Tricky Stewart on Mariah Carey, Rihanna & Why The-Dream Fell Asleep on Clive Davis

And say what's happening, man, just tip hairs. Host the expeditiously. Then you know you can watch on Spotify. And Spotify Premium, get what? Users getting no commercials on my show. So pull up, check us out. This is Expeditiously, I am too. T.I.Hare. [MUSIC PLAYING] Uh-huh. Now, the following experience is not a test. The conversations and stories expressed on this podcast are meant to be an expression of purpose and truth. This show, Proponant Title, it's Traditiously, is a free exchange of ideas and opinions. No judgment, no preconceived beliefs, no fear. You're encouraged to share your thoughts and ask any questions as long as it's done with respect. And ask through true love and respect for others that we will change the world and speak truth to power once you're at a time. Now, without further ado, this is Expeditiously. I'm T.I.Hare. Any epic studio fails that turned into a fun story you'd like to share? Just epic studio fails. I would say, man, I would say the Mariah Carey touch my body sessions. Or when we work with Mariah Carey, it's always a good time because obviously-- Well, that's super fun. I don't know if people know that. Mariah's super fun. She's super competitive. She's super-- I talk to you. And she's super petty. So she's great. She's great, but at the same time, she does shit. She'll come in. She'll be like, she'll come in. She'll have on some just crazy $10 million earrings. And dream of being in the studio or something. And she'll be like, oh, I love your earrings. She's like, oh, really? These are the earrings that LA got me after Jermaine wrote, "We belong together." Damn. She do shit like that. And she'll be like, oh, for real? But she's just like, she'll try to-- $10 million earrings. I mean, it was $5 million. But still, $5 million. But she does things like that to motivate you. So I think it's totality. Some of the most fun, interesting sessions that I've been a part of have been navigating the touch of my body session, in particular, was funny, because Mariah is a great writer in her own right. She's written all of her hits. She has-- I believe she has 19, number one. And she's written on all of them. And we did the 18th one. And so she had 17 before we walked in the door. And so we were the hot shots on the block. And so you know-- And dream I always felt like he was a star in the same before he didn't-- like that's the thing about Nigger from Atlanta. We already knew we were stars before the world agreed with us. You know what I'm saying? We walk in the door like shit. Pleasure to meet me. Yeah, you're welcome. My father, you know what I mean? So to have him in an intimate setting with her who's really already a legitimate star, you know what I mean? It's super, yeah. Megastar, you know what I mean? Meteor. So how did you navigate those personalities? Man, you know, I prayed first and foremost. Because like I said, like she talks a lot of shit. And you know, dream is going pop. And she's going pop. And so it was fun because they're both funny. But they were-- I could tell they was being funny, but they were being serious. She would be like, they'd be writing on the mic. And she would say something like, she might be freestyle. And I remember one in lines was like freestyle. Yeah. Freestyle. So Mariah Care freestyle. Freestyle singing, make her a dream, yeah. So they got the mics and they going back and forth. And I remember one time she was like, say some slick about 17 number ones. And they dream saying back in a beautiful melody. And he's like, and I wouldn't be here if you could write another one. [LAUGHTER] Hands off, bro. So shit like that, you know? Oh, shit, man. Damn, bro. And so all that was fun. Just two amazing creatives, just, you know, it was all love. But at the same time, it was complicated in certain aspects. So you know, me, you know, it got to a point where I'm like, I stopped writing like early in my career, like, lyrically writing and so like the last couple of songs on Mariah's album, she's like, you just write them with me. And I'm like, I'm like, no, they're like, no, I'm too bad. And like, you know, so we did all that. And you know, writing with Mariah is always fun, because it's at the house. And you know, it's going to be a success. Yeah. Well, you got a high key indicator. Yeah, yeah, you got to earn it, though. Yeah, that's real. Hey, I have been urged to ask you about a particular meeting that you had with Clive Davis. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You know, I told you dream with my friend. He said he told me to ask you about meeting you and him, too, with Clive Davis. I mean, I'll tell the story. And Dream said it's OK. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, man, well, so Dream has been dream for the beginning. So Dream is very real, like, you know what I'm saying? And authentic to who he is. So this is very early on. So it's not like a whole bunch of success or anything like that, like we're just we just hot at the time. But ultimately, we go to have this meeting with Clive. And you know, this is later in Clive's run of hits and everything. And so he's playing some music that Dream doesn't really like. What year's this? This is probably 07, like, like umbrellas out. OK, got it. But this is like the only one that's out. But his dreams have a map also. No, I'm not sure. And so just umbrella is pretty much out. But Clive is playing us some records that Dream doesn't really like. And so ultimately, you know, when Dream doesn't like something, he falls asleep. So he ultimately ends up-- because he doesn't like the record, he ends up turning his back to Clive and just nodding off like, but not really sleep, but just making the sleep sound. Like, you know, like, this shit ain't it, though. So he snoozing on Clive Davis the music, the music, and Pissario at the time. So the boss of all the bosses. So I'm trying to get to, I'm trying to get to LA, but now we with LA's father. Like, we with the fucking guy who gave LaFace, they gave bad boy, they gave-- so we're with the guy. The final boss. Yeah. And so he turns it back on. It does the sleep noise. And ultimately-- How does Clive respond? How does he react to that? I can't, you know, Clive was older. So he might have been sleep, too. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I couldn't tell you. But he didn't like respond to calling out another-- No, but there's another executive over there who took offense to it. You know? Okay, you can't even mention who that other guy in the world. It was Larry Jackson. Okay. And so Larry took a lot of offense to it, like, you know, just from the standpoint of like, yo, even if you don't like the song, like, you know, so just some respect, like type shit, you know? And so that was pretty much kind of what happened with that. But then-- I heard it was somebody else. Yeah. Okay, go ahead. The park, that's really funny, is that. So we go back, we, at this time, give you an indication of where we are. We're riding in the same car. So if you know me, cook, dream, and mark, we're hardly ever in the same car. But we're in L.A., riding in the same car. And we got this long ride from the Beverly Hills Hotel to the studio that we were working in, over off Western, whatever reason we was working at O's car, Atlas at the time. And so, like, dream was really mad, like, the fact that me and Cooke and Mark was like given, given, like, action, like, oh, yeah, that's dope. Yeah, whatever, like, yeah, we fucking with that, yeah, so we bob in our heads and shit. And so ultimately, what ends up happening is, he's like, oh, y'all like that shit? You like that shit? Okay, cool. He go to my cousin Cooke. And he like, nigga, don't bob your head to my shit, no, no, he's like, if you like that shit, don't bob your head to my shit, ever again, nigga, because if y'all fucking with that, no, it's over shit. And so, so Cooke, my cousin Cooke, he's like very, like, peaceful and just kind of, to himself, but at the same time, he got this, he got a switch that I snap. And so he hit the snap button on Cooke and they're like, we're riding in the car together and Cooke turned around like, and I think at this point, maybe I'm imagining this, but I swear to God, I feel like Cooke turns around, gets on his knees and start pointing the dreams to that, I'll bob my head to whatever the fuck I want to. So he's going, him, him and dream is going, going at it, and me and Mark, and y'all, yeah, [BLANK_AUDIO] - This is like a truck, like a escalator. - It's like a escalator, it's like that. And so, this thing is kind of coming off the hinges. And at this point, like, you know, Mark and I are brothers. - Nobody's even thinking about the business at this point. - No, no, no, it's like, it's like no business. But Mark and I, we used to yelling at each other at that age and our time. But now we got two people that are brothers. - Yeah, and we got two people that are like fighting for real, like arguing. I'm like, you all don't even know each other that well to have this much, like, you know, fighting in it. And so what ends up happening is they argue all the way back to the studio. - Damn. - We walk in a studio. I'm like, this shit's crazy. I go into the left. It's two studios. There's one straight ahead, there's one straight left. And the energy is super high. We walk into the studio. And at this time, Tiana Taylor signed to Ferrell and to Star Trek. And that's who he's supposed to work with that day. We walk into the studio and Tiana's like 15 years old. But Dream, we sensitive. Like Dream is a, he's big on work. So we walk in and she's like, which one of y'all trickies? Which one of y'all dreams? And Dream was like, oh, hell no. (laughing) What? Hell no. He's like, hell no. She ain't getting none of my songs. - Oh shit, bro. We walk, I go in the next room to pull up the drummer's shame, pull up the NPC and start to beat to ditch that. Like, and we wrote ditch that nigga. - Okay. - And it was supposed to be, it was supposed to be for Tiana. He's like, ain't nobody, he's like, that's my record. And to this day, we still have not been in the studio and completed a record with Portiana. But it was just, she caught the energy. And then his, - She didn't even know what happened. - She didn't even know what happened, but she was young. And she's like, she was like, which one of y'all dreams? - Dreams. - Yeah, so she didn't know us. And so he was like, fuck all that. And so that's the story, you know, but it was intense. And he banned us from bobbin' our head to his shit. (laughing) Temple rarely. And till we could all agree, that would climb. Palaites was not it. - Oh, shit. - I didn't even know he knew I was gonna be hitting that. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I do my research, bro. I got to do my research. I was also urged as how you came up with the beat for J.C. Money, who did it? - Man, I wish I knew. (laughing) I used to drink a lot, dude. I wish I'd do it. I came from the strip club. - Okay. - Brought probably 30, 40 people with me. - Okay. - And we kept drinking and I just started making beats and I was frustrated. - Yeah. - I was like, and who that really started out as like almost like a joke really. Like I was like, I can make hits if I can make hits. That was when I found my originality. - Okay. - You know, because that was when I first started being like, "Man, fuck it, I'm gonna do what I wanna do." I wasn't trying to do what anybody else was doing. So I just brought the energy that I was feeling from the strip club to back to the studio. And at that point, I believed Doug Passion was my drink. - Okay. - At that point. - Yeah. - Damn. - And so, you know, after a couple of three or four of those. - Shit. - You can make anything you want. (laughing) - And so that was who that? - If you still, if you still, yeah, that would've said, if you still conscious you can. - I'm gonna tell you why I stopped drinking that. Like, 'cause I used to drink, I used to drink Doug Passion and I also used to drink French connections, which was the cognac with rimi. Or, I mean, cognac with grandma yay. So, like, whether it was rimi and grandma yay or Hennessy or whatever it was, you ultimately was mixing these things. - You drink your strong shit. - And I started coming back to the studio and not finishing it. And it had disintegrated at the bottom of the cups. And it would melt the cups overnight. And I was like, "I need to stop drinking this." - That's crazy. But it led to a lot of freedom in my mind. - Now, the question that comes to my mind is, says, "You used to begin your inspiration by that." Like, you know, creating the vibe and the environment that would lead to you making certain types of records. Since your married, how do you create the vibe for the inspiration now? - I smoke a lot, which is kind of like, it just opens up the portal differently. Back then, I didn't smoke. And so, it's which it's a more relaxed, like, it doesn't come with the aggression. - You smoke with your wife? - Yeah, I mean, not as much as I used to, but her nickname used to be iron line. - Yeah, you know what, that's, I think that is a, like, that's a gift to be able to smoke a joint with your wife. My wife manages out of marijuana in my house. - Oh yeah. - Like, she smoked more than me. - Yeah, I mean, she used to roll, because my wife used to roll on the weave for me and everything. Like she, you know, she was, she liked to smoke. It's just when we had, when we had kids, she was just like, kind of, it just kind of dissipated over years. - Yeah, kids didn't stop my wife, she smoked more. And she said I was smoking more. That's what brought us together, you know what I'm saying? I had a real, a strong strain. I had a real strong strain, a gas that didn't nobody in the city have at the time, and I would get enough on, you know what I'm saying? You know, spitting out at the mall, at, at Lennon's. She had, then, kind of, you know, ignored me about three more times previous to this, but I called her at the mall. I'm like, what's happening, you know, and then I, you know, happened to ask her, she smoked, which I knew she did. And, you know what I'm saying? She hit my, she hit my guy, and she was like, where you get there? You know what you mean? Where I get you, you know what I'm saying? I said she was here, you know what I'm saying? I gave her a little bit, and I gave her my number. Like, you know, she hit me when you, and that's what got us together. Gotta love that. - Yeah, man, but now she, she smoked, I don't even, like, smoked that much no more. - I mean, that's, that's what's interesting about you, 'cause anytime that I see you smoke, I'm a little surprised because I just don't know you. - Yeah, I used to smoke a lot, I used to smoke a lot, man. I think, man, smoking slowed me down a little bit, you know what I'm saying? It kind of, it kind of made me slow. And I like, I like to keep my thoughts, you know, up temple, you know what I'm saying? I don't like to feel sleepy and kind of frowsy. But, she, you know what I'm saying? She makes me smoke. - You know what I'm saying? - She probably wants you to have something. - She hit it. - She hit it. - She wants you to like. - Yeah, all right, fuck. When she's smoking she knows that you know, like if she's smoking by herself and usually it's a habit, I think you hit it a few times, you pass it to whoever next to you. And if I'm like, nah, I'm cool, she's like, nah, nah, here. Why not? - Like, you know, damn. - Okay. - Is she pussy? - Yeah, she's very, man. - Listen to me, that's my friend. I known her for a long time, she's very, she's very pushy, she's very pushy, almost like bossy. (laughs) - Yeah, man, I have to stand up for myself. People don't understand that. I have to stand up for myself. - I'm mad too, I get it. - Yeah, man. - So, have you ever wrote a song about something that your wife went through and when she heard it, she knew that you wrote that song about y'all situation? - Nope. (laughs) - Nope, she never found out, she not go found out again. - No, no, man. (laughs) - Good answer, man, no. - That's a good answer, man. You remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio? - Man, I'm trying to think, what was it? - It's supposed to be a very special moment, Turkey. - Man, I'm a music, it's so many special songs. (laughs) - The music is the gift that keeps on giving. - But it's far too. - 'Cause it doesn't, it's like it's, it never gets old. It's always the first time, but I would say the, the first thing I probably heard was a remix, one of the remixes that I had done, felt like Bobby Brown or something like that. It wasn't an original song, but I would say, the first original songs that I started hearing was when I moved down here, and I started putting out records with Sam Salty, who was the artist that brought us to Atlanta. He was the artist that came here with us. He ended up passing some years back. But yeah, he was the catalyst and the talent that ultimately caught between our production, mine and Sepp's production and caught L.A.'s ear, along with Laney and Tab, who were writing the other songs and Robin Thick, who was one of the, one of my main early writing partners and people that we worked with out in L.A. So Robin Thick is like, Robin Thick and Tab, I don't know if you-- - When you reported that album, that first Robin Thick album, well, maybe not the first one. - I don't remember, I mean, I'm second one. - The thing is, me and Rob, I don't think we, me and Rob, I've ever worked on his albums. - For real? - No, we've worked on other people when he used to write for other people like, I'm dating myself, and we did like, "Colour Me Bad" together. - You've already seen it, you did a read me it for Bobby Brown, I had it, you did. - I mean, I'm still about me, I mean, Rob and Thick. - I just said, right. No, I'm saying, but "Colour Me Bad." - "Colour Me Bad." - Yeah. - Shit. - Yeah. - So, "Colour Me Bad," that's what-- - You made I want to say to you up? - No, the next album. - "Colour Me Bad." - "Colour Me Bad." I had the opportunities, you know what I'm saying, but you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta have the original sound. - Mm, all right, so now, present day, you get the news that you're being inducted into the song writer's hall of fame. What's that moment like? - Man, that was surreal, I mean, it was, I mean, I didn't cry, but I wanted to cry. - It's not a tragedy, I'm not a crying cry, yes you do. - No, because I felt like I wanted to. - Okay. - I wish I was built like that. It was a moment that I felt that I should have cried. But I had the same built like that, you know what I'm saying? - Okay. - Like, so it just didn't, you know what I'm saying? - Cold-hearted tricky. - No, I mean, it's not, it's just, it's certain things that make me emotional, but accomplishments is a wonderful, but I could tell it was, this was the most important. - When did the last time you cried, tricky? - Um, when the Cubs, when the World Series. - You for real? - Yeah, it was that. - 2016, don't forget it. - God damn. - Yeah, not. (laughs) - You cried when the Cubs ran for real. - I'm from Chicago. - I understand that, but I know a bunch of other nigs for Chicago, probably they cried when the Cubs. - They probably didn't watch as much baseball as I watched it. And my grandfather watched every game and the whole family in Chicago, your whole family watched for it. You watched every bad game, every bull's game. - How do you know whether a Chicago native is a Cubs fan or a socks fan? - I don't know, do we have another team? - Oh shit. (laughs) - Wait, there's two teams out there. (laughs) - Oh shit. - Oh, that's right. I seen it, because when you go past a freeway, I think they like sponsored by like a pizza spot or something. - Man, you gotta stop. - I can't remember. - Sorry. - That's why socks. - Man, I like the hats. - Yeah, that's what I mean. - I like the head, the head. - The head is the best part. (laughs) - Okay, man. So you being addicted to the song, right, is all the same. But you didn't cry, what did you do? - I mean, like it was just, it was overwhelming. Like John Platt called me, which was like a surreal moment for me. Just 'cause John, John is that guy, like, you know what I'm saying? He's been in it. - Big homey. - You know, and it's like, it wasn't to that point. It wasn't always promised. It didn't start out, you know, it didn't start out. - You struck out a lot of times, didn't you? - They shut up. (laughs) - No, shut up. (laughs) - Listen. (laughs) - Oh, let's do it. - I ain't strike out. I hit it deep. (laughs) I hit it deep to the warning track. I ain't strike out though. - Nah, okay, it was close. - Right on. So tell me, what time in the studio had you made a record? That you didn't expect to be big and it got there. It surprised you had been good. - I would see probably suffocate on Jay Holiday. - Mm. - Like, that was kind of weird, because at the time, we had our moving mountains, which we thought was about to be like this crazy, crazy record. - Same artist, Jay Holiday. - No, no, Usher. - Okay, okay, okay. - The Usher record didn't work in the second single, which was a demo. - Moving mountains? - Yeah. - I don't know what that was. - Let's see. - Damn, how you fuck up a Usher record, bro? (laughs) - God, damn, I'm just thinking how to Usher do it. - I don't know if it helps you do that. You got the best dudes in the business, man. - Listen, I think I've just pushed you back. - I think that record had more to do with other people. The record was written as a hit. It was surrounded and the energy around it wasn't, it just wasn't the right timing. But the record was still to this day, something that I'm like, yeah, that's supposed to, it's supposed to pay me. (laughs) It's supposed to pay me. But with that being said, I've learned that what you think will happen over here will come up in another place. And that was one of those things where suffocate was a record that I didn't see coming. I mean, we paid Jay Holiday to sing that record 'cause he was the demo singer on it. And then when he got a deal, they were like, "Hey, we like this song." We thought we were barely on that album. - Damn. - It ended up being a number two pop record. Like, it was like, as a straight up R&B song, it was a big-ass song. - That's how it. - Yeah. - And an unexpected place too, 'cause it's not like it was like a superstar. You know, it wasn't like a, it wasn't like we was taking a ride. It was like, it was there because of the song. So that one felt good because it was like bed and then that. And it was like, okay, we can break artists, you know? And so that was good. And you could have liked it in the studio. What it means the most to trick you through it? - McKee to stew it. - That's the key, it's hard. - I mean, that's it. (laughing) I love my kids, but I always, like. - Not but, I love my kids. - That's it. I chose my wife. - That's right. - I chose my wife. Like, you know what I'm saying? I had them, and I loved that, but at the end of the day. I only have one choice at this world of who I was going to join my life with. So, I really focus on, like, she's it. Like, she just make my shit right. Like, she makes it all make sense. And including our family life. Like, how much I love my kids and all that. Like, it's like, I love my family, but I love my, I'm gonna love my wife. - I'm gonna say it, but after I love my family, I've never heard of but I think. But, I'm keeping it real, like, my wife is the one. Like, she the one, like, that's what's up. - That's what's up. I appreciate him and the black man say that. Because, you know, it's easy to hear me and say the opposite. - Everybody loves their kids. (laughing) - You would be surprised. (laughing) - But, look, I just, I tell people like this. You can lose your wife by loving your kids too much. But, you can't lose your family by loving your wife too much. - Who loves the wife for loving their kids too much? - No, I'm saying, like, you can love your kids and your wife not being in love with you no more. - Yes, but, if your wife fall out of love with you because of how much you live in your kids-- - That's not the first thing you do. - That's not the first thing I'm saying. She wouldn't hold me down. - But, I'm not saying it from that perspective. I'm saying it from the idea that most men love their kids. Oh, we say, I love my kids, but I just reversed the butt. - Okay. - I love my wife and I love my children. But, she, she is the one. - Okay, okay. - She's the one. - Your kid gonna be like, really dad? - Really? - No, I'm just bullshitting, bro. I'm just, I'm just fucking with you, man. I'm just fucking with you. - I'm just, I'm just, I try to spend as much time with her as I possibly can, with training a lot. But, it's gonna go to, it's gonna go to her first. - I feel the same way. I mean, you know, I feel like my wife is the one for me, but for different reasons. Not because she made everything right, because she complicates things to the point where she challenges me the way I need to be challenged to reach my full potential. Like, she complicates very simple things. - I don't know what this is going on. - Now, I'm thrilled. She complicates, she made very simple. She complicates the way I would have been like, just like, relax, like, it's a dream. But now, like, oh, you know what I'm saying? Like, where's this? Why is this not, and that really, it works a different part of my intellect. - She makes you probably need to be challenged. - Like, she makes you use more critical thinking of something? - Yes, definitely, definitely. My wife is the world champion complainer of all times. I'm talking about, she can walk into Taj Mahal and say, "They missed the spot." - You know what I'm saying, but she do that in a quest for her quest for perfection. - What's her son? - She's a cancer. But she only do this shit with me and waiters, you know what I'm saying? - I'm like, you know what I'm saying? - I'm not tiny, I'm not part of this shit right here. - She don't just walk around and be like there with everybody. No, no, no, no, no, she's a beautiful spirit. And she has a humble heart and very nice. Let's say I'd be so nice to people, not to me like that, you know what I'm saying? Like, she will, like, you know, if I bring her a fucking convertible Bentley, right? Not in the true story, did this before. Got a convertible Bentley. And she would like, why do you get this color interior? Like shit like that. Like, damn, did I chew the wrong color interior, you know what I mean? So that what I mean, like she definitely challenges me to the point that keeps me on my toe, keeping it sharp. - Yeah, well, hey, why was it different? They bring a different level to you, you know what I mean? Like I remember one time I was driving, and I seen my wife, and we were driving past each other. I felt like, you know, I felt like you should see me. 'Cause you know what our cars look like. You know, we're going past each other, we on our street. - Damn. - And she just zones right past me. - You noticed her, not notice you. - Yeah, and this is when she was like, 'cause me and my wife were many years apart. - Yeah man, too. - Yeah. (laughing) - All the way up. - You have to push, you're not going to make me, she's going like, I ain't that much older than you. (laughing) - So anyway, she sees me, I see her. And I call her, I was like, you know, you see me, this was she like 23, 24, whatever, she's like. - Damn. - How old you? - Damn? I was 33 and 34. - Okay. - So she was like, oh, you like the bitches with their head on a swivel? (laughing) She's like, oh, you want me to be looking left and right? She's like, she's like, because when I drive, I know as people looking, so I look straight. - Uh. - And I was like, okay, good point. - She checked, she checked, the shit actually. - Yeah, yeah. - You want me to be out here looking for niggles? That's what you're saying. - Yeah, one time, one other time, she's like, there's something going on. And I said, something, and I'm like, you know, I'll be filling myself. She's like, oh. She's like, do you like need bitches that clap for you? She's like, 'cause she's like, I don't clap when you do what you're supposed to do. - Ooh. - Like. - Yeah. - I like cool. - That's all right. - So, you know, why does it give tough love sometimes? - Yeah, I mean, you know what I'm saying, just you ain't that much of the shit yet. - Yeah. - You could be if you listen to me and do what I think you should be doing. - Yeah. - Right now, yeah. - No, she's just, you know. - Yeah. - She know, I think a great wife knows how to get you to do you, you know what I'm saying? They know how to get you to do you. - You know, I have a story is, I was performing in Atlanta. I would have, I would have, I'm talking about one of them on the motherfucker, where I had them on the motherfucker, pipe up, you know what I mean? And my wife, you know, she's been a lot of my shows, since she come to my show a lot. And she say, she liked my songs. And she say, and she's a fan of my music. That was she telling me. - She say. - That was she say, she'd be saying that. So we in there, I'm performing, doing my thing. My wife is at the front, you know what I'm saying? Like not like front row, sitting down. She like at the front, like right in front of the front row, I'm all right. And I'm doing my shit, I'm doing my shit. So I'm looking at it, but trying to like not showing everybody that I'm looking at, I'm just, you know, catching. Do you know during the song, I'm talking about, they might be doing, bring 'em out, or what you know about that or something like that. I saw this lady, y'all, like whoa, whoa, what the fuck? And I saw a fan of the show, everything went great. We get back to that. I said, and what the fuck were you doing, yawning? It might got them showing the front of my stage. She's like, what do you mean? I'm tired. I'm like, nah, man, hell nah. You ain't excited to see me perform? And that's, you know, she's still to this day don't admit that she yawning. She yawning at my fucking show. It's friends, bro, like in the front, yawning. Maybe she was having problem with Oxerton. (laughing) 'Cause I would take her a breath away. (laughing) That's why people y'all, she might've been something from Oxerton shortage. Yeah, man, I mean, you know, I just think, you know what I'm saying? Women, and that made me ask myself, am I not performing at a stellar level now? Is that what I'm doing? You know, that's what a wife would do for you. I appreciate it. I enjoy it. 'Cause I like puzzles, you know what I'm saying? I like puzzles, I like figures, shit out. I like finding the answer is my, you know, that's my thing. So that's why I love my wife. Mm-hmm. Yes, sir. This has been interesting. I didn't think this interview was gonna be as interesting as it was. (laughing) You thought I was born? You think I'm born? 'Cause I be in the studio. Hey, bro, not to be on the wheelchair, bro, for one, I didn't know you dropped out of school, bro. Like that's something that, like looking at you, how you got your, your shit just seems to be pretty meticulously put together. Like, you know, like you did it right in school. I didn't write until they didn't do it right for me when I wasn't gonna be the quarterback, no more. (laughing) And it was a mutual, we had a mutual party, you know? That was interesting to learn. It was just the way you approach music and how you, how things didn't go the way you expected. So many times early on in your career, which I didn't know, and you just kind of, you know, you stayed in there more fucking until you had 'em eating that jazz, you know what I mean? That shit is admirable. Yeah, I'm a grind, bro. Like, you know, at the end of the day, it's like, you won't out work me. 'Cause I'm committed to getting it. Like, I'm not committed, like, I'm not committed to the idea that I had the opportunity. Yeah, I had those opportunities, but when they didn't go the right way, I ain't tucked my tail. I ain't think about it, like I said, I ain't think about it since when, 'til you brought it up, but the truth of the matter is, I'm going back to work when lose a draw every day. That's real. But the same, it doesn't matter if I'm number one, you won't know if I got $5, $500, $500 million, $5 million, it's gonna be the same. I think I know. I think I know. I think I know. I got a good idea. I got a pretty good idea. What about your relationship with your brothers? Yeah. When you go from the little brother that is tagging along with the big brother on the way to LA, who's getting opportunities through his big brother success. When you go from that to being the successful brother in the family, how does that change the dynamic of your brotherhood? I don't think it does really in the sense that it hasn't changed, it hasn't. It hasn't changed in the sense that we're brothers and we've always been building this together, one way or another, like sometimes we're together, like I think that's what brotherhood is all about. Like I said, even with a dream, it's like sometimes we're building together, sometimes we're all capable of carrying the mail, so to speak. So we work together by choice. You know, we don't work together because one of us needs each other. My brother is not my manager because he's my brother. He's my manager because he's great. And my other brother is great, a great producer. In my opinion, he's probably, you know, one of the greatest. You know, but ultimately I feel that when you show up with all the right intentions and we show up with the right intentions that, you know, we're a team, we like sports, we watch sports and we understand the concept of sports is that people have to do their part. So like, we don't look at it that much different than the running back. It's going to touch them, but I know who the linemen are, you know, right? So these guys, they knock down all the trees, you know, they knock down all the trees, all the time, every day, still to this day, and it allows me to walk in and smile. And so it's kind of, it's a two part, you know, and that's goes with just the overall family. We do that for each other, but it's kind of the way that we do it for our company. It's what was extended to us. By me knowing, like you said, like we pointed out, there's been opportunity, there's been access. The success came, didn't come what we wanted it to, but we've paid it forward to whoever we've encountered. Right. Whether that's Esther Dean, whether that's Dream, whether that's Frank, whoever tab, anybody, anybody that we could say and be a blessing to, we will because we don't have the story of people holding us out. We don't have people gate keeping us, like if there was, I didn't see them because I didn't want to be behind your gate. I got behind the, I got behind the very first gate that I ever wanted to be behind, which was the LaFace umbrella. Yeah, me too. And that has taken me, and given me every opportunity, whether it worked at LaFace or whether it didn't, it's like, I was so happy to be there, but that was like, I went all my life, early from like 12 years old, up to 18 years old, like trying to get a record deal, trying to find a way to get signed in. I had never really had a real opportunity to like present myself. Outside of just sending the demo in on a cold, I would have put a stamp on an envelope and sent in a demo somewhere waiting on the response. But the first time I got an opportunity to show myself to a label in person is through KP at LaFace. And as soon as that happened, I got signed. And I didn't think about it. Like as soon as they said they wanted to sign me, I'm like, "Bit, I'm there." You know what I'm saying? It wasn't even then like, "Well, let me go see what Def Jam said." It was like, "No, I want to be here because for one, it will build in my city." And the music that LaFace produced and released was a representation of the city. And I didn't want it to be a part of it. So it's good that we are alumni from the same university. Although by the time I got there, you had to move down over doing some other shit. No, I was just on time out. I was there. I was just on time out. But I think, you know, it's to-- What does that mean? What does that mean? You was on time out. It just means, man, well, you don't have a hit. You don't have time out. That's it. Everybody, you know, he was on the bench. Listen, that's what that's the game, especially it is, and it's like we were putting out the biggest records in the world. Atlanta's known for influencing, they say Atlanta influences everything. It's true, right? So you either produce a department? But the difference being is Atlanta will let you stay in the game. You may not be starting, but they still know that you're there. People haven't, they're not picking you apart. Atlanta is different. You know, Atlanta's just a much, people that come here, they think they understand Atlanta. Atlanta is really good to outside people. You know what I'm saying, it's really. Yeah, everybody's not deserving, but I feel like I've done my part to put back into the city. But ultimately, I think when you come down here or when I came down here, like I was met with like open arms. Like, you know, nobody was trying to, and I know that I'm not an AT alien, right? At least you know that. Yeah, I'm not in the fabric. And there's certain things. But I respect someone who understands, hey man, I moved here and I appreciate it here. And I'm not, you know, really from here. So I don't have no, you know what I mean? There's certain things I don't get in my way. There's certain things that I don't get in my way too. And I'll be like, I get it. But it ain't that you in here. You get invited to everything. No, no, I mean, you know, there's a part of Atlanta where stuff goes down. Yeah. And it's handled by Atlanta internally. Internally. Internally. Internally. Atlanta has a board of directors. And I ain't on it. You on it. I don't know what to do. You know what you're talking about. I don't know what you're talking about. But I don't know if it's you always want to be honest. It's the song right on the whole thing. Yeah, man. So what would you like to tell? What would you like to tell? Young quarterback, Trigger Stewart, you know what I'm saying? Who just found out he wasn't going to be a quarterback. And just thought that he wanted to drop out of school and participate in the music business. What would you like to tell him? The only thing that I would tell myself probably is every time you walk into a door, you don't have to try to take 15 people with you. Like every time I open a door or a door opens to me, the way I was brought up, like musically, like whether it was L.A., whether it was my mother, mother was my brother Laney and Mark. He's like, when you get in, you put everybody on. It would have been a lot easier. It would have been a lot easier if I would have gone and played, if I would have gone and played on and been the worst player on a great team. Huh? It would have been better if I would have gone and been under somebody and maybe played on a, like, meaning, if I was coming in, right, I'm bringing a mix engineer. I'm bringing a writer. I'm bringing a new everything. But I won't come in the door unless you take us all. But there was a whole bunch of doors that people wanted me to come in by myself. Okay. And I never went. As a producer or so, right? At the time, both. Okay. As a producer, like, as a person that does music, the way that I've done it and how I hear it, like, it has extreme value to people, like, that understand the difference between hit and make it, right? And so, but every time that I was ever, when I was young, I was still always trying to put everybody on. And it just took me longer. Like, meaning, I probably would have got to hits earlier just by collaborating with better people. Like, that's the only thing that I can really say that I would change. And I probably wouldn't change that because it's who I am. It's in my identity. It's like, I don't, I don't want to join nobody's career. I want to help make somebody's dreams come true. And that's a little bit different. And so, it's not when you look at somebody that hasn't achieved those things that you have to see things in them that they don't see in themselves sometimes. And you have to keep pushing people to keep pushing people. But hell, if I would have gone to the Yankees, you know what I mean? Like, if I would have gone and just played with other people and mixed with the best mixed engineer and tried to write with the best writer and tried to do everything with like novels like, it's all of us or nothing. If you did it that way, do you think the success today would mean as much to you? No. So, that's why I, that's why I wouldn't change it. You know what I mean? Like, even having a studio for all those years. You remember what I was going to buy your studio? You were for the same-- I remember you thought you was going to buy my studio. You told me you were going to sell it to me. No, future told you. Like, future-- Everybody thought I was selling my studio. It was never for sale. You told me, you know, you said to me. You said to me, you wanted to sell it. And I said, "How much?" You gave me a number and everything. I was trying to talk you down. And then I said, "All right, I'll pay you." And then you said, "Talk to my brother." And your brother said, "It'll be my selling or cat damn studio." I was never selling. I was never selling. You must've been on "Though it" passionate. No, you know. Hey, I'm going to tell you about that. But you have a great studio, though. I told you I let my brother knock down a tree. [LAUGHTER] Did you feel that? Did you get your trip? Hey, Mark. I didn't want to talk to you about something. Apparently, somebody told him. The studio was sold. Handle that for me. Hey, man. But now you have a great studio. What you did with the other side of it. How are you? It's sessions, right? Yeah, sessions in Atlanta. Sessions in Atlanta. And is the other side still-- Right now it's being rented out to Sony. You know, to Sony music public. It's the English triangle, right? Yeah, triangle. Or actually known as Red Zone. Okay. So Red Zone is the compound. Red Zone is-- And it has solutions and-- No, when Red Zone, when people didn't-- Red Zone was my production company name. Okay. So, like, dark for Dallas. So, you know, Red Zone was-- But Red Zone is closed. And now I work under the name Tricky Stewart Music, though. Which is basically my production company. But the studio complex is just-- I guess, overall, if I had to tell somebody, old school, I'd be like, they'd be like, at Red Zone. I'd be like, yeah. And then sessions. If it's somebody new, I'd just give them the new address. They've never been. But we've been-- So sessions has a different address than-- Yeah. One is 1,400. One is 1,410. Got it. And so, you know, we've been there since '95. You know, we've been in the city-- You said you were moving. You said you were moving. I'm a sales studio. And I'm feeling moving. I did move. I moved for nine years. I never sold it. Okay, yeah. Future-- Future was there for a while. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, future was in there for a while. About the one next door to here now. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well. Listen, man. I appreciate everything. You pushed me to go find my own studio. And I thank you for that. Thank you for not selling me. If you'd have sold me that, I wouldn't have this. And if you would have sold it, I wouldn't have did what you did. You spent way too much money. I wasn't like, man, what the hell? You ain't going to never get this bad. I'm going to win. You know, we have seven properties within that one property. So-- So you own all of the adjacent properties around you? No, it's just within the property, within the sessions. Okay. All of that is rentable space. So, like, we have events. We have executive suite for rent. We have whether you do on photo shoots. We have many ways to get revenue streams. That's right. Kind of going besides recording studios. But within recording studios-- I'm working on that. I got my-- I bought the build next door. No. You know, I'm trying to turn it into, you know, something other than just music recording. Like, you know, shit like podcasts. Mm-hmm. Photo shoot studios. Content. Yeah, content. Yeah. Content creation space. Yes, sir. How big is the building? It ain't but 18,000 square feet. It ain't but. There will be signs for us. There will be signs. It ain't but. Yeah, that's the most interesting but. [LAUGHTER] Shit. You thought about me. That's a very interesting but, right there. Hey, man. Listen, bro. One thing I want to tell you is I appreciate you-- your mentorship, because you poured into me. And I've seen you pouring to other young artists and producers that you wouldn't necessarily get paid off of. Just giving a game. I appreciate that. I appreciate you, like, not trying to kind of make people fit in to be around, you know what I mean? You kind of meet my fucker with it. Even if that ain't what you want. You're like, OK, yeah. Cool. Just don't break nothing. I appreciate that. And I appreciate your contribution to the culture. The culture of, I guess, the industry and also the culture of it now. Even though you ain't from here, you have planted seeds here that have grown into beautiful trees, so I appreciate that. Thank you, brother. And I appreciate you as well, man. I think, you know, one of the things I always share with you is just how I appreciate, like, how much I love your family and just watching the talent unfold. And obviously, I've had different, like, relationships that I'm building some with, like, the money now. I know him. I didn't know everybody. But working with Aris has been, like, it's so fun. just from, you know, the anti-tracy connection and just tiny bringing me anti-tracy. - Oh, we didn't even talk about that. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah, so you have another artist that's about to be the biggest thing. - Yeah. - And on the scene, Miss Anti-tracy, and who we've had the pleasure of watching observing her journey from the very beginning. And we've also been honored to have her kind of shape and mold Aeros' vocal ability. That is who Aeros works with on her singing and vocals. Like, you know, early on, she also has other vocal trainers, but Annie was kind of like first there and recognized something in Aeros and kind of worked with her in a way that has brought her places. I didn't, you know, I never really, you know, I just wanted it to be a happy child, you know what I'm saying? Her mama's the joke, Jackson. I'm like, get up, get in there, get in there. I'm like, yo, man, just let the child be a child, man, you know. Hey, now, hell now, hell now, she need to get in there and sing. And, you know, and that's just, you know, that's best. It's been a pleasure to watch that. And you were, you know, as being the trickiest dude you are, you know, welcoming when she brought you anti-tracy. And you guys are now collaborating on presenting miss anti-tracy to the world. What's been the most excited? Is she bouncing in there with y'all, like she is with me? No, but what the fuck? Not like, why am I the only thing to get bounced around? No, but there's a point. Like, when there's a time, when I need somebody that's not going bend, that's when, you know, like, she's a, she's a firm, understanding, has a firm understanding of the vision. It's so wonderful. We have to, like, she kind of lets me do my thing on the day-to-day with the development and interacting with her, but there's a point where she's like, hell, no, no, no. We not doing, we not doing that trickier. We not doing that. Like, you know how she is? She was shut it down, you know? And so she's, the way that she kind of operates with me is like, is more like, if she think I'm about to do something that doesn't make sense, she should be like, hey, could I come through there for a minute? And then you know, like, then you know, something isn't right, you know? And then she'll come and explain to you how she sees it. And then you go, oh, I never thought about it that way. And then so it's cool, but I appreciate it. I mean, you know, I look at this thing as, like, family. I just want you all to get another no-screw. That's it, just give me, just give another no-screw. So I could continue to walk to the mailbox. That's it, that's what I love to do, man. That my favorite thing to do. Get up once a month, walk to that mailbox, and see that check. That is my favorite thing. That one is in the free and clear. Yeah. And I'm sure it didn't hurt when the ad show lost it. Absolutely. It keeps going and going and going. I'm talking about it, man. But you know what, they also have other, you know, artists that sample they record. What is the, I think is, huh? Is it who can I run to? Yeah, do sample who can I run to? That shit was cool, that shit was cool. I enjoyed that a weekend, but look. They sample, but they sample, that's master use, though. Yeah, it is. Because that's a remake. That's what I was saying. I just enjoyed that for a weekend, you know what I'm saying? But that no-screw, man. That's a copyright. Woo. Two different checks. Yes, sir. I'm enjoying myself, man. I'm enjoying myself. I don't know about plenty cars, about plenty cars, man. My wife had a show yesterday, it was Mother Day. You hear me? She had a show yesterday. She worked on Mother Day. I had to hear, I ended up getting a gift on Mother Day. You hear what I'm saying? Hey. No, man. But this is, man, having a wife with money is fun. Absolutely. The only thing is that one drawback, she will not do shit you say. She is not going to listen to you, then you say for them, because she do not need you for shit. Stop it. No, I'm just telling you, man. That's the truth. That's my reality. But I'm not being interviewed here. You are. Man, listen, man. Congratulations on being inducted into the songwriter Hall of Fame, man, well deserved. Can't wait to get in and do some, you know, some amazing stuff with you, whether it's average, demanding, whoever it is, whoever it is that gets the pleasure of working with you. And it's an honor just to sit down and watch you do your shit, because you are a masterful producer and so on, right? Thank you, brother. I appreciate it. Now, here, expeditionally, we have something called the Word of the Day. The Word of the Day is the word that is within my lexicon, but I pulled it out of the lexicon, so because it was inspired by the conversation or the guest. And today, the Word of the Day that we have chosen for you is forcited. The definition of forcited is someone with careful anticipation of future developments. And to use it in a sense, just to let you know that I really know the word. The sentence is Trickestore is a forcited producer whose ability to anticipate musical trends and craft hits before anyone else has defined the sound of a generation. Wow. Yeah. I love that word. Yeah. Forcited. Okay. You feel me? I have my money. That's what's up, man. Oh, my God, man. Let's respect, man. And, man, you know, maybe, man, we'll smoke a joint together. If he starts smoking, I'll be there. Man, you found one up, I started smoking. You barely smoked. I tried. This is the best expedition. This is expeditionally. I am too. See how I have. Cover me. Cover me.