The New School vs. OG's

Hey, everybody. It's Ashly, Legal Queen LA. And we're back with another episode of the Royalty Room. And someone very, very important stopped by today. He goes by the name of Howard Johnson, aka HoJo. How you feeling today? Life is good. I have no complaints. I'm standing still, just appreciating everything that has taken place. Wow. That was, I think, the deepest answer that I've ever gotten. I was on my way here, and I was listening to your records, and it just instantly put me in a good mood. I was like, while I'm driving, just having a good time and just feeling good. So thank you for that. I appreciate it. You're welcome. Actually, you know what, Sol? Why don't we play the clip for the people so they can see what I'm talking about? What a time. Yes. It was special. Yeah, it was definitely special. Did you know that Kashif, Teddy Riley, Keith Sweat, that really was the beginning of hip hop. I absolutely do know that, and I am so happy to hear you say that because I've been watching and attending all of these th anniversaries of hip hop things, and I just recently looked at my friend and said, why has Teddy Riley not been on any of these things? And they said what everybody else says. What does that have to do with hip? I'm sorry. Yes. People quickly forget. You got to remember that America is really based on a fast food mentality. Tell me more about that. Well, I mean, once upon a time, Burger King really changed things. When they said that you can get a meal for under seconds, that's when it start breaking up the family, amongst other political things that were taking place during that particular time. But it was just said that, hey, now mom is starting to work. And when mom was working, who was going to cook dinner? So it was just easier to go to Burger King and get your meal under seconds or go to Kentucky Fried Chicken and go through the drive in because they never really had drive ins before that, except for a drive in where you would go sit in a car. So a lot of things changed at that particular time. And then when an artist would become , , years old, all of a sudden it was like, well, you're kicked to the curb, and where's your cousin? You got a little brother that sings or whatever. Then they started to manufacture artists. Wow. The correlation I didn't see it before, but that's probably the most accurate thing I've ever seen. I've spoken to a couple of people who have told me, oh, yeah, by the way, I'm not really this actually, you know, five years older or six years older. And when I first got to La. I'm like, you did not just lie to me about your age. I'm sorry. Can you can you run that back? But it's not to me. It's to everybody. It's to Wikipedia. It's to wow, you kind of touched on a lot with that one. Well, when you think about what music was back in the day, and I'm going to use an analogy that has to do with being an athlete, a weightlifter where he would bend down and he would grab the weight and he would clean and jerk it up to his chest. Then he would push it up over his head. Look at the music business. The music business used to help pick it up, jerk, clean it up to your chest and then help you push it up. And then they would take over. Now, record companies go, you got it. Oh, we'll take it from there. They let us do all the work, or they let the new talents do that work, or they create that character, and it's already propped up. So that's why you see the musicianship from myself or a Kashif or a Teddy Riley, those guys from that era, they could play everything. They could do everything. Now, a guy can go on his computer and think about garage. Know, where you can sit there and make a song on an airplane. Right. Anybody can make it. And there's a manufactured beat that's already there. Oh, give me a beat like the Funkadelics or give me a beat like the spinners or whatever type beats. Exactly. So the whole process has changed, and I have no qualms against moving forward and passing the baton. But when you pass that baton, when you run, let me see you run without all of the bells and whistles. Let me hear you sing acapella. Let me hear you do something where all the bells and whistles are not ringing and blowing. Right. No, honestly, I've asked that a couple of times. How do you feel about the accessibility of music today compared to in the beginning? But I do want to ask you, what was your experience like entering the music industry in the time that you did as a young black man coming into stardom? Wow, that's a complex question, because when I came into the industry, I was already in the industry. And what I mean by in the industry is that both my parents were singers, not professional singers. I grew up in the church, and my parents sang in church. So with that, I was already exposed to singing in front of an audience. I was exposed to performing without music because I grew up in a church of Christ where they didn't have music, so I had to sing Acapella. So I was already exposed to it in a slight story of how and where I was discovered. In Miami Beach, singing at a nightclub, making $ a week, singing six nights a week from till in. The morning, $ for the entire week? For the entire week. And in that process. I had taken a week off and I found out when I came back, the rock group yes had came through and they wanted me to be in yes. And I just kind of took it with a grain of salt. Yeah, whatever. So that following week, a real good friend of mine from high school, Lulu, called me on a Thursday night and says, hey, some people are going to come down and hear you sing tomorrow night. I was like, okay, whatever. Three guys showed up. One of the guys had on her red and white halter top, red spandex pants and cowboy boots. And I thought that was pretty strange. So I was making some inappropriate jokes and now I was only singing background because there was a problem with the lead singer a little jealous of my voice. So I was playing percussion because know grew up in Miami, coconut Grove with a lot of Cubans, so percussions was my thing. So I was like, oh, cool, I'll sing background. So that particular night, he had laryngitis and reluctantly asked me did I know the show songs, which was three songs. It was Al Green's love and happiness. Lenny Williams Choosing You and Masquerade by George Benson. So I did the show and there's only five people in a club, but I sang like it was my last time. And to give you a little bit of paying forward what I would say to young people that are doing this or anything that you're doing in life, give it every time because you never know who's watching, who's listening and who you may inspire. So I gave it %. It didn't matter whether it was five people or people. So the three guys came to me after the show and asked me could I come to the hotel the next day. And I was feeling a little strange because I was having a problem with the spandex pants. So I showed up the next day and it ended up being the leader of a group and the guy's name was Sandy Toronto. And the name of the group was called Tornado. And make a long story short, the lead singer that was leaving the group was a guy named Larry Alexander who was Phyllis Hyman's husband, and he was beginning to manage her. So that's how I got the job. Six months later I had a pop hit that I co wrote with Sandy. If you want it you can get it with your love. That's exactly what I was listening to. Annoying, right? So you never really know until you put yourself in that position. And the saying that a lot of athletes say that, I'm always ready. I don't have to get ready because I'm already ready. So that's the kind of thing that I try to instill in the next level is to be ready because you never know what's going to be asked of you to do what it is that you need to do. I appreciate that. And since you were already involved in the industry, but once you stepped into that light with that song, how did did anything change? What were some of the challenges you faced? Challenges? Well, being a singer, a real singer, let's be clear. Challenges. Wow. He said it was smooth sailing. No, it wasn't smooth sailing. My dad told me this. I quote my dad a lot. I lost my dad ten years ago. And my dad says, Son, whatever it is that you're going to be in life, be the best. If you're going to be a janitor, be the best. You want to be a singer, be the best. But remember, the best is unknown. If you're a singer, if you're a musician, if you're a janitor, whatever it is, be it. So I'm not going to do a janitor's job. I am a janitor. That's what I do. I don't sing for a living because I don't think I did very well at it. I live to sing, so I look at singing totally different, because look at it the way that I look at it. You don't have to look at it this way. Every note has a beginning, a middle and an ending. If you respect that one note, guess what you would do with a word. Guess what you would do with a verse, a chorus, a song. I remember working with Willie Mitchell, who was Al Green's producer and co writer, and he said to me, he says, Listen to this song. And he played one of Al Green's song and there was a mistake in it. And I pointed out the mistake, and he goes, Listen to the whole song. That was a whole vibe. Because that's why I kind of like the new generation, because they use that word a lot. I think it's overused very much. They talk about that vibe, and I got it. I went oh, okay, I get it. But the thing that I think that's missing in that vibe is soul. Not just soul music. I mean soul, right? So when I listened to the Al Green song and I went, wow. Like, I work with new guys in the studio, and they'll stop me and go, don't ever stop me. You don't know what was about to happen. You have no idea. So with the advent of doing whatever you can do digitally, now, it's like, yo, you can clean that up or I can sing that again, but don't kill my vibe. Let it happen. Yeah. Because you never know what might have happened. Wow, that's good. That is also really good advice for whoever is starting out, because when I made some music and I'll be like, I hate that. I want to redo that. I want to take it back from the top. I personally get in the way of myself and don't let myself complete it before stopping for a mistake. Or change the tone. Do this, do that. And I don't know anything about behind the computer. I just show up and run my mouth, just like I do here. But I definitely have gotten in my way, and I've left songs unfinished because of it. Because it's like, well, I don't know how to make this the way I want it to sound. Well, I'll tell you something about one of the greatest producers that ever lived, and that is Quincy Jones. Absolutely. Quincy Jones was such a talent that he got the best out of this particular musician or whatever, and he stayed out of the way. And that's what a great producer does. And not to take anything away from the producers that you've had in the past, maybe you just didn't have the right producer that was on the same wavelength, that understood what that was that you needed. Because we all need nurturing. It's like in a relationship, one day there's a flower, then there's a gardener. Sometimes you have to switch. Wow. Because some people say, I'm just a flower, so I need nurturing, I need watering. You need to do this and you need to do that. And it's like, Yo, do you think the gardener ever gets tired? Tired, thirsty? Yeah. So the roles have to switch sometimes. And that's the key thing sometimes, is having the perfect producer that understands all of those different nuances of who you are, where you want to be. And it's like, I'll ask you, would you rather be rich or would you rather be famous? Rich. Why? Because I feel like the fame comes with a lot of things that I didn't ask for. And what does rich come with? A lot of things I didn't ask for. That's out of the public eye. I love it. But I guess it could go the other way, too, because J. Cole said, I never wanted to be famous. I just wanted to make a difference. And how do you make a difference? People have to know you. Right. People have to hear you. People have to see you. So he didn't ask to be famous. He didn't ask to be rich. He just wanted to change the world. Right. And you can't necessarily do that without having the platform to do it. Yeah, but I'll go back to my dad saying, sometimes the best is unknown. What happens then? Who are the best musicians in the world? Probably jazz musicians and probably classical musicians that are broke. Yeah, some of the best artists in the world. Do you think that Michelangelo and Picasso and all of those guys, and maybe they're exceptions to the rule because they were famous during the time that they were doing it. But all of the other artists that are famous after they're dead in their work or whatever, you know what I mean? How many die? Broken, lonely. Yeah. You know what I mean? I just learned some crazy history about Frida Kahlo. That is quite possibly one of the saddest yes, it is. Stories I've ever heard of, god rest her soul. And that goes back to my main purpose in starting this show. You really never know what people are going through. Absolutely. But pain makes them really good. Oh, yes, it does. Yeah. I mean, it's like when you think of someone like Richard Pryor, you know what I mean? And all of his jokes rose out of pain, and he was saying things that we wanted to say, and he said and it's like, oh, that's funny. And it's like, wow, a lot of pain comes from that. And I can relate to that as being a singer, because growing up in Miami, I was like, there was no Haitians yet in Miami, and there were no Africans in Miami at the time. So, like, I was the darkest black kid. I got murdered by my own kind, being called Tar Baby shoe Polish or whatever, until I stepped on this stage and sang. And then it was like, oh, you want a bus? And then I was the first black kid with a car at years old, and they were like, oh, well. And then fortunately, or unfortunately, I was hanging out with white kids on Kivas Cane where Nixon lived, you know what I mean? And it was like, yo, you all not giving a brother no love, so what am I supposed to do? It was about goodness, then kindness, understanding. It just wasn't about, as they say, all skin folk ain't kin folk. You know what I mean? So it was like, wow, why am I being I thought we lived in the same neighborhood. We walked to school together, but all of a sudden, hey, Tar Baby. Really? Oh, okay. So when I got on stage so out of that, that's why I said that I didn't or don't sing for a living, because I never looked at the money. I looked at being the best that I could possibly be. And no, I couldn't out fight you, but I'll get on stage, and I'm going to sing a high note, and I'm going to break your glasses. Yes. You know what I mean? And it was like, oh, my God, and my life is in my music. And I told you this earlier off camera. Sometimes you just got to pay attention. I mean, you can ask me a million questions, but if you listen to my music, when you go back to the days of someone like Joan Baez or Bob Dylan or whatever and listen to those lyrics, and it's like, wow, really? I mean, to me, I think that's why Mary J. Blige was so successful is because she just told her life story, right? And everybody was relating to that, and it's like, oh, my God, Mary. Oh, we are with you. And it was, oh, okay, I get. Go, personally, I wish I could sing like, that is the one talent, one thing that I wish above all else that I could do. But this little raspy voice right here is not built for that. So I'm definitely inspired by people who are able to do that thing that I so desperately wish that I could have or was blessed with. Let me ask you this question. What happened? Can you hold a tune? I bet you could. I bet you could. And I'll tell you why. When you talk about raspy, let's talk about somebody like Bonnie Rae. She has a raspy voice. So what does that mean? I guess everything is possible, but for me personally, I don't know what it to actually, I went to karaoke last night and I killed my set. I did three songs. I had choreography going in, everything. I love it. And I'm in there I'm rapping nicki Minaj and I'm singing I always, always have to do Boys to Men, end of the road. Favorite song for karaoke that there ever was. And there are certain parts that I just be like because I know the moment that I try to hit this, the voice is just going to cut off. Right. They're not going to cut my mic. My voice is going to cut it itself. What's that saying? You are out of your lane. That's all right. You got to understand, those were written specifically for them. So that's why I told you it's so important. The right producer. The right manager, because you have that in you already. You have that. And yes, you're the flower. You just don't have the right gardener. That's good. Oh, my gosh. So right here on your podcast, Ashly Howard Johnson will be more than happy to work with. Oh, guys, I haven't yelled like this on my show in a couple episodes. I'm excited. I was just telling him we actually have a music studio, a mini music studio here in our set of the podcast place. So we're going to have to check that out one. Absolutely. I'm excited. I love music. When I got behind the booth, I never, ever felt the way I felt by anything else or doing anything else, seeing anything else than when I made my first song. And I'm just like, yo, this is why everybody wants to be a rapper. This is why everybody wants to be a singer. You can't fight that feeling like I want more of it. But going back to something you said about the producer, I actually went to make a song and I had it all written out. I had the type beat off of YouTube. I had it lined up exactly how I wanted. I just want to go in the studio, lay down my track. It was sentimental, it was important. It had a purpose and a know. I was going through things with my baby daddy, but I went in there and he ruined my song. The guy ruined my song. And it started off as one meaning, like, I don't know, for example, I love you. I want this to work. And then he made it into a song that was like, do you even love me? And I'm like, Whoa. He made my chorus, my hook into a chorus. He was doing all this type of stuff, and I'm like, I don't like it. Wow. I don't like that. That's not what I asked for. That's not what I sound like. And it was just like a fight while I was in the studio, and he sent it to me. I paid him for the time. Right. And I did not go back to the studio for days. Wow. It was that poor of an experience. The vibe was killed. The vibe was dead and buried. But it's not dead and buried now because it's still there. Yeah, it's here for sure. I just have to not I'm right here. Yeah, we go figure it out. I can't wait. I'm going to have a new theme. Song for the show and everything, because that's magic. That's who you are. That's part of what your DNA is. And sometimes in finding the right gardener to be able to nurture that flower, to say, well, it's not going to be as big as a sequoia pine, so, no, it's just going to blossom, and it's going to be a hedge. It'll be a flower, and it'll blossom in a different way. And that's just the right producer finding the right situation for it to happen, and that's magic. I definitely appreciate that. I'm excited. As far as your experience with music, we talked a little bit about the evolution so far, but do you feel that R and B specifically was taken from your generation, or how do you feel about that? A lot of people won't like this answer. We gave it away. We gave it away. Why do you say that? Well, who buys records? Everyone. Okay, so if you give everyone what they want, why would they go anywhere else? So whatever we made as artists, the riches that a lot of artists made, when you talk about the Michael Jordans and the magics and those different guys, history is an amazing thing. If you pay attention to it, it'll tell you everything that you want to know. It's already been written. It's like when I talk to people about a hit song, it's like, hit songs the easiest thing in the world to write. You're crazy. There's thousands of blueprints. Literally thousands of blueprints. Sit down and break down my sharia break it down break down what the drummer was doing break down what the spinners were saying. So you look at that. You have to have critical thinking opposed to picking up a drum machine and stealing apart from here, stealing apart from there and whatever, and put it together, and it's like, oh, boom, I got it. So, yo, wait a minute. That's the Isley's Brother Atlantis song. You just put no and Rest in. Peace to our. You know, so it's there to be taken if you put the work in. But I'll go back to I digress. Yeah, we gave it away because we weren't paying attention. We were kind of getting paid back in the day, but not a whole lot. We get , $, for a record, but then it cost us or $, to make the record. You know what I mean? But then you're out on tour and doing whatever, and instead of going out and getting the Ferrari sorry. And yeah, you want to invest or whatever. But when you look at that, if we had pulled together that's what I like about the Diddies, Jay Z, Nas, those guys, they collaborated. I was like, number one. I would never do a CD well, I wouldn't do a CD anyway. I do vinyl. I'm old school. I would never do a CD with songs on it. To me, it's unfathomable, because how can you focus on songs? Oh, my gosh, thank you. Because Chris Brown has put out albums with over songs on them, and I can't even focus for the first four. No, it's like you go back to. What we we need quality over quantity. Yeah. Eight, nine songs. I mean, my new record has got eleven songs on it, which will be out plug time in January called Compelled. And it has eleven songs on it, but it's actually only minutes long. Wow. It's vinyl. So it's and a half minutes on one side, and a half minutes on the other. I can't wait to get it for my sister. We just got a record player. Oh, boom. There you go. Yeah, we kind of gave it away because we didn't band together. When you go back and you look at the film company, United Artists, google this. United Artists was actually started by the actors because they got tired of what the big heads were doing at Warner Brothers and all the other film companies, so they started their own thing. So why wasn't there a United Artist back in the s or the s or whatever before a record company started handing out million dollars to go and do a record? And then some of us old guys and I mean, I loved Bobby Womack. Loved Bobby Womack. They gave Bobby Womack a million dollars. The MCA, he went out and spent it, didn't do a record. It's like, Come on, you got to be kidding me. Yeah. Tomorrow's not promised to nobody, so how could you just squander piss that off. And yeah, you can do whatever you want to do, but what is given to you guys as far as music? Some days I spend four or hours a day on Instagram or Facebook or in my DM, just saying hello. Thank you, I appreciate it. I'll stay after concert, three, hours on the top of limousine, just signing albums, signing autographs, taking pictures, because it's the least that I can do to give back. Absolutely. You know what I mean? And I think that's missed. And honestly, yeah. Music is so powerful that when the artist that you're going to see or the artist that you spent your money, your time and all of everything devoted into this artist, and they leave immediately after a show, or they leave after two songs or whatever it may be, that leaves such a poor taste in your mouth for the artist. But honestly, it's heartbreaking because and I've had many experiences where I've met artists, even way before I came to La. In high school and college. And those meet and greet experiences are just so big to the individual. Absolutely. Whether it's just a handshake, a signature, you made a difference in someone's life. So I do appreciate hearing absolutely. Artists that find that to be important because it is like the connection with the community. They're the reason why you have this platform. There was a story and it said a research study, and it said fangirls run the music industry. And it's true because how many Fangirls are in Taylor Swift's arenas? How many are in Beyonce and Drake's and whoever else? They're the only reason why they are in the stature that they are. But I wanted to ask you, I saw another thing online and it was talking about who is the Mount Rushmore of R B? And now that I have you and we're talking about this, I want to get into it because nobody can agree. Wow. We can break it down into, know, female, new, old, whatever, but like, overall, wow. Well, I think they all bring something different to the table, at least in my life. And I think my encyclopedia, my musical encyclopedia of who I am and what has made me the list is vast. Yeah, that's hard. The purest female vocal voice I've ever heard. Karen Carpenter. Okay. The greatest soul singer, female, in my opinion, writer, producer, vocalist. Without a doubt. Aretha Franklin. Okay. Without a doubt. Aretha Franklin. I love, you know, worked with her. I mean, great. Vesta Williams. Wow. I mean, the list is very long. It's hard. Men. Ronald Eisley. Absolutely. I have to tell you the story with Ronald Eisley. I was with DJ Battle Cat, very good friend of mine. And we were going into the City National Bank, and we were opening the door. As soon as we opened the door, Ronald Isley was with Angela Wimbush. And they stopped, we locked eyes and he start bowing to me. I was like, Yo, Mr. Ozzy, no, stop it, stop it. It's like the next level. For the love of you. I love that. You got to be kidding. And it was like he says, you don't understand. And I tell a lot of people this to this day in. My opinion, anybody could have sang So Fine, and everybody begs to differ. And I go, I didn't do anything special because she was the kind of producer that wanted exacting ways. When you go back and listen to So Fine, there's no ad libs in So Fine. Wow. I felt it wasn't me. He sang it the way that he wanted me to do it, and I was like, okay, so I really have to focus on putting me in what you want, but it was still me. So I think maybe that's how people equate and said, well, no, you were special on that. So Ronald eisley. Billy I don't know Billy's last name from the Ohio Players. Okay. One of the lead singers from The Funkadelics with George Clinton. I don't know his name. And a lot of my ad libs I actually got from David Sanborn because I would listen to saxophone players and I would listen to Grover Washington. So Tony Bennett. Tony Bennett actually was my neighbor when I lived in New York. Oh, wow. So sitting with Know, talking with him and getting some advice about certain things because I would sing popular music from back during that particular time or whatever. Obviously, Luther Vandross got, know, spent with him doing studio work, and it was like, you talk about a technician wow. Stevie Wonder. And, of course, Al Green. Absolutely. I mean, the soul that is still in Know, I grew up in the church, so, of course I'm going to come with a gospel tent to a lot of things that I do. But also, I sang opera when I was in wow. High school. So the range is and then I got five octaves, so I'm really all over the place, so to speak, or whatever. And the list can just go on. Levi Stubbs from the Four Tops. I can just go on and on and on. The things that I listen to, what I listen to now, am I influenced by any artists now? I was just going to ask, who do you listen to of new artists? Well, my daughter. Okay. Well, no, she's not a singer. She can sing and she can whistle. Oh, my God. She's incredible. When she gets into my car, my truck play your song list. Let me hear what you're listening to. And at some point, I'm going to let her produce me. Wow. Because she tells me, dad, you need to do something like this. I'm like, I don't know. That ain't got no soul. And this, that and the other forget that. It's got a vibe. You'll bring the soul. You'll bring the soul. She got the vibe. I really don't. I mean, I listen to classical music a lot of times when I'm in the car because I'm hearing different things because I want to write an opera. I do country and western. A lot of people don't know that I'm a cowboy. I wrote the theme song for the Bill Pickett Rodeo. What? You know what I mean? So life is full. I want to be a part of it. I'm also doing an album, and you guys are hearing this for the first time. I'm doing an album next year called Photosonic. I'm a photographer and I shoot with a Roloflex, and I shoot with a light, a Q, two monochrome. I love black and white. So I'm matching my pictures with my music. I love that, you know what I mean? And I really have to thank Michael Jackson in the movie industry for that kind of love because I'm a big movie buff. I go to the movie more than I care to tell people. What's the last one you went to see? Oh, my God, the newest movie, the Burial. Oh, with Jamie Foxx. Yes. I was supposed to go to the premiere of that one. Oh my goodness, jamie Fox, great. Yeah, he took me to it's a lawyer movie, everybody. He took me to another level. He took me to another Know. So I have to thank and you know, the movie industry, because what Michael did with Know, you can tell a story. And like they always say, a picture is a thousand words. So I wanted to be able to integrate those two things in the launch. And you're getting a first again, the launch of Compelled next year. In January, I will only do a set of six songs. And in the six songs, none of them will be on the album. Okay. And on the album, the album is going to be a short movie. That's amazing. And I'm going to show the short movie, and that will be in video film form, but I'm also doing eleven to twelve videos, but in virtual reality. Wow. So I'm basically doing shoots. This film crazy. And virtual reality, it's another level. Yeah, it's another level. And I won't say ever, but I'm going to say ever. You won't ever see me on an oldie goldie show doing one hit and disappearing and hey, Howard, here's $,, I make more money selling cows. And you meant that, too. You know what I mean? I think the audience for the Past, my first hit, If You Want It, came out , so Fine came out . So the subsequent albums that I did up until this point, you're going to put me on a show for minutes, right? No. Right? And I appreciate that, too, because I feel like you're the type of artist that people wish their favorite artist was because now nobody has the time. Nobody cares about their fans, nobody cares about who's paying money and supporting them. Nobody cares about giving people an experience. They just show up and collect a check and pass think. And I thank Beyonce for that. Beyonce, thank you. Because Beyonce said there's no more concept albums. And that's what kind of spurred me on. And I went, oh, I got some concept for you right here. Okay. You know what? It's not when you hear the new Compelled album, it's not the typical so fine or if you want it, it's an amalgamation of a bigger picture of who Howard Johnson is, and it's still only a snapshot of who am. Wow. What what would you say in all of these creative projects, what inspires you today? Like, what gets you up in the morning or gets you into the studio? Well, what got me up this morning was you coming. Well, thank you for waking up this morning because I'm glad we have you. I'm glad to be here. There's inspirations some mornings that I'll post on Instagram, I go hiking in the mountains and stuff and just not playing any music and just listening to the symphony of the crows, the birds, the crickets, the coyotes, and those are the kinds of things that inspire me that make it keep turning in my head. I'm inspired by hearing helicopters. I'm inspired by my dogs barking. So I'm inspired by life because in , one of my horses flipped over on me, broke my pelvis and broke my back. Oh, my God. And I was paralyzed for nine months. So when you kind of have that alone time and know that it can be quickly taken away from you, you start to appreciate what the grass smells like, what color it is, what color the sky is when it rains. Does I want to go outside? I mean, simple stuff like that that we don't pay attention to until it's too late. And we're laying there on our dying bed, and all of a sudden your life flashes in front of you, and it's like, yo, that guy that talked about that dash when you were born and that dash and then when you're gone, that dash is so important. Everything matters. Everything matters now. So I'm inspired by everything. I'm inspired by you telling me how much you love singing and how someone pissed on your parade for that. It's like you would and I hate to use the word never again, but you would never see me on American Idol or The Voice or whatever. Do you think for one moment I'm going to sit in front millions of people, in front of millions of people and go, they should stay at home, keep a day job? No. Right? No. They might literally never touch never. So why? For TV ratings. You're kidding me? And then you got people that are judges that don't sing. Let's get into it. To me, that's not real. And even being a singer, there's still variations of what that is. There's classical music, jazz. There's country. There's American music. There's tons of so who's to say that that person couldn't be what I want to hear your story. I need to hear that story. You need to hear your story. You know what I mean? Because it's like, I tell people all the time about people talk about affirmations. I said, well, write it down. It looks a little different. It looks a little different than when it's in here. Right. So when you put it down on a piece of paper and then you've got that gardener that she's giving you all their attention. Ashly, what is it? Talk to me how you feel? Why do you feel that way? I got you. This man gonna have me in the studio crying. I'm ready. Y'all gonna hear it first. But my last question I want to ask you, looking back, would you change anything about your experience in the music industry in life so far? Wow. No, period? No. Because it would no, but or just no, period? No, period. Because it would change everything. I mean, how many movies have you watched? I just want to change just one thing. It changes everything? Yeah, it changes everything. Okay. That particular night that I got discovered, okay, I could have been pissed and said, Yo, dude, it's on you. Do your thing. And I would not have been here right now. Right now, I had taken the civil service test in Florida to become a mailman, to deliver mail for the rest of my life, my working life. Wow. Because I didn't think anybody believed in me. I've never said this story publicly. When I was singing at church, in the Church of Christ, I think I was ten or twelve years old or whatever. And I remember every Sunday they would have different people get up and lead the song. And I got up to lead one day, and one of the guys there I named his name, said that I was too black to sing color wise because he was a fair skinned older gentleman. Too black to sing. What does that even mean? I don't know, but it hurt me deeply. So we're on the way home, and I'm sobbing in a backseat, and my dad stutters like, boy, what's wrong with you? Or whatever. Well, Mr. Brother, such and such said that I was too black. And my dad was turning around, and my dad carried a gun. Ready? I know he was ready. Dad reached up under the seat, and my mom, with tears, begged him, begged him, let's go home. Please, Frank, please. I ought to turn around with the way I drive. But what that means to me that I have to look you in your eyes and tell you this whatever it is, good, bad, or indifferent, whatever it is, do it, follow it. But understand this, that there's another side to it. You see all her glory. You see the big car, limousines, rolexes, and this, that the other. But there's an underbelly. It's frightening when you hear the story about Michael Jordan and how hard he worked, but you only saw the Dunks and all the other stuff you didn't see. And like the thing with Kobe that's what I love the special with Kobe. When they were talking about Kobe, he's like, yo, they stayed out to four or in the morning. They saw Kobe coming downstairs. He's going to practice. Practice didn't start till eight, but he's at hours before putting in the work. A lot of people don't want to put in that work. I can't even wake up before ten. We can work in progress. But it'll be magical because you'll be surprised. Sometimes you got to understand this. We are the most talented people on the face of the earth. You cannot tell me. No one cannot tell me. And a lot of people in New York and Chicago, Detroit, these big cities, as bad as Michael Jordan was, there was somebody on the park that could have handled him. They just didn't get the opportunity right. Because if you take and put your finger in one of our chests and they'll look at you and go, oh, you talking to me? Oh, I can't do that. Like they say with the other kind, hold my beer and watch this. You know what I'm saying? So, yeah, it's another level. But just remember, there's an underbelly to it. There's an underbelly. That's a whole nother episode. Yes. If you're going to be a singer, you know what the easiest thing in the world to do is sing. You know what the hard part is? Just get into the gig. Yeah. You got to put in gas. Your girlfriend is mad. Mama calling. Dog, do the laundry. But once you get up on stage or you're in the studio, come on now. I don't want to hear that all that you got to leave outside the door. You need to do this. If that's who you are, do that should be no problem. So I got you. Let's go. I love this episode. I am feeling great. I was feeling great on the way here listening to HoJo's music, and I'm feeling even better now. So I just want to thank you guys for tuning into another episode of the Royalty Room. And thank you again so much for stopping by. Definitely like subscribe comment. 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