R and B Money, Honey, thanks take Valentine.

We are the authorities on all the R and B ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Tank Valentine, and this tell him what it.

Is, the R and B Money podcast, boy.

The authority, Yeah yeah, on all things.

Yeah.

R and b's talk about it.

You know what it It's very difficult to go from a boy band to a man band.

Ah, to graduate, as they say, from boys to men, sir, and still matter in this universe is virtually impossible.

Many are called, but the chosen are few.

For the new millennium.

I'm talking hit records, gang of them.

I'm talking sold out tours, all of them.

I'm talking box office styling, brotherhood ups and downs.

But we are brothers for life, ladies and gentlemen.

The one the only be two kids.

What ISRAE.

For Jack.

I'm proud of y'all on a whole other level.

I'm proud of y'all on a whole other level.

I've known you when like meeting at a basketball court playing basketball with Dave Scott, God.

Rest his soul straight up, my brother.

As we are fresh off tour with genuine these my little guys, man, they're gonna be crazy, they're gonna be cold.

Okay, well let's hoop, can you it's just hooped.

I don't know what else you got going on, but let's hoop nineties to right now.

Wow, that's I'm proud.

So I want to I want to start this one off different.

I'm gonna start this one off different.

And and and forgive my intrusion on this one.

On just this one piece, everybody shaves off for three minutes, just for three minutes, and then we're gonna get back to the star power.

Yeah, Ras, what does book mean to you?

The book is my brother, one of my best friends.

Uh someonews me accountable and always looked out and protecting.

Yeah, boog, what does Fizz mean to you?

Fizz is my best friend still to this day.

You know, I met him at twelve.

He means everything to me.

That's like he's kind of like closest to me as like my brother brother, like blood, you know what I mean.

So it means everything to me.

Man, whatever you need, whatever he's going through, you know.

I'm there.

Fizz a mari mean to you.

Oh, it's a brother man.

It's always been a big brother.

You know, somebody that I look up to somebody that definitely.

Adds a lot of value to my life.

Oh just ras mean to you who.

Not just rads, but all of them, my history, my foundation, my introduction to the world.

He's all my brothers, my journey, despite of our ups and down but as in particularly you know, my brother, my brother, these are my brothers.

He appreciates back on because you know, people, people get so consumed with the clickbait, and people are so entertained by negativity that I want them to understand what what the men sitting here outside of all of that means to each other, outside of the noise, Like, this is real life.

This is This is not music business, this is not entertainment, this is not TV.

This is real life.

And I just want people to understand, you know, from from your mouths and from your hearts, what you guys mean to each other, because it's just it's just it's just bigger the brotherhood is because if it wasn't, you guys wouldn't be here right now.

It's facts.

Facts.

Yeah, we always had a relationship besides the business.

I believe that's the reason why the tourists called boys for life.

You know what I mean?

It's a testament to our journey and our triumph, you know, to where we're at today.

Yeah, also to still choose, you know, to do this, you know what I'm saying, despite of our differences and and you know where we're at in life.

You know.

I remember when we was younger, we used to watch The Five Heartbeats, you know what I'm saying.

That was like funny to us, you know what I'm saying, And twenty some years later, still being able to essentially have those movie moments, to come back together, to hug, to forgive each other.

It's big.

It's big.

Y'all need a choir, boy, Yeah.

I know all the spots.

You know, at some point I'm turning the rock.

Boy, I love it.

It's gonna happen.

It's you know, I watched The Matrix a lot, and there's a line in the Matrix we're saying, you don't truly know someone until you fight them.

Mm hmm.

You know.

And from your brothers me and Jay too, to your family, to whoever it is, that's just par for the course.

Absolutely, Like we're gonna get into it about something, and there's oftentimes getting into it, getting into it about greatness because everybody wants to be great, and everybody has their own path of their idea of greatness.

And that fight and that that iron, that iron against the iron, is the process of collaborating and understand how we're going to navigate all of our feelings, all of our processes into making something great that we can all agree on.

What is what is sin?

Since you were younger up until now, what is that process?

Is it?

Like, Okay, we're gonna vote if three or three or four it and were doing it, or we got to have majority, or you can see they just had a vote right there, or is it?

Or do you allocate each situation?

Okay, oh you'll have the last saying this one, or as you'll have the last saying this one.

Like how do you guys allocate that part?

That's a question in some weird way, Like I feel like.

What's meant to be is meant to be right, and we were aligned for a reason at a young age.

So I feel like when.

We we never really have to vote because we always know when something feels right, that's the one that's yeah, that's right, yeah, And when somebody may have a different take on something, we always agree we're like, yeah, I saw that too, So it's it's strange.

It's a strange camaraderie that just works.

Yeah, I would have to agree with Fizz because it was something I put in our group chat recently and actually Ja Bull gave me a different perspective and his respective kind of just like I sided to see it, if Ale, and it kind of just it felt right.

It's set where it needs to sit, and we trust each other, We trust our gifts, you know what I mean.

And I was going to say that because you were speaking on you don't know someone till you fight them, like you know, and talking about you guys experience, and I think that's a that's a dynamic that people don't understand, is that coming up together us all being pretty much the same age.

We're separate by maybe a few months.

You know, we're strong personalities.

Is a scorpios a gemini is a sagittarius.

I'm leo, you know what I mean.

With us fighting each other for greatness, we were able to understand that each one of us are really good at what we specialize in, you know what I mean, And so you kind of respect the powers, you know what I mean?

And so when we come to talk.

About stuff, it's interesting because when we break things down, you know what I mean, it kind of like falls in each category.

Like he'll have a vision for lights and staging, and he'll have a vision for the art, and He'll have the vision for the clothes, and I'll have the vision for the choreography.

And it's kind of like when we put it together, I like what he has to say about that, and then I like what he has to say about that, and then I like, you know what I mean, And it's really just kind of like we don't all have the same vision for the same thing, so we don't fight about the same thing.

That's crazy.

That's like the commercial.

We know we wrote that tree before we hand it over the crash that was all of us.

Yeah, so it's really a collective effort when be two k steps out, like we all give each other our space that we feel like we are experts in shall I say?

And then that's what you see?

You know.

I love that nuance.

I wish more groups would just let the greatness of each individual be what it's supposed to be to elevate the group.

I was in a group called TG.

Here we go.

Just the sauce.

It's not gonna work with us.

You guys are special.

You guys have a gift.

You were saying, you have a gift of allowing each other to be great in the space and accepting that greatness and applying it.

No one's stepping on anybody's toes saying well I can do that too, or you know what I'm saying, Well I should be in charge.

How come you get to be?

You know, it's just none of that.

That's why I quit the group.

You're about to go back onto a shout shout out, tyree, shout out.

That's my brother.

I'm not going nowhere with them, nast The show coming up, our last show.

It is November twenty second.

It's the last time you will see this.

We gotta be there, bro, Yeah, we coming witness it.

Yeah, we coming her stories.

You ain't heard them all?

Lord Jesus.

That looks like a pretty dynamic group, shall I say?

It's like it's like Capricorn Capricorn.

I see, that's probably the issue.

The two capricorns.

The two Capricorn look the Capricorn and the he's Libra.

Yeah, yeah, all right, I've seen I produce rain, show staging, lighting, smoke.

You can be in this group.

You already got kicked out.

You already too much.

He's at that's at a not just at a high level, but at a current level.

And so in this thing, you really have to be up to date or or forward thinking in order to not just survive, but to thrive and stand out.

And so in my mind, I'm always pushing for the better version of all of it, whatever the cost, whatever the costs.

Sometimes sometimes it's not gonna balance even out.

Sometimes we're going to be under in the negative to make sure that we're better.

And that's all I care about, is that we're striving to be better because the people that are that are buying into it, the people who believe in it, the thing that they are receiving from whatever this is, we don't know what that is.

We don't know whether it's healing, whether it's you know, we don't know what it is.

So we always have to we always we have we're responsible to be at our best in our effort, in our everything, so that whoever's supposed to receive from this, whoever supposed to be fed from this, can receive the right thing.

We can't cheat it, no part of it.

That was a lot.

But that's just so that's just how I feel, man, because I saw I.

Saw We won't talk about which show that was on, but I did see a clip that you just did an interview on and he was speaking on like understanding like that what we're doing is not just for us straight up.

I don't know, if you want to kind of elaborate, Yeah.

Nah, I think that, you know, and being a part of a collective it is intechral, you know, to the product, the finished product, that we are all aligned and that people truly receive a great experience.

And yeah, that's cool.

I know you saw that check your boy out.

You know, I thought it was I thought it was a great perspective to understand that this is really this is really for the fans, the supporters, the people who are being the hard our money to come see a great event, you know what I mean.

So we got to put our egos to the side and try to come with the best product so that they can enjoy what they came to see.

Yeah, and possibly do it again.

You know what I'm saying.

Take me back to when you guys are kids, and and now it's all for you, and you're in a rehearsal studio and you're rehearsing for hopefully something great, hopefully a record deal, hopefully a number one single.

At one point during that process, did you say to yourself, oh shit, we got something.

I would say the early rehearsals for me, you know what I'm saying, Like after after we all, after I met you all, you know what I mean, at that New Year's party and we got into like rehearsal.

We was in the garage in that one little that one little city Colefax House, Colefax House.

Fact it was.

It was I believe it was a sliding door mirror.

There was one sliding door mirror and just that work, that work us building, you know, as a group.

I think from that, from that moment for me, I was like, nah, this this is different.

You know what I mean.

If I could choose to go on a journey, you know what I mean and sharpen myself, this is this is how I we want to do it.

So I would say those first couple of rehearsals, I was like, oh yeah, yeah.

I was like, you guys, that would at this point eleven, I was.

Like fourteen that was like fourteenth.

Yeah.

I remember knowing we had some sauce because we came from a previous group.

We knew there was some some energy amongst us.

But I remember that night we seen Tomorrow.

It was like, yo, he's the missing piece.

I knew that night.

I'm like, yeah, we get him in the group.

It's a rap.

You came over to the house, we rehearsed.

We immediately we knew we had something special.

Everyone used to come over to the house like Dusty Child three o W.

So we would be, you know, we would be performing for them.

Maybe I'm leaving some people out, but we that confidence.

We knew that we had something.

We just needed to continue to work on our skills.

Yep.

One mirror in the closet.

I know what he's talking about.

That was taken down.

Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean for for for me just to add to it.

When I when I first got into the group, the initial first group before o'mary came, I met Fizz and Ras kind of came in at the same time as me, And I told you I played football.

I didn't plan on doing music, but I was into music and dancing and singing and everything.

And so when I met him and he had told me that he was in this group since he was eight years old or seven years old, something like that.

Right, I'm like, Yo, this dude is serious about what he's trying to do.

Let me take this serious.

I don't want to bs what on what they've been doing?

Right, And so we go through that journey and that configuration didn't work, but we knew that we had a higher level of performance.

That couldn't go to that higher level of performance.

And it's no slight to the other guys, but not only they were a lot taller than us.

They couldn't dance like us, you know what I'm saying.

And we wanted to be a high performance group.

So when we met, Oh, you know, I was a wild boy, you know what I mean?

Yeah, this ain't crazy in a circle by himself.

Oh taught us some stuff, you know what I mean.

He was coming out of Inglewood.

I was from confidence.

So it was two different worlds, you know what I'm saying.

But he just came in with a lot of confidence, and I like confident people.

I know, I'm a confident person.

So it's like, I want to be able to beat me and not you feel like you need to dim your light, like come back at me, you know what I mean.

And he came with that energy like what's up?

You know what I'm saying.

I'm like, what's up?

Okay.

I was like, you know, let's do it.

We got together, bro, and I know, for me, we just did a breakdown.

We hadn't even did a song yet, you know what I mean.

It was just it was just a breakdown, dance break and I'm looking at him like, oh you could you could keep on op That's where I replaced.

You got me?

But he could back flip.

So that's all I mean.

Yeah, it was all good.

Yeah.

I feel like that was like a moment where we knew that there was no limit on the group, no more, you know what I'm saying.

And we went through our trials, Bro.

A lot of people don't know we went through the whole industry.

They didn't see the vision.

We went again around Like when I.

Say the industry, every everybody said, now every record label, you could think that was a major, you name it.

Even we had a deal for like a month with the Face and then we didn't have a deal.

No.

Well, rest in peace, ut soid he was the one in power over there.

And then when he passed away, you know how the label would do like it was his group.

It was funny enough Little gave my group our deal.

Wow, wow group Wow, he signed our group.

M that's great, that's Crazy Records vision.

Yeah, he's in the group since she was a fishh he's winning Houston video right the.

Nickelodeon Kid's Choice.

Damn.

But it's like we all were kind of hustling in our own space.

You know.

I was doing hair shows, doing show.

Hold up, stop right there, stop right there, stop right there, the hair really encounter, stop right there.

Shout out to.

You feel I was right.

That's where I started, That's where I found And honestly I never forget.

When I seen that that v H.

S oh Man of J Bud Dancing, I was like, oh he cold for real.

He had to at the hair.

Show by myself.

So so quick, quick backstory.

I was supposed to go out there and moudl my haircut, okay, but mc hammer pumps and the bumps came on.

He went not he win, He went nuts.

That hammer came on.

You had to do it and you went great.

Turned it into a strip club seven eight years taking the shirt.

Off of that hair stylist made a lot of money and they carried a lot of cash.

So every hair show after that, you got busy.

I was out there whipping it.

I respect it.

You gotta put it, you gotta pull that.

You gotta pull that out for the archives, bro, because that's what serious.

Yeah, I was a master gyrator.

Man, Hey, you gotta will be used money podcast from this giant and we gotta put some type of we gotta throw we gotta throw hammer in there, just getting from the video.

Gotta be master great.

Yeah, but yeah, man, we all we always like finding ourselves and then it's crazy how we all came together.

But we always buy ourselves as like solo artists.

And that's another thing people don't understand about beat.

You k.

The reason why you see that fire on stage is because we're always in battles.

Nobody knows about.

The head of map, right.

We just did it for the commercial.

Y'all was like, oh, they're going hard, but trying to know it was me and Fizz against Old rad were talking.

We was talking so much major.

In between them shots like, y'all don't want to smoke the list, y'all don't want it, and then you know it brings out.

The master sack.

I got a question, as thirteen fourteen year olds, you're having this experience of in a sense, being denied something right that obviously and for you at this point, you five six years in, you've given up.

Really your childhood.

Yeah to me, I was.

And you're going around the industry and everyone says, no, what's the thought process for y'all at this point?

Do you?

I mean, can you can you go back to that time to think of.

Well, I mean, at that time, the thought process was more of like I was just having fun.

I was having fun.

I had like he said, I did the Kids Choice Awards.

I made a little bit of money off of that.

I was buying shoes out.

I was like, you know, I'm okay, this is cool.

When came around, like I said, he was like the big bro.

So he had us in the streets with some girls.

Bro.

I just was telling he was.

I'm like, wait, wait, we can go do this Like we showed me a whole other world, you know what.

I was Just for the record, I wasn't only one giant rating on the girls.

Okay if you remember, Yeah, No, I was with you, bro.

We had only one, but you through the word masks.

Yeah, I would say I would say for me to just piggyback off of what you were saying, Fizz.

You know, when we was getting denied, I felt more determined.

A lot of people don't understand, you know, especially when we were you know, younger in that phase and we were they were having they were having real conversation with us.

They was like, I'll never forget.

Right before we went to go see yep, we had to meet I.

Think was Vegas.

No, we went to New York.

Yeah, and they was like, hey, guys, if this is the last one, you know, if y'all don't get signed, Yeah, this is the last one.

It is the last last two week in this industry.

As far as going off late, yeah, what you were saying how it was hard on the childhood.

When we got that call.

I had just made I went to bish Montgomery, I had just made the basketball team, and I hadn't got to go to the first practice.

Shit, and we had to fly to New York for that that showcase, and I had to miss another day of school, which would have been the limit.

So I had to check out.

It was either check out.

They were like, you either.

Gonna play basketball and go to school, or you're gonna come do this last one and try to get this deal.

We had been denied, like you said, about thirty something people like every label you could think of.

So I'm sitting here like I'm in tears.

Bro, Like.

I'm about to give up basketball.

And do this.

Like what if they say no again?

I don't never have I don't have the chance to just go back to school and be on the team.

Right.

So I'm like sitting there devastated, and I was like, I looked at my situation currently, how me and my mom my sister we was living was poor.

Fuck.

I'm like, nah, I gotta do this.

My brothers like this together, you know what I'm saying.

So I'm going for it.

I checked out of school and we went there and now we literally got the deal.

We performed in front of Tommy Mottola and Poly Anthony Rest in peace, Poly, and right after we was done with the show, he was like, y'all signed, it's done.

Yeah, y'all got a great memory.

Wow, that's good time.

China, China.

We're gonna get to China.

To even add a little bit more to it, because I feel like right now y'all are getting like the true inside story of well this.

Is rmvy money man.

Yeah, we gotta be we are.

But you know, those moments for us being fourteen fifteen years old, they were they were dark moments, you know what I mean, because they tried so many different things, like as far as trying to put another person in the group, trying to do this, try to do that, then giving us the threat of if y'all don't get to and we would come.

Together, bro, And I don't know how.

We were so mature at this time and so determined, but we was like not breaking up, We're not changing the group.

We're gonna ride out and we're gonna go get this deal, you know what I mean.

And those conversations that we would have, I mean sometimes it could get chippy because it wasn't just about that.

We would be honest with each other if one of us did something that we didn't like, you know what I'm saying.

And just to speak on that, when he said they just had a vote, We just did that like a month ago.

As grown men.

I don't like that when you did that in two thousands, bla blah blah.

I don't like that.

Well, you know what I mean.

So when you ask how did we get back here like the tour that's about to happen, it was because we took it back to the old days as brothers and we had a hard conversation.

We won't go into detail, but we had a our talk.

Yeah, and that's why it's still standing.

Straight up.

Well, this is R and B money, so we got to drop it.

Gotta drop something.

So that member that they tried to put in the group, it was actually little man from Third Story O K Young K Young, K.

It's pretty cool.

It's pretty interesting because back in the day, I had audition to be in their group, So I thought that was pretty interesting.

Yeah, to.

Know, bro, Third Story, But that was a determination in the in the synergy that we had.

We had cut some cool demos, but the synergy between the four was just special, you know what I mean.

And shout out to to K Young because he wound up writing a bunch of records for B two K on our soundtracks.

Yeah he's a phenomenal artist.

And uh yeah, so yeah, Third Story was fired to yo, give me the first moment in the studio, like you hear you're hearing be two K on record like like demo or like y'all got your deal?

No, it's it's real song.

It was when we went to work with Tricky.

Yeah.

Yeah, that Tricky energy and dream you know what I mean?

Yeah, guy, I want to feel like dream might have y'all might be the first artist.

That dream crazy.

Yeah, this system is amazing out there.

Career.

Yeah, red zone, red zone.

That was the first time, like a team or what which one y'all did to talk about?

You talking about rezon?

What do you want to say?

You know?

Tricky was like, just keep going, just keep going.

I'm like, all right, keep on talking.

Red zone.

Yeah, I have to agree with Oh, that's when we had that heat.

But correct me, I'm wrong.

We was in New York.

I think the first demo we recorded was I'm Not Finished, right, That was the I think it was pretty It was pretty cool.

But the magic we got the fantasy too.

Didn't fantasy.

No, both didn't do fantasy.

It could have been saying we did a couple of record.

Yeh, we did a couple of records.

Yeah.

Wow, our other brother you know, he actually it was a big part of us with starting R and B Money podcast.

Wow, Yeah, he kicked it off with us, Me and me and Bowl went back.

Man, you hear how was he doing?

He got a few?

He got the rest past?

Yeah, yeah, so you found the magic It read zone.

I would I would.

I would agree because I feel like when we were doing the records that ra is talking about, it was so fresh to us.

It was new to us, you know what I mean.

We didn't really understand like the moment I would say, we wasn't present, you know what I mean.

But now we're moving into like we didn't record it like x some on the records and they're saying that we still don't got one.

Yeah, you know what I mean.

We're about to send y'all that Atlanta to go work with Tricky.

Just the studio alone, when you walk past, it's like wal you got blue cam trail with the hottest record out.

She just comes by, and then somebody else.

Then it's the stars that we earned stars yet, but it's the stars that were looking at like oh dangn serious, and then seventeen writers come in you know what I'm saying, like we got one all right.

It's like that moment I think woke us up.

Yeah, you felt that because our demos, we've heard ourselves answer your question, we've heard ourselves on records, but that magic, Yeah, it was just.

You could tell that they were on another level.

Then, not to slight anybody against hits or hits.

Tricky knew what he was doing.

You know what I'm saying.

Like it wasn't by accident.

He is who he is for listen still still.

Yeah, yeah, yeah right yeah.

And then Dream did everything for the second album, which is the first album, no second second album.

Everything was the second.

Everything is on the second.

When we went back and did the more records, which was just because we dropped them two albums.

And I know that's Dame make Feerson was spreading that money around.

He think that.

I think that the reason why we went back to Tricky so fast is because Tricky got us.

He knew what Yeah, and then when Dream came with everything, it was like whoa Like I still felt like that was a single for B two K you know what I mean?

That didn't come out?

You know what I mean because every time we perform it fan favorite, you know what I mean, like big time, And I didn't even know who the Dream was at that time, and he.

Was real hum he was.

I was in there writing my wrap.

He was like, you want some help with your wrap?

And I was like, no, I got it.

I'm like, damn, I dream.

You told the dream No?

I told him no, Bro, Like what that's crazy?

One of the most legendary lyrics of all time.

Bro, I'm only fifteen with.

No dream.

You're not right now.

You're not fifteen, bro, and you probably married already.

Okay, y'all wrote that right there in the kitchen red zone in the backyard to the kitchen.

Yeah.

I was trying to get on the publishing.

I couldn't come in with a line.

We've all been there.

I couldn't get on like you know what they got it.

I can name you ten songs right now that the very big that I was five minutes that last line.

I feel what you're doing.

But I'm just thinking, let me think about it.

Just changed from heat to me change.

The nigga only be having only this two and a half.

So when that record.

Drops thirteen weeks number one, did your life immediately change?

Because the record that people don't know listen for the for the people out there, a record deal does not change your life.

No, yeah, it does not change your life.

Dollars.

That's a good question.

Run through it a record deal without traction, yeah.

Yeah, yes, yeah, because now record deals kind of come with traction because you're already going.

Yeah, were talking about niggas that's been in this ship.

We all been in this shit one hundred thousand year.

You get a record deal and need you go home?

Yeah, and there trying to find a song that like you said, yeah, which is what happened.

Yeah, this is going for everybody that's been in this ship.

You get that record and you get you a couple of dollars and then they be like, Okay, where's the hit?

Yeah, because if you don't get a hit, you won't have this record deal for long.

Question, guys, just for all of us.

We were already on like word up magazines.

Was that before we had a record deal?

That was that was like and that was we had the record deal, but we didn't have a song out and were on tour with Bow for.

That's where the ship came.

Okay, the ship came on tour.

It was the footwork from tour.

I remember we we was carrying our bags through the venue.

You know what I'm saying the big gass green bag, that big gas bag.

I mean it was like we would we.

Would be holding one shoulder.

Yeah, straight up.

It was heavy, and it would show after show.

It was like a few shows and then it was like one fan with one poster, and then the next show it was like two fans, and then at by the end of the tour, we was co headlining.

Yeah.

Yeah, records out that radio.

I won't say yeah yeah, because you're gonna get to that later.

Things were starting to really start to change too.

But like but when you get that record, you got time of a Toller pushing the button.

I mean around that time, excuse me, around that time in.

Sync backs boys out, so you know, they pushed the button.

So we started like doing a lot of like good Morning America.

We started doing like like it was a different kind of push two.

Are y'all went straight to on the road.

On the road, what y'all doing like the mall and in store type ship?

Yeah, okay, yeah, yeah.

We did school school school tours.

Great for us.

School six that's the separator for y'all facts fact formers.

I mean, we live up everywhere.

Exactly.

It's like once you see B two K, it's like you're in Yeah, and that's a lot of you know, a lot of what's missing today.

Yeah, it's no superstars man because group there start there, but then because you can't stay together.

Soul it's a thing where it's a thing where maybe you're on the fence about the record, but then when you see him perform it, it all makes sense.

Everything like that.

That's old school facts.

What's crazy too, because that records Aha was really like a pop like a main what would you say dr.

It was't not strictly R and B because we went back and forth with singles.

Really, I think that it just was I think that it was a sound that was coming from Atlanta that hadn't hit yet.

It was a little bit like when you look at the drum pattern, like how he had it structured, you know what I mean.

It was what it was supposed to be.

Is just was a little early, you know what I mean.

And then music actually end up adopting that be pattern.

Then it became the biggest thing going in the South.

You know.

Interesting about that record though, is they dropped it and nine eleven hit and everything got shut down, you know, and we had a we had a problem at radio to get that to work because of what you said.

We was a visual fact.

So when we went to go premiere our video on one O six in Park, the crowd had been removed.

It was just free and AJ it was real sad, you.

Know what I mean.

And it wasn't like engaging like that.

We didn't get to go on the show and you know connect with the with the t D land you know, and by Guy's grace, he gave us a second time to read like do a new joint of the day on one O six and Park shout out to BT and that's when everything picked up because we were able to run out and we were able to vibe with the fans and the countdown was back alive and you know, the visual was really pushing everything.

And then the record followed, you know, behind.

That because that part, as you say, like you're a visual group, but you're also guys with true personality, right, you understand what I'm saying, So you're able to talk and have those conversations and make those connections.

Yeah, you know what I mean.

It ain't just yeah, you know what I'm saying.

Yeah, we dropped it.

It's none of that, like you all four of you guys are engaging.

Yeah, yeah, completely, And at this point the fans are just trying to figure out who they like the most because they're connecting with all of them.

Somebody's gonna have the edge one day because they say something cool.

You know what I'm saying.

Somebody's gonna have the edge because they do a little dance that's cooler, or the backflip or a backflip.

You almost for got to do the backflip.

Let it up real nice, you know what I'm saying.

He gonna kill them with the mix.

You know what I'm saying right there, to blend like it's always something, And that's what you want in a group, man, Like you want four real star personalities to where it's a fight.

It's a frenzy dynamics man.

Now, you guys what my father would call it.

We're polished.

That's the first thing I thought when I saw Yankee.

And you know, for me, I grew up in a group.

I grew up me and my brothers, and we practice, and we practiced, and so we were we were we were always very critical of everything and everybody.

Yeah, niggas don't practice.

Practice it was.

It was some ship that we just held within ourselves because we had to practice so much so when we saw people.

And it's honestly to this day a reason why I don't go to a lot of conscience because I don't think a lot of people are polished.

And I don't you know, listen, it takes a lot to get dressed, fine parking.

Now, I got kids, so I gotta find out who, Okay, who got my babies to night and them niggas be cussing, so I'm not taking my baby to see them, right.

So, but people don't think about all the things that go into someone going to see you, like And what I will say is, over these years, I've seen y'all live multiple times, and that's because you niggas are polished and have always been polished, and I enjoy seeing y'all perform.

I've running to.

You outside of at the club and you're like, yeah, we ready, and it I've ready.

I call him, you know what I'm saying, And I've running the fisit?

You know what I'm saying.

So it's like I'm as passionate about y'all as y'all are because of the work that y'all put in.

You know what I'm saying.

And first thing you said to me when I saw you when I when I pulled up at the commercial.

Were coming on, I was like, of course.

I was like, of course, because what y'all done and the work that y'all put in, it means more.

It means way much more bro than what we have and what's available to us.

Because you don't have that, Hollis, you don't have people who have been doing this since six seven years old.

Understanding Oh no, no.

No, no, we got to get in a lab period.

These people are coming to see a performance.

They're not just coming to hear the jams because y'all got them to right, y'all got the jams, but the performance takes it to another level.

And it's just and I just want to tell y'all man like, with all due respect, I love what y'all do.

I know we're skipping around and you know, skipping around in albums and things, and I just I just want to understand, Gods to be just because because when I heard that song, I was so concerned, Please continue, I said, who are these boys singing this?

Grown man?

He forgot that you had played basketball.

Who is doing this to be?

This is incredible.

I almost want to say, I remember you walking into Damon's house where we recorded it?

Did we recorded at Damon's house?

Got to be I wasn't I wasn't there.

No, you're probably recorded in Running springs on on Devonshire if it's the house.

Yeah, yeah, that's exactly.

Yeah, yeah, wouldn't.

No, you remember Broo.

I think we went there and it was a it was a while.

It was a wild because he wasn't there yet and I had just left.

Mm hmm.

That was my first time leaving the underdogs.

And then yeah yeah, and then and then I heard the recog.

I was like, ah, ship, I should have stand.

My favorite listen listen.

I know that there were a lot of a lot of moments leading up to that that were milestones for you guys, for sure, where you felt the temperature change and you felt like the superstars you were.

But it's god, yeah, yeah, somebody at paying attention now for for for the grown folk, the true enthusiasts.

Yeah, you had fucking arrived, you niggas was serious.

It was it was.

It was out of boy band land.

It was the equivalent to ensynct dropping Gone.

Yes, it's exactly what it was.

It was that which I was late to the studio.

That was one of you gave me well hooping Probably.

Gone was recorded across the street from that same house Crazy Records, exactly across the street.

Well listen, I always say I was late, but the truth is I was invited for another song.

That song they had just finished.

But it's much better than you says, And then I absolutely did try.

I was like, listen, just start doing this.

I thought I had some but they that that record was just it was already there.

I just have to I don't even I don't know if you felt the shift from to me.

It felt like you guys were a young group.

Of course you had you had the young girls in a frenzy.

I never heard young girl scream like that ever before ever, But it felt like Gostipe was okay, well, there's so many grown women here at the show.

It was there coming of age.

That's how it looked for us on the outside.

What is going on here?

I mean, it was just fifteen sixteen.

It seemed like that record should have came We was eighteen.

So I want to be your mother, your brother, your father and your sister.

I want to manage.

I could get to it when I said, when I heard that song and it, I want to manage.

You to say, you really understand it as an adult now, but it's a massive generator, has a mass.

He was already cut somewhat prepared.

Yeah, to manage for the long run, for the long yeah.

Yeah, and apparently it's partnering crime right here with day.

It was definitely sneaking us around the gyre.

Lets me manage.

I want to manage, manage you.

Yeah.

Nobody was talking like that.

No one.

Nobody talking like that to the young Nah.

It's funny because we were so young.

And I'll never forget when I recorded that song because we were coming off of or Come On Demo and other songs.

It was very mature and I was like, damn, I love this right, but it really it worked, It really worked.

Yeah, it was.

They knew every word.

We performed that concert in March twelve and at the House of Blues they knew every word.

I was.

I was like, bro, the song just came out, this nigga hit the date.

Yeah, this used to be the House of Blues.

That's here, you know, you're actually at the House of Right.

I thought that was the Netflix, that this is the house of Blues.

Corner felt little Corner felt different.

Right.

I want to say something about that, because you just you just brought me to a realization that I never got all the way till this day.

Boy bands young like phenom teen or even under like.

Child stars, they they can't transition to adults that record and be accepted.

And I always thought to myself, like, oh yeah, ok, yeah, you just.

Told us why we were able to grow up and still be in this industry.

We didn't know that record did that, did it?

I didn't know that record did that right here when you guys.

We didn't know that.

Y'all thought of it like that, this is their coming of age, this is their transition, this is no longer kiddie bop music.

I didn't never think about it.

And Steve and Steve Russell really understood that.

You know what I'm saying with with ye from the Google, he really understood that's amazing.

He still got some bangers.

Dog.

Yeah, always forward thinking, But yes, you became you, then became you, then belonged to us.

Whenever it came out altely you are completely on our radar.

Yeah, niggas is wrong.

Talk about like there's there have been so many moments in between all of that, you know, from O going solo, to the TV shows to all of these cool things, right, and I like, I really want to sell this tour.

I really want to sell you guys, you brothers being back together for a really, really, really special thing.

Talk about the conversation.

You said there was a hard conversation that even got you into a space to where you could be together, sitting at the same table, in the same room.

Talk about the conversation that made it a tour.

That's a good question.

Where do we start, gentlemen.

I think we should start at twenty nineteen, you know, the first Millennium tour.

I felt like.

Prior to that, we had been, you know, attempting to get together several times before that, but a tour just never materialized.

And you know Ras, you know, I would say, he's the He's the true like mascot if we if we need we need it, we need to be.

Two K mascot because because Ras.

Was not letting this go this what's going to happen?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he was like nah, I'm getting my boys back together, and this is happening, and what you Yeah, I don't care what you're doing.

Oh, I don't care what y'all got going on, you know what I'm saying.

If you're incomplete yeah.

Years Yeah, And you know I felt that way too.

I felt that way.

I felt like, you know, regardless of what we went through, it was important for us to still be the masters of our destiny, you know what I'm saying.

And I think that twenty nineteen, although we were all in different spaces, that was kind of like that maturation you know, in our own personal lives, and y'all can definitely speak to that, but for me, it was like it was time again.

It was a different conversation.

I was in a different place, you know what I mean.

I became a father, you know.

I wanted to show my kids.

You know, they heard about B two K.

You know, I showed them, but they didn't see it, you know what I'm saying.

So for me, it was important to kind of run it back.

And now even you.

Know, going off of the first Millennium Tour to now, like it's just been so much maturing and growing, you know, within the scope of our brotherhood and also personally so for me, I think twenty nineteen was like that time where it was just like, Okay, now let's unpacked our experience.

Now let's go through our unfoldment.

And even though we still were going through things like it makes so much sense now, you know, in the journey in the wake of our group and what it meant for us to be together.

But I want you all to definitely speak on that and say how what what that was for y'all.

I'll go bree, I'll be brief.

It was pretty crazy because for many years we weren't talking at all.

Like I was in China for like seven years.

I know they still Yeah, well you know what.

We're talking about that, we're talking about that right now.

Long story short.

Were playing NBA Entertainment League in Santa Monica.

Somebody approached me with an opportunity to perform at the Great Wall of China.

Oh you was pressing that for so long, bro, come on, let's go to China.

We can perform on a great Wall.

I'm like, I'm not going to.

At least together, they would have took the three so anyway, at least she wound up hosting it.

She wound up doing the show two thousand and four.

It was dope.

Opportunity came for me to you know, to to to go to China, and I took it right.

And so I was over there touring and.

I get stuck.

I was making money.

I had fun, like seven years.

I came on one time for about twenty seven days, like after the first four years.

People it was pretty little.

He live over there too, but speak.

I could speak a few words, and it was a time.

It was a time, but it was dope because when I got off the plane, I had the offer for the Beach a K tour, so I was able to It took two years, but I was able to get in everybody's hands and everybody was able to do what they need to do.

And fizz, what's up?

I see you on that show.

You're looking good?

Funck that though you ready for the story?

Listen, Oh make wants some upgrades book producing films.

I'm like, yo, nigga, I mean, what's up?

Like you know all that?

No, it was crazy.

We were talking about the point about this when this tour boys boys, the hard conversations.

I feel like from from my point of view, there was so much stuff that was said in the past, you know, rather it be in the media, rather the jokes being you know how I Maria felt about, you know, when he went solo.

I always felt like when he went solo, it would have been dope if we were in his videos and we were like we were able to public support him.

But the breakup was so the way it was, it just kind of made us even more distant, you know what I mean, we have to figure out life.

And finally, like I got this from book, when we approached the twenty nineteen situation, it's almost like we approach it as where we left off as nineteen and twenty year olds.

So we didn't come at you know, if it was more fun or if I didn't have what I was dealing with at the time.

You know, for someone you know, who's had a very successful career, he wouldn't want to be around something like that, you know what I mean.

So you know, we got to conduct ourselves, you know, as trooper professionals and mature man at all times, and you know, I feel like that kind of pushed us back, you know some you know, and then it just it was a lot of growth and I felt like when we aligned, because we started to become cooler and we started to talk, and we knew that if there ever would be an opportunity for us to you know, come back together, we would just have to do our thing and let God bring it back together.

You and I.

What that means by is like, don't attagon iszer Mari in public, or you know, don't make any jokes, you know what I mean?

Just little things like that and most importantly work on ourselves.

And it seemed like the time just a line that's from my point of view.

What do you think, Drew Fizzo, what's the question.

The process or conversation of getting to this tour to.

The voice for process of the conversation.

I think, or just just the part that made you consider it made you be like, you know, I.

Think for me.

Going back to twenty nineteen, I felt like me personally, I didn't walk into that situation right.

I wasn't.

I wasn't right.

So afterwards, I think.

It was twenty twenty two, me, Bug and Rasz had a group chat that we had started, and I had invited them over to my house because I just felt like it was a time where I needed to.

Make right with them.

I didn't have a line on O at the time, but then it was I think a couple months after that where I came to the show and then publicly apologized to him.

So for me, it was after I was able to make amends with everybody.

I just knew it would be a certain amount of time before we could come back together and have that camaraderie to where we knew it you know, it'll manifest itself.

Yeah, yeah, okay, it's my turn.

Yeah, it was.

It was some years.

It was some years.

Yo, it was some shit, it was some years.

It's some ship.

Where do I start?

Like I said, we all, we all, we all play different roles in this.

You know, we all did what we did on twenty nineteen tour to make it not like go to like it's full potential, shall I say, to be able to take it.

Where like it was possible to go.

You know, I like to say that at thirty five, my eighteen year old self was still guiding my life, if that makes sense, you know what I'm saying.

And the process after twenty nineteen for me, which I don't know if they know, and I know he doesn't know, but it was to bring them to understand that we were in control of it not happening right, and to touch on his mindset as someone who had a successful solo career outside of the group, you know, and everything that he had worked for.

We not there shooting with him in the gym, so to speak, when he's doing on Marion, you know what I'm saying, And the flights and the rehearsals, and him even dealing with growing out of being in the group and going on that journey by himself.

Like I told him, I said, broke got heart.

He got heart because no matter what came his way of get back in the group, no matter what came, if something wasn't as successful we thought it was, he never stopped.

So for him to come back to.

This group, it has to be something he can trust with his business, you know what I'm saying, Like he's not about to go out there and embarrass himself because we want to do something crazy, you know.

And now he got to stand in that light or he got to go into an interview and he has to you know, answer hard questions that ain't.

Got nothing to do with his new phone that he's promoting.

Like there's a whole mindset that we have to change coming back if anything is going to happen.

So when we talk about the twenty twenty two group chat, they don't know, but my whole objective was to work on them, to bring them to a place that could be trusted, that we could be genuine, we could understand our wrongs, we could write them, and.

Then we could all come back together, you know, wholeheartedly as.

A group that could actually function and get to current day right now, and we could actually go do what need to be done, you know.

And so I feel like to answer the question in a nutshell.

We're here because we've matured and we've accepted all of our wrongs and we've admitted it to each other that bro, my.

Bad, Bro, my bad.

Nobody else needed to see this publicly.

This was something that we had to do accountability, you know what I'm saying.

And we did that to where now it has nothing to do with the tour.

We laugh and we joke.

We got to stuff, you know what.

I'm saying, like it was real because we got to like, you know, it's money.

I feel like I saw the whole thing.

I saw the whole thing we're talking about it's off camera, but it was so much passion.

Yo.

You want, you want, hey, you want listen?

Life is real simple, my bad.

You know you want your life to end up.

Ultimately, even to just go quickly.

We now understand that when you come into an industry that has.

A lot of vultures, a lot of evil, dark people you know, uh, and they can get their hands.

On either all of you or one of you.

In Divide and Conquer, we now get that we can't allow those outside voices to come and side.

And now we have the conversations of whatever has been said from whatever entity you know, and no longer are we dealing with it by ourselves, making decisions about it by ourselves.

We're putting it on the table and we're saying, bro, this what just came through?

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah na nah.

Opposed to back then you kind of let it wash you up.

Next thing, you know, you're thinking different, you're moving different.

I could do it by myself.

I'm bigger than the program.

I could do it, you know what I mean.

So I feel like us understanding that that is what the design is in this industry.

And this is a shout out to all you young artists that's out here.

John need to understand.

Once it goes big here they come, everybody wants to sink.

They clause in and either they can take the whole thing or they could try to rip one out, you know what I mean, and they gonna get in your ear.

You can do it by yourself.

You could do it.

I got a situation for you know what I mean, and the next thing, you know, you find it all dismantled, you know.

Yeah, And I also want to say that was important and integral too, because I felt like I did get an opportunity personally.

You remember when you came out to the show, when Bud came out to the show.

Just seeing and knowing you know, that genuine energy, you know what I'm saying, and being able to have real mature adult conversations.

That was like very important for me.

And also just recognizing and realizing that, you know, our split didn't come from our personal decision.

You know, it wasn't us deciding that we wanted to separate, you know what I'm saying.

It was just kind of something that happens when people talk about me as a solo artist, they don't even understand that was never even in my plan.

You know, it kind of happened, you know, and.

Not even realizing and recognizing how that made it them feel, you know what I'm saying, and how I felt about you know, it just was a lot of back and forth.

And I would say, while we are able to be where we are today again because we all fully understand that we are the authors and the masters of our desk to me, and we are choosing, you know, as brothers, to show up and to hear each other and to respect each other.

And that's big, and that is the reason why we are in sync.

That's why you know, when you see us performed, it's the energy there because we hadn't been through the storm, you know what I'm saying, and now we have, We've come out of the storm, and now you know, we're a lot stronger.

So that was important for me, you know what I mean.

And I appreciate everything that y'all said because these you know, outside of the scope of us having our personal conversations, this is a real interview, you know, with two people that we truly respect.

This is therapy.

I mean.

The fact that you even said that, right, that's therapy.

What And I've you know, obviously I've known oh the longest because wildly enough, when the breakup happens, we're the first people that period he comes to work with and we're like, where's everybody else?

Right, And because nobody even knew, We definitely didn't know, right, it was super early, and I got to and I got to see and experience how he felt, and he's like, bro, like, I'm just I missed my niggas, like I was just we was just a group last week pretty much, you know what I'm saying, And you know what I mean.

So so for me to see it now and over the time, right in the brotherhood that we've built together, seeing you guys here today, I see four grown men.

Who have healed and who are all in.

The space of understanding, because I feel like, especially within our community right as you know, six black men here, we don't have a lot of understanding, especially amongst each other.

You know, I saw a video the other day.

It was random, and it was it was a young It was a young fellow loading a gun and he's like, I'm loading.

I don't I'm only loading his gun for black people.

He's like, I'm not loading his gun for anybody else, and I'm like, shit, that's really an issue, the fact that we have those type of internal things amongst each other, and yet it's different from your group, but it lives in the same space of just not having understanding and not being able to talk or you know, I teach my son every room you walk in, if you see another black man, especially, say what's up and not a bullshit what's up, hey man?

What's up man?

And sometimes you may get you may get some bad interest, but you did your part to at least give a sense of ease, and we're just not taught that amongst each other.

There's always somebody, like you said, trying to divide us because the power that we have together is.

So strong that they have to and they're continuing to do that.

So with you guys, just even coming back together and doing a tour together, if y'all gonna do more music together, just y'all brotherhood period and showing that to the world is bigger.

Facts, it's bigger than just y'all.

Y'all are an example facts, you know what I'm saying.

Me and him talk about this all the time.

Army Money Podcasts started off as a side quest now it's a purpose bigger because it is actually bigger than us, you know what I'm saying.

So it's like, this is something we have to do to continue to show the type of brotherhood that we have and to put brothers like y'all on this couch to show the brotherhood that y'all have so that the youngs that may be watching this.

Can say, nah, man, I need to do this with my guys.

Facts, it's cool.

It's cool to do some stuff by yourself, it is, but just the brotherhood of that, not even just a group, but just if it's if it's just in business, if it's in you know.

Y'all group texts.

I think that's that's the most important thing with any of it and why it may feel like therapy is just communication.

A lot of people lack communication, and now that we have a group text and are able to communicate with one another, it just makes everything smooth and easier, you know, to just work together.

This is great to see.

When you can't communicate, you can't do anything.

And it's a good example.

We all have sons, you know.

It's a good example for our sons.

Facts.

They're going to go through it at some point, but hey, you can come back from it.

That's facts.

Oh no, I was just taking it all in talk about BPC man talk about energy.

So I put out this Messale in China, I said, listen, I was I was the great balls.

Cross and I thought to myself, so it was literally like that, I wish I did own that company.

I've seen the show with Fizz and they was asking about B two K and anytime I watch an interview and they asked any one of them about bt K.

Keep in mind I'm in China studying.

I'm watching their faces, the energy, how it changes, and I was like.

He really want to do it, but he just, you know, I don't know if it can happen.

So it just inspired me to write that message.

Thanks Fizz.

And it was like, YO, sitting here watching some bat K videos.

It's little, you know, it's now we're never basically, and I basically was calling out all promoters, you know, sponsors, blah blah blah, and somebody actually hit me up and it was, uh, it was someone from the G squared events page.

And uh, at that moment, I ain't even talk to none of the cats.

I didn't even know they would do it or not.

I was like, yeah, we you know, we're entertaining doing maybe one or two shows.

You know what I'm saying.

And uh, I actually got an off right of them and I, but I couldn't.

I couldn't make it real until I got it to them.

You know, Mario had a very successful solo career, so it had to be to his liking.

And you know, Bug was doing what he was doing.

I don't think he wanted to do the group.

I don't know.

I don't listen.

He was putting that thing out.

Shave Room sent it to me and my DM.

I'm like, what is this?

They like, is this real?

And I said, hell do no, it was the contract that you said.

You said to show room listen.

I'm I'm sorry you know what I got.

I got in trouble for that.

I had to make people believe.

I had to get the people on my side.

The contract bro.

They sent me a con.

Yeah, I think I remember that real and I looked at it.

I'm like, you know, seen this before.

All I can say is uh, BPC and G Square Events.

You know that's that's family, absolutely absolutely saying that.

Gary's way.

I'm so happy that that though it's.

Kind of crazy because you needed somebody crazy enough to believe in us because.

The group was, bro, how are you gonna get us all together?

It was crazy.

I respect this is great, is great.

This is great because I know BPC very well, and that's a brotherhood as well.

It's a brotherhood as well.

They're amazing they're doing They're doing a lot for the for the culture.

I mean, we won't name other touring companies out there, but I really think they're giving a lot of a lot of other companies.

Rival they know what they you know, they know what they're doing just grass and they want and they care want that part you guys to be successful and to be seen in a real light.

That's like they are production driven.

They are you know what I mean, promo driven.

Like yeah, So as soon as Chris called me and was like hey, manna, I'm gonna spill it, but he was like, hey, hey, I need we need for for the guys on the way, Yeah, appreciate that.

And that was and I need.

I wasn't even in it, and I was like I'm on the way.

I just flew in.

Yeah, And it was like you think you can Yeah, yeah I can, man, I'll see you in thirty minutes.

That was thank you.

I was I was honored that you guys asked me to be a part of that because, like you said, we preached that man if if those guys were just it's just all of the man because I just think there's so much power in.

It, man, facts, facts, And they're trying to make other solo artist groups.

I've seen this on your on your you talked about you starting the group before and said she was gonna be me.

Yeah.

I was like, what's going on?

Want to be air fins open.

I don't know what it is, it is, it is my it is my quest in life at some point to do a group.

But I you know, and I want to and I want to do a kids group.

But for me, it's that started with me having a daughter and her being ten years old and having no one to have a crush and fans fan fare over like you know what I'm saying, especially nobody that.

Looks like us.

Yeah, positive too, you know.

She's like, Dad, have you heard this K Pop?

I'm like, yeah, they're cool, cool, I love it.

Wait, so deny any little black boys, any little black boys?

There are none, Dad, that I'm like, you know what, dad's in the music business.

Straight up?

Why not?

Why not?

I know if a little Nikka signing or not that you know what I'm saying, I got some Joe Jackson.

It is what it is.

So for me, that is something that I'm really passionate about that at some point in my life.

Listen, i feel like I'm going to live some a lot more years, so I'm pushing I have to have and promote and be a part of bringing to the world a young boy black boy man.

Well, let's look in because I'm working on something and I was thinking, you got it, you got you got me, That's what I'm saying.

Even and I want to be more part of multiples.

You know what I'm saying.

I want to be Brooke Payne.

I want to you know what I'm saying.

I want to be Mari Starr.

You know what I'm saying.

I want to be somebody who has had a hand in helping.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

I think it's very important what you're what you're speaking on.

Because I have a twenty year old daughter, I have a nineteen year old son, but then I also have a nine year old daughter and a fifteen year old daughter talk to talk son and a fifteen year.

Old sixteen my beautiful wife through marriage.

I have nine children through marriage.

I have nine children.

Yeah, the Boogie Bunch, I love it, but I hear like what the fifteen sixteen and up what they're listening to?

You know what I mean?

And it's kind of rough that what I want playing in my house.

It ain't beat you k bow wow.

You know what I mean.

It's not that for their age.

So I agree with you, like, we got to do something to give them because the Internet is so wide open, it's no like filter on it, you know what I mean, Like you can go down the and.

Then end up on a grown very bad street.

Very bad street.

Yeah.

So it is there for it is It is time for that, Okay.

So so tour is the Boys for Life Tour?

Yes, indeed, this is the Boys for Life Tour.

B two K headlining Boys for Life Tour.

When does this motherfucker start?

February?

Yep, yep, Yeah, we kicked things off in February.

We're about to uh start looking at mock stages, getting our production together.

It's gonna be Yeah, it's gonna be crazy.

But February we kick it off.

Yeah, will there be toasters?

Said retire?

Retire?

No, No, we don't know.

Maybe some lifts, yeah, some things.

We got something, we got serious about them.

We want to we want to bring experience to the B two K crowd.

That is real, Avid Beach, you k like supporters some different things.

Yea, yeah, we're gonna challenge ourselves, but a little you know, you want to urge yourself.

So I come out of one careers, I preserve these needs.

Let's do this crazy.

You're gonna pop out one of these city coaster and if we don't have toasters for the tour for that one show.

We got a toaster for you.

I bet you won't.

I bet you won't.

Go bet, I bet you won't give me a personal toaster.

We were ready for the ninth question for the for the abvid B two K fans.

Are y'all gonna do it for a little saint?

Of course?

Yeah, you do it for a little saint like that.

Let me tell you why I might not.

I'm just playing bro every night.

I did it for a little sake.

I had to bring out for his solo, right.

He forgot that his mic was on and all you could hear in the back of.

He was killing that ship, was.

Waiting to come out.

But he's laughing like.

The crowd couldn't hear him.

Get hero, He's Mike one man, I'm out there job.

It was killing that ship?

Were do it for a little saying again, baby, how.

Did that feel?

I'm joking with that.

Having a major motion picture, right, that honestly right.

So I'm gonna give you all backstory on that.

I was with Wade.

When he found out that he was in a movie that he hadn't signed up for.

My nigga found out that he like, yes, sir.

The head of a studio just asked me, am I ready to be in a movie.

I haven't.

I have no idea what movie he's.

Talking about, and said, So that's a whole nother story.

But the fact that this was a movie also that, let's be very honest, nobody believed in it.

Nobody believed in it, and right, they didn't fully see the vision of what that meant and what and and what you guys meant those numbers right until those numbers hit.

So you guys got hit records.

It's you know, tours, all those things.

But what about when they put you on that big screen.

That was major.

We had just came on for tour.

I remember that.

No, no, we're actually.

In the middle auditor.

We filmed it and then we went straight to rehearsal for that screen tour three.

Oh that's right.

Yeah, were doing so much, so much.

That was a good year.

Wow, that connected for us.

It was right up our alley one.

It was like shooting one long ass music video, right.

We danced.

We earned a lot of respect from the dancers, especially because always like has a sponge.

In there too.

It was crazy, every every ye pause you were you were a sponge when it came to learning different movies, he.

Said after that, and yeah, yeah, yeah, it was a great experience.

And yeah, did y'all look at y'allself though, because obviously it was a music movie and it was y'all movie and loosely based around how y'all lived your life?

Did you but being in a movie, being in a movie, in a successful movie like that, did you start to look at yourself?

Like, oh, a movie?

Sorry, did you did you ever have a moment?

We're like nigga ship did actually a movie?

Now?

While filming it, you know, I'm talking about after it's out, this cracking.

I think I think I'm gonna speak for myself.

He had when it when that when it came out, it came out in January of two thousand and four.

We had just broke up, oh ship January twenty ninth.

For me personally, I didn't get to basking my movie stardom.

Yeah.

I was like, damn, nigga, I ain't got no group, no mo.

We're out here over You're like.

I was like, I got a single, nigga.

Listen right on it.

Listen next, listen, next up that Albert.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do.

No.

It's funny because I didn't remember it like that, but it was.

It was so much going on during that time.

I mean, I guess, I guess I was excited about the excitement of the you know, because when it came out, y'all remember like people were dancing in the movie.

Yeah, it was crazy.

It was like the dancing Black Panther.

When I went into one of the showings and setting it back and they were in the aisles dancing.

Yeah, that's great battling, that's classic.

In hindsight, I'm so happy that we got to expand the brand, you know what I mean in that way, and you got served with such an incredible process, you know what I'm saying, because prior to that, you know, I hadn't done any lengthy films, you know what I'm saying.

So to be around all that energy, it was truly exciting, you know what I mean.

It was unfortunate that so much was going on that we didn't get to kind of live in that.

Like we didn't get to hit the red carpet.

We didn't get to, you know what I'm saying, like show up and really be like, yeah, we did that, and and.

What came after that, we didn't get a chance to capitalize as like how you said they didn't see the vision and then look what it did.

Then you had all of these other dance movies.

Then you had America's best dance crew, the TV show.

It's like, you know a little bit kind of like the ones that launched that that.

You Gotta Stop, Rasby, Gotta Stop.

We knew it was huge.

Jo.

We had a meet and somebody came to us.

That's when I think it hit us that we were kind of like it was a big deal.

We met at the ivy ivy or something like that.

Someone showed us this magazine and that showed the numbers that we were like number one was no name actors and it was during super Bowl weekend and they was explained how that was a huge deal, and I think you could elaborate more on that, because they didn't really believe in the film when initially when they were it.

Just it was a big deal at the box office because it was competing with Barbershop at that time, and they didn't think that it could come out and really do what it was going to do because it was in competition with that movie, which was another black film.

Yeah, and Youth.

Sixteen seventeen million the first week and then came back and did it again.

It was at like thirty three million in two weeks.

Could wait for it hit thirty budget Yeah, and we was ready for our bumps at that point.

Can I get the battle off?

What number?

Until Steve Harvey told us when he got hit a fifteen million?

Had the foss on hus?

Yeah?

Yeah, Oh y'all just got y'all bum time.

What are the chances of you got served two?

I won't go into detail, but I say, you guys serve two being a thing is similar to the group coming back together.

It's a lot of it's a it's a lot of working out you know that has to happen.

That will be kind of dope.

You know we got this part.

Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna at least a million step out of stud there.

Like this.

At this point, there are so many things around it.

Of course I understand have to be have to be considered, but just from a success standpoint, it is one hundred proven model facts.

And at this point, you know, you guys are walking in as owners, not just participants.

Fact, that's fact.

I like where you going with this?

And so that's really the conversation.

Yeah, on some thing that that does a ten X with you as owners.

Just just just throwing it out there, because now dance dances is so many different places now to the people you can bring in from an international dance standpoint Gesus.

Yeah, Now you said earlier you guys were a big part of leading you know, the dance culture into that space, especially for the youth, you know what I mean.

And it just goes back to the conversation of you know, these young groups, these young artists, we have to we have to continue to invest and put into these new kids coming up.

You know what I mean?

I think for I think for us when it comes to be two k we we've always given ourselves, We've always given ourselves time to do it right.

Not just we just want to be in front of you, you know what I mean.

When we do decide to be in front of you, we want it to be epic.

We want it to be something major.

So the ownership and the business is definitely like top line, you know.

But I think it also comes into it being such a classic, like a what's the movie?

Set it off?

Or a Friday to any of those movies that are real staples and like classics in the black household.

If the script.

Isntcorrect, if the vision is not clear, if you know how it's going to be put together, what's going to happen if it doesn't match or you know, Supersede, Supersede, great great work, Supersede the first one.

How about we maybe not being a rush to do it, or maybe we just leave it as a classic as much as you got served too, would be amazing, you know.

What I mean?

Think that the story is already intriguing you guys sitting on this couch right now, in twenty twenty five, it's already a win in respect to whatever you do at this point.

I don't think understand, Wow, how how serious that is.

You're getting ready to do an arena tour.

In fact, I don't understand.

So what you say in a residency and an album, what you're saying, you're getting ready to do it out there.

He's cutting deals.

See you gotta understand RASB, plants, the seeds.

I know what is doing, what he's doing.

So what you're saying is thirty million what you got, you guys, the energy that you're ushering in right now.

Can it's anything you do At this point, people are gonna want to know what it is.

What are they what's going on?

What they cooking on right now?

Because you've proven it and now you've stood the test of time.

You're battle tested.

Now facts that's different, y'all.

Are y'all are different.

On the other side of that, you were stars then now you're something different and people are are waiting to see the products of these for new men.

Yeah, I would love to see a film two.

Any And I'm just throwing it out there just so you know.

The importance of you and and the weight that you have, the energy that you bring, Like it's not just a tour, it's not just an album.

It's really whatever you set your minds to that you have an opportunity to really, really really make a dentinis sit.

Again, fact facts.

I just want to I want to thank you because I feel like with having such strong energies, strong personalities and you too, it takes someone like you who's a real og to us, you know what I'm saying, to speak life into us and wake us up to see things that we still may not see.

And I feel like that's a big part that's missing too in the industry with.

Our black and our black boys are you know what I'm saying is that they don't want to listen, you know what I mean.

They want to be know it all, you know.

But when somebody like you, or somebody like you who has so.

Much wisdom really want to pour into us and really like say, guys, be present, like let me if you don't know, let me tell you, let me.

Let me make sure that you don't fall asleep at the wheel and don't take advantage of what I see, what we see, you know, So I just want to say, I thank you, appreciate you for what you're saying, because I'm learning so much being on this couch right now listening to you speak things that I didn't think about when I walked into this interview that I'm gonna leave with now and I'm sure we're gonna talk about because bro, you're dropping some gems, my boy, both of y'all for.

A long time, get y'all ship together.

But studying as as as as an elder right watching from that standpoint, but as a peer, also being incredibly impressed, you know what I mean, and being a fan be able to be a fan.

Yeah, that's it.

That's the thing.

Like we yeah, we're we're in We're in the industry where you know, we our lives are part of this, but we are actually fans of artists and music and we still, like I said, bro, like I don't just stream music.

I download music.

I really like it.

I'm buying it.

I mean, you take my ten dollars, you know what I'm saying.

Like, So that's what I said.

For us, the experience is just different.

We don't we don't look at it as oh yeah, that's just another artist.

So that's such and such.

No, no, no, no, no, that's the two K.

That's voice to men.

That's new addition, that's wow, wow, that's that's Chris.

Like we and even though we got great relationships with everyone, but we still have that side of us that's just like, no I'm a fan of I'm a fan of what you're doing, you know what I'm saying.

Or I'm not a fan of something you're doing.

You know, Bro, we're humans and that's how we look at it, and we both can fight.

So for us, be like niggas right, you got on Black Air Force one, you know what I mean.

But that's but that's how that's how we operate though from a real place, we're not We don't click bait.

We're not about that.

We will personally call you, you know what I'm saying.

So for us, man, this is purely about what we see and how can we help.

And hey, man, I think mm take that however you want it, but we respect that.

Bro.

Keep Sweat calls me once a week.

That's the guy right there, once a week, and I don't care where I'm at when I see his name pop up, he.

Like it's loud in there.

Yeah, nigg I'm in the gym, But what's up?

Because it's keep sweat and he got something to tell.

Me fast fact facts period.

Or maybe he don't really got nothing to tell me.

But I'm going to listen straight up because I respect him.

Facts, you know what I'm saying.

And just like you said, it's about that, you know what I mean, A new artist can call me, I respect him.

I'm gonna take the call.

Hey Jay, what if y'all just did this on such a I'm gonna listen to him.

Were all creatives, We're all artists, you know what I mean, And we all learn something and we all want to learn things, and we all want to be better.

Gotta grow, you know what I mean.

And man, this this today has been great for me, bro, because I just I feel like I'm sitting with men who want to be better.

And that's that's extremely important, man, I love, extremely important.

And we're excited.

In February, Boys for Life.

Yeah, listen, we're hoping that the album is coming.

You know, we cooking.

Listen, cooking, get cooking, And if these niggas make any codut.

Us, it's gonna be to pack.

I usually tell people to be Jay Valentine on that I want to be me.

I don't want nobody else in the movie.

I won't actually be me about going on to it or something.

Ship I don't know, but yeah, bro, like what y'all doing is special man, and me it means it means so much.

Bro is so much, man.

And you know, I see my brother pulling up his you know what I mean, he's pulling up his keyboard.

He's because he's about to get talented.

Yeah, he's about to get talent.

I'm gonna pass.

It's that time, mushy.

Yeah, but you got over there.

Because they do big shows.

You gotta have a big intro.

Is always a moment, big toaster vibes.

Whoa, let's go.

As I get dynamic with this centro, I'm I'm dealing with a group with history, brotherhood.

Yes indeed, yes, indeed.

Trials and tribulations, valleys to now be standing.

On the mountaintop, the top of the mountain, Brothers for Life.

It's the crowd screams.

They turned their phones off to be ever so present during this Boys for Life tour.

Yes, indeed they want to know what they want to know?

What is yours?

Mm hmm top five, your top five, yeah, top five, your top five.

O singers, all these songs, telling them them there not to know being for you, everybody gona know?

Sure, show you top yeah?

Yeah?

What sexy jacking incredible?

He ain't done yet.

This top.

Top Now, here's the question.

Here's the question.

R and B money Baby.

Have you all agreed?

Have you voted or have you voted on who your top five R and B singers are?

Has there been a vote?

Female or male?

Just all together?

Have you voted?

I don't think so.

Okay, So here's what we're gonna do.

We didn't make the group check.

Here's what we're gonna do.

I blame Oprah not win for you guys.

For each one of you is going to get to name one, okay, and then and then we gotta agree on the on the FI Yes, good ship, this swash ship okay?

Male or female?

Top five R and B Just you gotta pick one singers, R and B singers sing you start pick one.

Top five.

I'm gonna say Eric Dawkins, the.

Doc Lord Jesus going there control we went.

Let's cool.

Uh, it's out another one.

Pick one, don't do no Sam Cook?

Yeah, are you going.

I know you don't agree with this one too.

I'm gonna say, Brandy.

Why not come on now?

Why not?

Yeah?

Awful?

Crazy?

What's going on?

Yeah?

Yeah yeah, like you got your time, brother serious quickly.

Uh.

A lot of people don't know this, but this is like probably my favorite artist, and it's because I like the body of work and they surprise you.

I wanted to perform at my birthday party.

You're gonna make that happen.

It's Miguel Cold is nasty.

He is nasty.

I just saw him on this page, just kind of previewing something live vocal.

He always gonna get that live vocal.

You know.

He went crazy at the Brandy and Monica.

I missed that they popped out.

Okay, young man popped out.

Now collaborate on one.

Who aroup?

Should we go?

Should we go?

Female?

Male?

What y'all thinking?

Oh?

Cold, cold cold, Like are you going, dude?

From that condition?

What's his name?

We're talking about stokely monster?

Who are you thinking?

Marvin?

That is great.

This is the first time.

This is the first time we had This is awesome.

Do you hear me interjected from the side, like, oh yeah, that's right.

If you think your.

Cold cold.

Okay, here we go.

I'm about to fix and fight.

I'm about to fix and fight instead of instead of it being instead of you trying to find a singular singer, I want you to pick the group with the cold.

Pick a group there you go link back in.

Jo it's too quiet?

Are we what you know?

Oh?

Okay, okay, this is they did.

So Rmy money is the group that you're about to say that god R money that we landed.

We agree with boys man.

And respect all our peers.

Some stiff competition.

Yeah, you out there, I need to get you.

Let me say something about all of those people.

There's one person that they all respect.

I mean not Sam Cook, Tank Tank come on a.

Baby, no moodey plan when it comes to the home in New York.

In the moment I just told, I just told somebody.

I said, if you put an R and B song out and you want it to become a challenge, pay that man to re sing it everything I love.

I said, pay Tank to guarantee.

I just was Christy, I did need you on my solo song and in mind singing challenge.

If he does it and sends all his acts out because he puts like as I challenge you, I challenge in thirty minutes, all of them.

Did the fact.

And you know what it is for me?

You can't you can't pay me.

You can't pay me.

No, they tried, they tried.

I get a lot of Yeah you think I tank.

I got some some some bread from the tank out of funk with it.

If you what he gonna do?

Yeah, because I just I just I gotta leave.

With love, straight up, straight up, straight up.

I feel like I feel like that's the deciding energy.

You truly love something, and then that's the energy you lead with.

That's when it gets different that I appreciate you.

Brothers.

Let's go R and B song Top five R and B songs, the same thing, same thing, same thing.

This is good.

Start with you can we talk by my god, my god?

Okay, that's when kick it off.

M hmm, you're nasty.

I love how you'll be competing to this candy ring so for real?

Yeah, yeah, a banger on.

Anybody saying anybody, Hey, where I want to be?

Donelle Jones Yeah, the Blazer sah.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah, grammy wow, yeah yeah he did.

I'm cooking.

I'm cooking, my lord, my ast but doesn't feel as strong anymore.

A record that will always get me going, and I feel like has probably the maybe most famous intro that everyone would.

Know as far as the first verse would be ushers.

You don't have to call the night ship?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I still do the card everybody every time.

That's you don't now now pick a group song, collaborate on a group song.

It would be top five to one song from one group.

Oh what's the one?

Yeah, you got him.

We're gonna go in yoasy forever.

Yes, yes I did.

Baby, that was music.

Ain't so much to me.

Oh my good you know we're talking about talking.

We're talking, we're talking more precious going than to raise a family.

Oh my goodness, we know you know, you know that boy put in that world.

Was sleep.

I got.

I ain't gonna too much on that.

How many niggas coming that day?

Not a lot of kids.

Okay.

So we're gonna make a Vultron, which is your super R and B artist when a building you remember voltrying, Yeah, yeah, toy theo.

So we're starting here first now because he get cooked right now, you're right, Jay, So it's who you get the vocal from performance style styling the heart of the artists.

And for you guys, who's going to do.

The choreography, who do that as a group, the choreography as a group.

They gotta agree on that altogether.

Yeah, you gotta agree on the choreography.

I love that book.

Who you're getting a vocal from?

For your super r and B artists?

One vocal?

The vocal from this on you one vocal trying to be able to sing Star.

Gotta be the nick.

Yeah, you gotta say the universe.

Again, this is not working on.

Oh man, why would y'all do something like that?

The vocal?

Can we come back to me on that?

And I've still got the vocal?

You're kicking it off.

One vocal.

I gotta go with Usher's taking that great facts from you don't got to call the seductions to Superstar.

Don't tell the truth when you're talking.

Yeah, he did help us out a lot.

You said both.

Yeah, now you do it all his performance style, we.

Little four little m js all day, Michael Jackson performance fact most innovative facts.

That's good.

That was going first.

He's really the foundation of every great performance period.

He showed us what to do.

We jumping you know what for him.

Passion.

He gotta say passion.

I gotta the most passionate nigga right here.

Okay, he got it?

Yeah yeah, yeah.

The styling who put that ship on on st put that ship on on stage that you want to.

I think I would go maybe maybe easy with the fashion, Yeah, yeezy with the fashion.

He's definitely they with the fashion.

Unpredictable.

Yeah, he's gonna be drip come out with last.

Not only is he gonna be dripping, it's gonna be his drip.

Yeah, straight up there that Yeah, the passion of the artist, Rat Prince.

It's a good one.

It's allas artist.

He cold as yeezy in Prince.

Oh my god.

That's gonna collaborate on.

Who's going to be the choreographer for this artist?

Hm hmm choreography?

You know I would usher and might cook the choreographer, choreographer, the artists, Yeah, choreographers.

Dave Scott, Yeah, yeah, I would agree, Dave Scott.

Yeah.

Rest of Peace Yeah yeah, that might be something crazy, I mean not, that would be something.

Incredible, incredible for sure.

Yeah.

Yes, vote that's a cold that's a that's a good one.

Very high level, very very high level.

There's so many artists their next unfair, but stand some of the greatest.

They stand out facts.

Okay, what's a little thing we need from you?

Take us to church.

I ain't saying no names.

I ain't saying no names.

I ain't saying no names, no name.

What you did?

Don't say?

She no name?

But talented.

I'm amazed every time.

That's all?

Is it now?

About one hundred and thirty time?

It's amazing the ball I'm out of this.

We had a very important part of the show.

Oh wait, I guess I'm in trouble.

Here we go.

You got will you tell us a story?

Hm?

Funny or fucked up?

Are funny and fucked up?

The only rude to the game.

You can't say no names, no name.

How about this, y'all have to agree on the story and one person tells it and y'all can interject.

I was gonna let them tell folk stories.

You want to go with it?

Great?

Brot every now please edit that for the promo for it's too many.

It is especially its wain us all.

I'm not telling it.

Tanking' right?

I need it.

All right, let me let me set it up.

So what we're here what we're here for.

And right now it's B two K.

I ain't saying no names.

Oh my lord, all right, so we ain't saying no names.

It started at the BET Awards.

You gotta you gotta start at the And no, I ain't even gonna say it didn't start there.

I had a I was a fan of somebody, right and can you do sound effects?

Yes?

I was a fan of somebody, and you know, I really wanted to work with this person.

And you know, my brothers they like, yeah, like you should work with him.

You know.

And it got back that like he was just kind of capping me.

You know what I'm saying.

He was giving me to run along.

He was giving me to run along.

He was capping me.

So he was like, I think he gave me like somebody like an assistance number or something.

And I was like, oh, he playing like he ain't gonna work with me.

Did so?

My brother Rath was like I just seen him.

I went off on him.

I told him, fuck that we're superstars.

You work with my brother?

How you not?

How are you gonna turn him down?

You know?

So?

And then he also might have made a little threat.

We ain't gonna say no name.

You know what I'm saying, such as but such and such saying what's up?

What's up?

If you ain't working with my brother, you know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, you need to holler at such and such.

So this person made a call back to us and tall rass that this person that has no name said shut the fuck up or I'm gonna slap the ship out.

And I was staying too that I've.

Seen that person too at the at the Clive Davis party, we had a chance to can thank your mark.

Hey man, it's another part of it.

We're gonna leave you that out, though.

Ship.

Listen to me a lot of stories.

That's crazy for your brother, man, I had to.

I had to do it, even if he might get carried out.

I was I drunk that bottle of chrystal that day.

Was the slap threat a real Was it a real threat?

Oh yeah, those are real threats.

Real.

It was a formidable threat, like when you had to be mindful of.

Yeah, she like running too him.

Yeah happen, it would happen really, Oh yeah at that moment, Yeah, he was drinking crystal?

Or should I say?

Wow?

Thank god that didn't happen.

Yes, yes, indeed we we We really appreciate you brothers man for pulling up.

Man, it's been great.

You know we've been we've been brewing on this moment but for quite some time, man, and for it to finally uh come to fruition.

Man, this is this is really great.

Man.

This is so much fun.

Like it's just it's new beginnings all around, you know, us in a new building.

This this, this, this, this Brothers for Life thing, just just being this new great energy.

Man.

You guys, just you guys just sound good man in your conversation and your energy and and everything.

Man, it just it just feels good man, And I'm proud of you and I'm happy for you.

Straight up.

Thank you.

This is a good place to be, yes, straight up it is.

Thank you guys for cultivating this and making it a safe face for us young men or you know, black women however you want to look at it.

To come here and you know, have these moments with you because, like I said, and I can pretty much speak for the guy like y'all put us up on a lot of gyms today.

I think I just thought I was coming to talk, hm, you know, truthfully, like I was coming to tell my side of the story or something, you know, But I'm leaving here with a lot of game.

Sir, sir.

We're here for your brothers, yes, periods, you know that, yep, but I'm just telling them in front of the world.

We're here for you as the sun Yeah, yeah, I appreciate we're using yeah.

Yeah.

He's an event in fact at the sun Rose.

Ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Tank Valentine and this is the R and B Money Podcast, the authority on all things are in.

B and groups.

Yes and groups.

Check out my homie new singles called War Yeah, Yeah for for.

He may not get it right, but he gonna ride for he won the bat.

He don't ride.

He's brothers Man, he loved ones Man, and we're gonna see him on tour real soon and give up two.

That's good, bro, This is a good one, ye,