But then when the voice came, it

(01:28:47):
was like everything started to be structured, structured a little
bit more because it had to be so I could
play stuff. Yeah, hey, can you just describe did you
have a relationship at all with Jordan's Yeah? I did. Yeah,
what was what was he like Jordan's. Um is uh
Jonah Hill's brother who used to manage five and passed away. Yeah,

(01:29:10):
Jordan was so so so Jordan's has been their manager
since the beginning. Um and they probably could tell this
story better. But the reason he that what separated him
because he was a young man. He's probably just a
year older than them. Um. He bought the whole band
cell phones. He was like, if you let me manage,
I buy you all cell phones. And literally until I

(01:29:33):
was in the band, until Jordan passed away, we got
new phones every time a new phone came out. So
I think that became a tradition man of his management.
But Jordan's was like a kind of a silent genius.
He was. Yeah, he when I when I talked to
him about strategy, When he started to talk to me

(01:29:53):
about strategy and how he would roll out things kind
of blew my mind, you know. But he was very quiet.
Wasn't the buddy buddy manager, even though he was a
year older. It was he was like, not buddy buddy.
It was like business, you know what I'm saying, which
is kind of you know whatever it was. I had
to get used to that part and understand who Jordan

(01:30:14):
was in that way. Um, but man, he was. He
was a silent, silent killer man, you know in his planning. Um,
I saw how his brain worked, Like one time when
he we were talking about my stuff and he was
saying how he saw and I was just like, oh,
that's why you're Jordan's Felstein, Like I get it now,
like you Yeah, that was a lost man. Time was

(01:30:36):
a cool cat MANI. Um, So with where you are
now in your career and you know, I'm I'm really
curious on the moves that you make because me also

(01:30:56):
being a multi tasker and different things. Um, should your
situation elevate? Do you still see it as a way
where you can do both at the same time or yeah?
I mean and we kind of had that. So so
when I when I signed a Young Money, when that
record came out, Um, and what you was that was that? Uh?

(01:31:19):
That record came out? Ok, and um, they let me
open up a tour, they let me open up. It
was me opening up with my soul band and then
Kelly Clarkson and then Maroon and then we went to
Europe and it was me Robin thinking Maroon. UM and
Adam told me in the beginning, like, bro, if you
get as big as us, then we'll just have to

(01:31:40):
co headline or something. You know. So the support is
there now you can't leave, But I don't see a reason,
Like I don't feel a need to leave, just because
I think people leave for not being appreciated, right, And
they showed me like we support you. Like the whole
joke this time around at the Grammys was Pj's up

(01:32:02):
for three Grammys Maroons up for one? You know what
I'm saying, But that was a joke in the chat,
like at least, at least PJ can win a Grammy
around here, you know, yeah, they won three early on.
You know, Grammys really liked songs about Jane that error, right, yeah,
but once yeah, I mean the best New Artists. They
beat Kanye for Best New Artists. But like so early on,

(01:32:25):
But I think the support is there, and if the
schedule remains like because to be honest, we've we've started
to tour less um for the same amount, you know
what I'm saying, like have the same impact. Yeah, you
know what I'm saying. So I toured more than Maroon
did last year, you know what I'm saying. I went

(01:32:45):
all around the world and Maroon we did like two
US runs last year, so it's allowed me to to
to get my space. So um, there definitely have been
a couple of conflicts in the past. I had to
pass up some big things that I thought But in
the grand scheme of things, it's just it hasn't seemed
worked it to me yet to like have to leave

(01:33:07):
I'm cool, you know, yeah, I like I like both.
Just to rewind a little bit, can we talk a
little bit about the Was there an adjustment period for
you when you joined the band, because like, you're coming
into a unit that's been Yeah, like that's already formed,
you know, it's been together forever. Now there was there
was what was cool. That's why I kind of liked
when the voice happened and moves like Jagger happened, because

(01:33:28):
up until then, like the two the first two years,
I felt like the outsider and a little you know, everything,
because they had done all of this stuff. I'm hype.
I'm like, oh shoot, at first, my first blah blah blah.
But then after that, yeah, they're like, yeah, cool you
it's so cute. PJ. You like you like that? Yeah,

(01:33:49):
it's like I look at pj enjoined but um, but
after Jagger and the voice, it was new to everybody,
like everything was new. Was like, oh dang five number
one they had had, um, you know, like how they
see number one's a lot, you know, was used to that,
but like a hot one hundred, you know, like real

(01:34:10):
number one. Um, it's a whole different thing. And we
started to see. So then we became closer because we
were experiencing all this stuff all together, you know what
I'm saying. Um, But musically, because I was, I was
curious in that way with Bill asked, I'm like, musically,
did you always feel comfortable giving your full stuff where
you're like, Okay, I'm at a job. I know what
they expected me. I'm not going to give them all

(01:34:31):
this church That's now. I wasn't. I was. I was
coming off of your question. That's that's what I was
just starting with your I was expanding. But was there
a period for that too, like when you felt like
all right or did you always just feel like this
is me and I'm gonna just be me and I
think with anything? And my my take was always what
what what do I bring to the table? You know

(01:34:52):
it wasn't. It wasn't a selfish thing of like I
want to I want to make sure I put PJ
in there somewhere. No, I was just wondering because of
your background and might be different than their especially musically
because of that church background. Like when that came into
a fact, I think what I started to what I
started to realize what it was. There was like less
different about us, Like they listened to whatever rock music

(01:35:15):
that was going, right, But then I didn't. I hadn't
listened to a lot of that stuff. I mean I
was a big Beatles guy, big James Taylor guy, So
I had listened to a lot of music. But um,
what I realized was that That's what I'm saying. That
first audition, I was like, Oh, we're kind of the same,
Like we could they could play, like Adam could play.
You know what I'm saying. Those guys can play. So

(01:35:37):
I I just felt like, oh, it's just musicians. Kind
of gotta say I didn't know that he was a shredder. Yeah,
I'm saying all that was new to me once. I
was a fan of this love and all of that stuff. Right,
I watched TRL when you know what I'm saying I
was a fan and still and I knew the music
was cool, like those diminished chords. But I'm like, okay,

(01:35:58):
but this is a record, you know. But when I
got in that room, I'm like, oh, this is like
what I'm used to. This is like the Homies. We
can all play, so, you know, And so there wasn't
a big adjustment. They had to be three for me there,
you know what I'm saying. I was doing what I
do and I related to that stuff. Um, I think
with Maroon because so they were a punk rock band

(01:36:20):
initially called Cares Flowers and then they added another member,
became five and after they had listened to Stevie Wonder
and kind of said, Okay, I'm gonna mix all of
this stuff, and you know their version of mixing it
Timberland and Missy Stevie and all this rock stuff that
we grew up with. Right, So when I hear Maroon,
I hear the more of the soul stuff the side

(01:36:42):
that side, And they probably hear a different way, but
for me it was like it translated to me, you know,
it was meant to be. So how how are songs written?
Is it jam sessions? Is the sound check is it? Yeah,
that that was before I got they're really like the
jam sessions, the together thing. Uh, it became a little

(01:37:05):
more of a machine businessman. Yeah, um post post jack.
You know, I'm just saying, like a joint, like girl
like you whatever, Like is it like you all jamming
one day and say hey, let's do that or was
it like a song that someone written. Yeah, that came in.
That came in from a songwriter and we we kind
of just put our things on it and Adam usually

(01:37:28):
with those people, what about like wait, the new the weight,
like the jam? Wait, how did that? Man? Yeah? I
love way to Yeah that's the only joint I could
do this too. Yeah yeah, yeah, exactly right. So okay,

(01:37:49):
I'm gonna go there all right, Yeah, let's let's get it.
Come on, I'm ready started. Well, I didn't know what
angle you was going for, but I was just gonna
say that I would like to have seen you more
on that's both stage. I told him that when I
saw him in person, I was like, you were the
only black man they didn't really show too much of
But that's that's not what your point was. I knew.
So wherever you was gonna go with your super Bowl

(01:38:09):
you know, soun like his or because for me, I
was like, PJ is going to be on the Super
Bowl half time show. I ain't supposed to be watching
this ship, but PJ is doing it, so I'm gonna
watch it. Right. So that's when I was like, well wait, wait, yeah,
oh wait is that an orange hat? Wait? How how nervous?
I mean I'm certain that you know, it's it's hard

(01:38:30):
to you know, too ignore you know, whatever social media dictates.
But how nervous where you guys are worried about rocking
the boat with the unpopular decision of doing the halftime show. Um,

(01:38:50):
there were a bunch of phases of it, right, like
my initial I remember when, and these were hardly my decisions, right,
I'm I was, I was gonna be rocking. I was
gonna be back there playing my keyboard, you know what.
But but but um, there were phases like I remember
the initial when Adam told me pace time me and say, bro,

(01:39:13):
we got the super Bowl. I was like, I've been
on the Super Bowl. Everyone's dream, you know what I'm saying.
So that was my initial thing. Then I say, ah, damn,
it wasn't this season. Between those two thoughts. How much
time in between? Um no, that was probably like the
next day when I was like, oh shoot, but that

(01:39:34):
and then um so then there was the phase of like, man,
I don't think we don't think we should do it,
you know, once the soft announcement came, the leak whatever
that was. Once that came and I saw him like, man,
it's not worth it. We we got a great career,
blah blah blah. So we went there. Then the petition came.
There was a petition. There was a petition for us

(01:39:55):
not to play. Oh wait, not even the artists and
they won't play. Just I got the thoughts on the
artists saying they wouldn't play. I don't know, yes, I
don't know that. As many artists were presented the opportunity.
It's easy, course you would say no if you're not right.

(01:40:17):
It's easy to boycott fucking Gucy when you can't afford it.
So so I can't really speak on that part. But
there was a petition for us not to play. And
then that's when I turned right, because this is me,
so I'm a cap supporter, right. I didn't watch football
all season when my Saints was bawling out on everybody.

(01:40:38):
And I love, Yes, I hate the refs. I don't
hate l A. I'm like, look l A like so
Maroon and all of them l A. They were they
were apologizing to me. I felt bad for them because
they were in the position like what are you gonna do?
Overturn that? Give them the ball? Yeah we did, but

(01:41:00):
so I didn't watch. Yeah, that's what James would say.
I'm still um so so so when the petition came,
I'm like, so, I'm boycotting football, right, like for cap um. First,
CAP isn't telling me anything. I'm not hearing anything from CAP,

(01:41:21):
like as leadership, right, and I'm looking. So when Eric
read get signed to the to the Panthers, I'm like,
all right, what are we doing? Are we happy about this?
Eric Reid was the guy who kneeled next to him
and also and also got black balled, right, but what

(01:41:42):
was was a superstar right and needed to be playing
football signed to the Panthers. And so then I started
getting confused on the cherry picking of Okay, so he
can work, he can play for the NFL and support CAP,
but I can't. But I can't play one game and
support CAP and also also we're we're boycott is so

(01:42:08):
Cap can play for this corporation that you don't want
me to play for. Y'all need to find a god
damn agenda. So what I'm saying, right, So like certain things,
you know, I mean social media, it was just like
a lot of cherry picking, right, So, like you know,
people saying they're not playing the super Bowl, but then
they play super Bowl parties but they do super Bowl

(01:42:30):
commercials or like, so I'm like, okay, and then even
even Jay asking Travis not to perform, but then Chloe
and Halley perform and it's in the whale House, so
I'm like, beautiful. They did great. By the way, they
really did. What I'm just saying was trying to get

(01:42:52):
you out to place so we could get read it
or on the bill or something. You know that she's
still signed the Rock Nation. Didn't she think she got
out of it? Well, I still have no idea. But anyway,
so that's when that's when I started to feel like, Hey,
I love everybody, but like also forget everybody, you know

(01:43:15):
what I'm saying, because ultimately, and this is what I
felt like, because I think it's about disruption, right, what
would actually disrupt. It's not me not playing the super Bowl,
because if we say no, then somebody else is gonna
come and play, and it's gonna like even even the like,
the closest thing I can um like compared to was

(01:43:35):
that Trump inauguration thing, right, and we don't really yeah
exactly what Crossette and you know, but but but she
fucked she is. But my point is you don't remember
who turned it down. They're they're not remembered, right. It's
to please a certain group of people, which I didn't agree.

(01:43:56):
I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have I wouldn't have played
the Trump inauguration. But what I'm saying is you don't
remember those people, So why not just have that platform
and be able to speak as loud as I can
to Yes, that particular aforementioned person wants to come on
qors conversation. We've got some good conversations. Yeah, but wait,

(01:44:26):
so let me ask you this then, because we know
that we didn't get the press conference that we usually
get because whatever, we don't want to be asked the questions.
And we know that in that press release it was
like marooting five is gonna give you. We're gonna show
you what we're gonna do in our performance. So my
question was, as watching that performance, is is that gospel
in that Travis? Is that what y'all showing me? That
is that how you feel? Is the gospel and the
Travis Scott like the we gave y'all how we feel.

(01:44:49):
I'm not sure. I didn't see that interview or whatever.
It was a press release instead of them actually and
Steady all actually doing the press conference, which both half
times that yeah, and the last the first time a
press conference. But so they sent out and they sent
out a press release and basically it read inflammation that
we're going to show you through our performance how we feel. Well.

(01:45:10):
I think I think the group's um position was we're
just gonna play music, you know, like we can't get
caught up. And also I think that is just to
to feel woke, you know what I'm saying, but not
actually be it's performing performing I'm doing I'm doing that. Well, No,
I think that's what he wanted to do. I think

(01:45:31):
that's just what he wanted to do as a performance. Um,
I don't think that was a statement or anything, because
you know, we would think it would be a statement
if you didn't make a statement. He said the statement
was gonna be on stage. So I'm looking at the
stage like choir and I barely see p J. That's
all right, that's a statement. I think that was a
director cameraman thing, not like, yeah, I feel you. I listen. Yeah,

(01:45:56):
I got a cut a cut of rehearsal that I saw.
I was. I was on a little bit more so
I was surprised when I looked back, I was like, oh, word,
like it's something my hat had listen I played the
Super Bowl. You didn't admit that the NFL is worse
than crack because niggas just can't be quitted no matter

(01:46:18):
what to dune. Because that's how I feel my well,
for me, it's I think, I think the NFL is
something that it's gonna be. It's gonna be interesting to
see how it develops over the next ten fifteen years,
because what's happening is you're not seeing a lot of
kids playing football no more like even like with my keys,
I kind of helped my son basketball and baseball. That's it,

(01:46:43):
and really more even more so basketball because baseball, I mean,
basketball is like social so it's like, you know, they
want to. You know, they can put their ship up
on I G or whatever. Like my sons they love basketball,
but football, like that's like some kind of like barbaric ship.
But it would be fun. I mean not for nothing.
I see what you're saying, like it might die because

(01:47:03):
it's barbaric, but not because they're just treating niggas like
we don't give a fun. No. No, I think this
is gonna have to die out a little bit. I
think I don't think. I think it's less about that.
To be honest, I know it is. Yeah, it's less
about what I'm saying. I know it is because how
many times they have to tell you you don't matter
to me, Like I don't know, They're do it in
so many different ways. You can't even own a team, nigga,

(01:47:24):
you don't match. I mean, at least they fake about them.
I mean I want did I'm gonna say more for
that than the NBA had the same situation with old
boy from Sacramento the coach or the owner. Right. I

(01:47:44):
think the NBA does They do a good job as
far as even just dealing with them in the office.
Even Chris Paul and like the people who like it's
a different maundset. My thing is just like when I
see niggas get on that ship, I'm just like, look, man,
you motherfucker's, live your life and let me live. Mind like,
don't speak for other motherfucker's because you don't know what

(01:48:04):
they're putting up. So you're asking p J. Morton and
Moon five don't play the super Bowl. You don't know
what this band is doing with his super Bowl check.
You don't know how many other people you're supporting. You
don't know what the gonna have a revolution with that
way of thought, are just any time in your bank account.

(01:48:26):
My thing is petition all the players, petition all the
players to not play, and then we don't have we
don't have a super Bowl. Right. But again he goes
back to my point of NFL is worse than crack.
It's an addiction, and who's going to do with that.
It's not those guys. Those guys are doing a job
and they get paid in the in the higher three,

(01:48:47):
they get paid the least. So it is that too.
It's like the injuries to pay and what the NFL
versus the in the MLB and the fucking NBA. It's
just totally different game. The money game is different. No
it is yeah, no, no no. And the treat the
treatment is different. I mean, NBA, if you get hurt,
you're gonna sit on that bench and still collect your check.
I get that part. But sometimes that's when I heard

(01:49:08):
somebody talk about it, and they talk about the injuries,
even I think, uh my boy from Oakland, Um, But
but when he was like, but if this is my
shot to take care of my family and do all
of this, let me let me do that. How do
you fight that? How you can't? I tell you how
you do it? You blame a round five and say
y'all shouldn't play that halftime. So you know what I'm saying,

(01:49:28):
because because then, because because because you don't have you
don't have it in you to be like, don't play football,
don't do your job, don't feed your kids. So hey,
big band that's playing the halftime show for twelve minutes,
y'all be the ones to disrupt this old thing and
and boycott nevertis just paying all this money to put
it out on the show. We're not going to boycott you.
But talking about PEPSI yeah, you're I don't care what

(01:49:59):
we do is it. I don't care if t Linty
owned slaves. Now we are not boycott. I don't know.
It's like it's like Specier ship and the clear thing
with the brown top. Yeah that's what it was called neither.
I never knew how pronouncing the fancy with Yeah, that's something.

(01:50:25):
But I pray they don't do nothing wrong. Yeah, no,
it's listen. I guess my thing is just like, look,
we live in America. This America was founded by racist
white people that felt like you niggas ain't ship worked
for us. So anything you do, any industry you work in,

(01:50:46):
whatever you do, it goes back to the original sin
so asked niggas the boycotting look nigga like. But that's
the thing. I was in a weird position because I
was boycotting and still didn't know what to do. I
didn't still did Colin didn't call you, He still didn't say, like, listen,
when Eric read signed to the Panthers, I'm like, it's

(01:51:07):
kind of over. I'm like, what do we what are
we doing? Apparently every time it comes out that they
say he doesn't really want to play, I see people
come out. My buddy Shaun King saying that is not true.
He wants to play. He's working out every day. So
to be honest with you, I'm kind of confused, you

(01:51:28):
know what I'm saying, Like genuinely, as a supporter of
the movement, I didn't know where to go, and I'm like,
what are we doing? Like so rees playing, we congratulate that.
I saw people congratulate him from making a stand and
coming and coming back and he still kneels every game. Yeah,
I'm just no disruption really yeah, you know, I mean

(01:51:50):
cap Is is the face of the movement and you
know so, but people aren't gonna be happy until the
face has got a job. I know. But what I'm
saying is cap tell me what to do after air
Reed get signed, like he didn't need to say or somebody.
There's no there's a lack of leadership there. And I'm
saying that as a supporter like that was That's why
I got offended because I'm like, oh, you're petitioning me.

(01:52:11):
I bet you've been watching football every week. I've been
sacrificing not watching football, and you want to petition me,
you know what I'm saying. So it was it was
let's not forget it ain't all about him neither, because
it was all about what he was really nailing forward
to what you got past that? Right, So what I'm saying,
But what I'm saying is I could. I could do
my job and be against police brutality and be against

(01:52:34):
and before peacefully protesting. I can support. I can do
both of those contain multitudes, niggers. I can do all
that ship at the same damn time. Yet if everybody
just logged off social media, it's that I'm waiting, Yeah,
we damn can we can we have a chance? Can

(01:52:57):
I do this? No, you can't do it. You can't
do it. You got you too addicted. You are too addicted.
Excuse me, challenge accepted. What we're really saying, what we're saying,
I'm saying your stories be like Michael X the movie
saying the babies. So what we're saying is that you're

(01:53:20):
going you're gonna know how important Rodney Allen Rippy was
not that. This is what you're saying is you're not
going to be on social media till this episode air's
Is that what you're saying. I don't think he can
afford to do that. So I waited at the break
while I canna be working on an album. I did
like a month and all of that. When it is
time to I guess you get you can get your

(01:53:40):
people to It doesn't feel the same though, I'll tell
you this much. I only do it really a majority
of my interaction. It's during the show when I'm bored
my computers. Partly, what's a part of the problem with

(01:54:03):
social media is just having access to people's thoughts all
the time in your pocket and just be digging in
your pocket all time, just reading some random motherfucker thinks
any time of the day. That's not healthy. You don't
need that ship in your life. You don't like there's
like a psychological I think like some scientists like broke
this paper is like basically like we only have the capacity.

(01:54:23):
I think it's something around like it's like thirty to
fifty people. That's like the most that your brain can handle.
It's not even that, it's just mostly people are just
full of ship. Can you give them a platform where
they can say whatever? The option to freeze our accounts.
You can deactivate, man, don't you You could just be
off just don't race it off your phone and like

(01:54:44):
a freeze option. No, you don't. You don't. You don't
have to do it. Doesn't like whet a social diet,
that's what you do. Just delete the app from your
phone and don't log on your on your computer. But
then who's going to I wanted this to be a
want this to be a QLs challenge. Dude, it's not
gonna happen. You do it for a month, wen, I'm

(01:55:07):
like two months deep already, so I don't have any
friends in the I can do it usually usually when
I get in trouble. Usually when I get in trouble,
I can freeze. You can tell when a mirrors in trouble.
Usually you don't see a post from me from like
a week and two. I gotta So I don't think

(01:55:29):
I take a quit Twitter. I don't think he could.
I mean, I listen, I want to quit all this ship,
but I gotta. I got out to sale. So like
ship loll off, you ain't got to interact with them.
But I don't interact as much as I used to
for the very reason that you visit like we've all
slowed down significantly. Yeah, pick up stick. Wait wait, this

(01:55:55):
leads back to the very beginning of the show. I
saw something very weird on the Sugar Network yesterday. I
was singing Barry Manolo again. No, I'm just saying that
it was knowing no this one time, not even yesterday,
but back in February. Great, great word right, one of

(01:56:22):
the Sugar Network dude was out. I swear to It
was cold as hell, it was icy, it was cold,
it was like sleep outside, and like he opted to
do his his own network under your network or whatever
it was. Wait, you're really in the network, yeah, Robbie

(01:56:42):
let Yeah, I don't know if that's what you're talking about,
But can he just continue to tell that woman, I
didn't even know that you knew who come twice? No,
that's I realized that when he'd rather stand outside like

(01:57:06):
twenty degree freezing weather instead of staying inside the warm
where you know Shakeenheimer. You m yeah, Like that's what
I knew that this is bad. People on the Sugar
Network will walk to the ends of the frozen earth
for Sugar Steve. That's what I love it. Man. Okay,

(01:57:27):
My closest question, what do you what do you what
do your future players wait before anything? Yeah? What was
it like we're doing with your hero Stevie wonder Man.
Um So, like I said, I worked with him on
the Young Money album, but that was kind of like
so much money question to ask you, So just young

(01:57:50):
Money wasn't as random as it. Young money not cash money.
It's the same thing. Yeah, all my everything. You still
had any issues east So mcmahin the president was we
went to high school together, the president of Young Money

(01:58:11):
that yeah, um and was all throughout that whole Drake Nikki,
but we went to high school together and so he
was like a fan of mine. And when Wayne was
locked up, when we started to talk about it and
you just got out. But I think they were in
a way kind of trying to open it up, you

(01:58:32):
know what I'm saying, and make it your prestige exactly.
You know, they were trying to diversify, and um so
I was in an effort to do that. Um and
I managed to release an album in a year, and
you gotta add out for mcmaintie. For a lot of people,
weren't the last two albums on yeah yeah. Um, anyways,

(01:58:56):
I don't remember why I went back to Young Money.
Oh oh Stevie so so that song, but we we
didn't really connect and it felt really real this time
Christmas when I did his show, because I really played
with him the toy opening. Yeah, but we we we
like actually we actually sang and I played on his piano.

(01:59:18):
He was on the on the road, on the on
the keyboard, and it's just, I mean, he's literally the
reason I'm doing it, you know, the reason I wanted
to do this right, and and so you know, I
used to kind of like shy away from the Stevie
and me right because I didn't want people to be like, yo,
he's trying, he's trying to copy Stevie. But I listened.

(01:59:41):
I went on. I was obsessive when I was thirteen,
and I would go to the Circuit City and buy
in chronological order, every CD, every Stevie CD a week,
every issue. Yeah, I just three is easy to go.
Top three intervision music of my mind, um, with the
classes where I'm coming from probably um. But so, so

(02:00:04):
I was listening, and this is before I was writing
any songs, before I was really really playing. And then
once once I started to write, I just started I
was doing stuff like Stevie. But for years I kind
of tried to mute that a little bit. This last
run is when I was just like, man, I'm gonna
just do what I feel, you know, And I think
that authentic me is part of the reason why, you know,

(02:00:25):
things things started to look up this time around, you know.
And then when Stevie gave me a stamp of approval,
Stevie just told me he wished he wrote my song.
First beginning, well, he played They played Crazy on his
station too, Yeah, yeah, they've always supported yeah. But but
when I played it, he walked up to me, he
was like, man, I wish I wrote that song. So
when when Stevie and then being on my record, you know,

(02:00:47):
he's not on a lot of people's records, you know,
so when he gave me the stamp, I was like,
I don't care about these other people, like I'm gonna
just beat me. I'm his son in a way. You know,
it's no different thing speaking of Stevie on other people's records.
I heard of rumors that if you asked Stevie to
just play harmonica on the record, he'll do it, no
questions asked, just because he wants to hear more harmonic
on the radio. Maybe because he played harmonic on my record,

(02:01:11):
he didn't sing so so maybe so yeah, the uh
if you want to know a funny story, you gotta
look up Rick James speaking about uh, Mr Policeman the
last on side one of Street Songs cursing out Stevie
Wonder over the harmonica solo. Very hilarious story. So now

(02:01:37):
I'm gonna ask, what what is your your your two
thousand nineteen plays your goals? Well, I moved back to
New Orleans like three years ago, and um like I
told you about the Buddy Bowden House, but also I
started Morton Records, and it's kind of because I saw
the same business music business infrastructure that didn't exist when
I was there, and the reason I had to leave

(02:01:58):
was still kind of there. And um so I've started
to focus on that focus on some New Orleans talent
and some outside my background singers though more's I'm about
to put out a record on all yeah, um so,
a lot of it is is me focusing on some
acts outside of me. There's just rapper three D Nat
in New Orleans too that I'm about to do a
record on and um yeah so so and I'm gonna

(02:02:20):
do another record this year, but that's that's my main
focus is trying to get more than records. I mean, shoot,
my little indie labels got up a Grammy already. You
know what I'm saying, we did already. Yeah, so I'm
just trying to keep that going and really build the city.
I'm I'm about to um open up this compound in
New Orleans, uh Gumbo Studios, and you know it's gonna

(02:02:41):
be a couple of rehearsal studios in there. When is
that we're gonna because we need to do some New
Orleans shows, you know when this is. But but whenever
y'all come hit me up already Yeah, Okay, maybe as
has New Orleans whatever it was weird, has New Orleans

(02:03:04):
totally recovered from it's post Katrina. I think it's just
turning that corner right now, like I feel like thirteen years,
I think it's just starting because part of the thing
that makes New Orleans is like the people, the energy
from the people, right, and so the people were gone
for so long that and it was just shell shock,

(02:03:25):
Like yeah, it's hard to explain that experience, like of
having to leave your whole city and seeing everybody gone.
I think there wasn't enough attention on the mental aspect
of that kids. My little sister like in her senior
year in high school, having to go to Atlanta and
go to another school and leave all her friends and

(02:03:47):
then want to go home to New Orleans so bad
that she goes back and her friends aren't even there.
So then she finished. So it was this trauma man,
you know. Um, but now I feel like it's just
starting to turn the corner and we're getting back to us.
It feels like that now, you know, yeah, crazy well
you know, ear's ears to you rebuilding the city and

(02:04:08):
bringing it back, trying to do my my my little part.
All right, that's all you can do, all right, brother Morton,
We thank you for coming on the show. Thank y'all.
Thank you man. Like I just wanted to just just
from you. Man, I've seen your grind like i've seen
I mean, like I said, you know teen years ago
that was presor just salute to you man, just what
you just the way you've been able to move just

(02:04:29):
going from like I know how hard it is, you
know to reinvent yourself and do like so no, no brother,
just respect, salute you must love and thank you man,
appreciate that and thank you for going back home, because
if more artists went back home to their hometowns and
built it up, and you know, we have some better cities,
build it up, build it, I build it. I built
it out, thanking a gamble, damn see the sun. That

(02:04:49):
came to my mind was we built this, Oh God, Indiana,
and now it's solid anyway. It's like Fonte and and

(02:05:15):
Sugar Stephen Boss building unpaid bills somewhere children, Grover's smoking
a split on Sesame Street, cussing up a store. P J. Morton,
thank you very much for coming on the show, and
we will see you on the next go round. Of course,
Love Supria Course, Love Supreme is a production of My

(02:05:41):
Heart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team
at Pandora. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit
the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.

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