← Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
"Celebrating Timeless Rhymes: De La Soul's The Grind Date Turns 20"-Hip Hop Music History-Best Musician Interview Podcast Replay
00:32:24
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- [00:00]
Michelle Williams
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human.
- [00:04]
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- [00:35]
Narrator (Valley of Shadows)
On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
- [00:41]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Hey, if they'll kill a cop and bury him, what are they going to do to me?
- [00:44]
Valley of Shadows Promoter
What really happened to the missing deputy? Valley of Shadows a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption, including California's high desert.
- [00:56]
Narrator (Valley of Shadows)
Listen to Valley of Shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:05]
Michelle Williams
You know we always say New Year, new me, but real change starts on the inside. It starts with giving your mind and your spirit the same attention you give your goals. Hey everybody, it's Michelle Williams, host of Checking in on the Black Effect Podcast Network. And on my podcast we talk mental health, healing, growth and everything you need to step into your next season whole and empowered. New Year. Real you listen to Checking in with Michelle Williams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:43]
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- [01:57]
Buzz Knight
Taking a walk.
- [01:58]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
You know you love music. You can have the amazing records that your parents could have in the house and you're just listening and you love music. But then listening to AM radio and all the cool, amazing records that now they consider yacht rock or whatever, like you know, whether it was Boston and Chicago or Steely Dan and Doobie buddy. All that we were just affected by in such a positive way.
- [02:24]
Buzz Knight
Welcome to this episode of Taking a Walk with your host Buzz Knight, where we're honored to have POS from the legendary hip hop group De La Soul joining us today. We celebrate the 20th anniversary of their iconic album the Grind Date. Let's take a walk down memory lane with pause as we explore the making of this timeless album and. And its lasting impact on music on the Taking a Walk podcast.
- [02:51]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
Well, Paz, thanks for being on Takin A Walk. I really appreciate it. And since the podcast is called Taking a Walk, I did want to ask you, if you could take a walk with somebody, living or dead, who would you take a walk with and where would you take a walk with them?
- [03:07]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Wow, that's an amazing question. Living or dead? So many people I would want to do that with. You know what? Wow. If I may be honest, I would want to take a walk with my mother. I lost my mother in 1980. She died like, right after I graduated. So I lost her in 1987. So I would take a walk with my moms because I would want to just take a walk with her and see if she approved of how I, you know, how I've been as a father to my five kids. And I would love to take a walk with my mother.
- [03:49]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
That's sweet. Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate it. So congratulations the, the 20th anniversary of the grind date and you've put out a really amazing compilation of studio work bonus tracks. Just a real love affair with the, with the grind date production and album and release. Tell me how it feels going back and kind of working through all that and how continues to feel so fresh.
- [04:24]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I mean, it's a, it's always for me a blessing, you know. Grind date, you know, you're talking about, we're already like, we were already six something albums in and you know, you, you get to this point to still be creating an album and, and be, be a part with two other people that feel still dedicated to, to making quality music, trying different things and, and just, you know, have like a sense of goodness when it comes to creating and wanting to create and then to now have that thing you created come up on an anniversary this far down the line and people still feel it's relevant, it still feels fresh. And even to myself it feels that way. You know, I just, I just really step back and feel like I'm blessed because, you know, you know, when you're creating in the moment, I don't, I don't know if you really say like, and I want this to be here forever, you know, like if I say something now, you know, it should, you know, I want it to be relevant. You just never know. So let alone feel like it's not dated. And so I feel like it feels great, man. It feels good and I'm just proud of it. And yeah, to even know some, the Songs that. For the. For the reasons at the time that we left off of the album that we can now add it. And it. It feels like, you know, we got people hitting us now, like, wow, why did you even leave that off? Why didn't you include this? And, you know, so it's. It's. It's just an honor.
- [06:00]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
You know, I love how it's. It's so. It's so great for the fans to be able to not only go back, but to find those, you know, those gems that, you know, have suddenly appeared. And that's so cool. What was so amazing about that whole album as well, so many of the collaborators that were part of it. Can you tell talk about that? Because it was full of additional, you know, friends and support who really, you know, made a big difference on it, obviously.
- [06:35]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Definitely. I mean, wow. I mean, you figure JD or Dilla, you know, he was someone from. Since the Stakes Is High album. You know, we felt like whatever consists of him, he. He will. We just felt like he will always be an ingredient on any project we do from that point on. So, you know, you figure when Grind Date was, when we started working on there, we. He was one of the first guys we. We hit. We love Matlib. Always loved Matlib. We were running in, out. In and out of a lot of places with. With Doomsday. And so, you know, we saw how close he had this relation, this music relationship, relationship with him. So we definitely look forward to, like, hey, let's try something. Let's look into what he could bring to the table and with us. And he. I mean, wow. I mean, like, the amount of music he gave to us to listen to, it was so much like. It was almost like I would just spend days, like, you know, just like, wow. Like, this is incredible. And we tried actually a lot of different things to some of his music. So it was just great to have that mind state that Matlab had to then marry ourselves to who and what he is. And Super Dave West, I mean, Dave west is. That's like my little brother. I mean, we became. I mean, like, he became very close to all of us. But I mean, like, he's just like a. He's a good friend of mine, I feel. And from Take getting music from him from the first Aoi album, once again, he was just. He was just like, you know, it was almost like a production team. Like, at that point, Dave west was damn near like a part of Daylight, you know, so we was definitely. I mean, he would probably be one of the first People we start like scratching and getting stuff from and, and configuring and, you know, even when we would get stuff from like say JD Or Dilla, you know, like, Dave west could be sitting right there and he would be a part of the think tank and, and hearing what we're trying to do, and he would give, Give advice. So Super Dave west was just an intricate part of what we were doing. Jake One, man, it was. It was crazy because, like this, this beautiful brother named John Moore, he had became friends with us. He. He lived in Seattle and Vitamin D, who's just an absolute amazing artist and producer. He. He's John Moore's younger brother. And so we got to know that camp and so bigger is what Vitamin D did. And we had actually tried some other tracks from him, but it was just like by dealing with Vitamin D, he was. It's this guy we, we know named Jake1. You may want to listen to him and the rest is history because, you know, Jake 1 gave us rock cocaine flow and Days of our Lives. We was like, yo, this is absolutely crazy. So, yeah, it was just this too much fun, man. Making those, making that with them. And Ghost Face has just been, you know, we look up to him lyrically, person, from his personality, what he brings to the Wu Tang Clan and all his solo projects. You know, when Dave west had put together the track that wound up becoming. He comes. You know, we just. Just thinking of different people and we was like, man, listen, like, Ghost Face Killer. If he was on this record, he would just bring so much life to it, in which he did, you know, so it was just amazing to have him be a part. And Common is just our family. Common is family. He even like, I think we ran into him somewhere and he was like, look, man, you know, I still rhyme. Don't. Don't get it twisted. You know, I'm acting, but I can rhyme. And we all laughing. He's like, yo, I want to be on this new album. I ain't got to work on a new album. And so we, we figured out we had to Jake One beat waiting. And we was like trying to figure out who to get on. And he was like, yo, send that to Common. And so, you know, Communist did something, as always, so amazing on it. And Flavor Flav, man. Flavor Flav.
- [11:06]
Buzz Knight
Wow.
- [11:07]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I mean, like, Dave was like immersed like this, this Mad Lib record. Like, it just sounds like Flavor should be talking on it. I say, yo, let me ask. And you know, when. When we asked him, you know, he was immediately with and Like, I just remember him coming to the studio and he was like, yo, man, you know, like, if y' all really think about it, he's like, I don't talk. You don't really find me talking on anything outside of Public Enemy, you know, like, you know. And I was like, word. He's like, yo, like, I don't normally do that, so, you know, like. You know, like, I love y' all. And like, to do, like, ad libs. Like, to be doing ad libs. Like, if I'm doing. That's what I do with Chuck. Because I was like, nah, you did some ice cream. He said, nah. He's like, ice cream thing. I rhymed. He's like, but to be that. That signature, I'm rocking up against someone with ad libs. He said, I only do that with Chuck. And he said, I love y', all, and that's why I'm doing this. I was like, wow. I was like, it's an honor, you know, so that's what we really got out of him on that record. And he. I mean, that part he added to that record, it just took it to a whole nother level for us. So, you know, man, it's just so many great people we had on there. Yummy as well. Yummy is just a great. A great. At that point, friend of ours, a little. Little sister of ours, and we just thought her voice could be magic on the record. To know a record. No. So she. She came to through and did what she does best, which is sang. She didn't sing. She sang. And of course, man, the. The incredible. Like I said, MF Doom. That record just sounded so tormenting. We was like, yo, we was like, this sounds like MF Doom. Like. Like, Doom got a rhyme on this. And we reached out. I mean, he came through. He had. I just remember that session so well because, you know, he had the mask with him, and he sat down, he had this devilish grin. I was like, oh, boy, what you got with you? No, no, I'm ready. Don't let me in the booth. And when he went in that booth, he lit that thing of fire. So I was like, yeah, you knew you was about to blow this off because, you know. You know, you know. And I was like, oh, God, this record is going to be incred. To this day, I really have no idea why we didn't do a video for that. I mean, like, that song was the song that. Because even when we got that record from Jake, Jake put that on the Beat CD he sent me by Mistake. So when I told him like, yo, it's this song and this is like these people singing and it slows down, he was like, oh, shit. He was like, wow, he's a past. I didn't even really mean I wasn't supposed to put that on there. And I was like, well, it's on there and we're taking it. And he was like, yo. He said, I wouldn't even have thought y' all would have wanted to take this. Are you crazy? And, yeah, that rock cocaine flow was wow. And that was just. And like I said, once Doom got on it, man, it was just. It was just a dream come true to do something with Doom, who's a really good friend of ours, and finally get him on something amazing. Yeah.
- [14:27]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
Do you have a sense when you're in that moment that you're really in rarefied air in terms of the chemistry and the spirit of the whole collaboration?
- [14:36]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I think there are moments like that, honestly, if we're talking about just specifically Grind Date, that's what I felt with Rock Cocaine Flow. Like, I was like, man, this is going to be incredible. And then I was even like, yo, what if we put. Yeah, let's put. Let's put Lenny Kravitz on it at the end, just playing the guitar. And then people's like, ah, come on, Merce, you're going too far. You're going too far.
- [15:03]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
He was.
- [15:03]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
They was. Dave was like, look, you could end it with. I'm. I hear the idea about ending it with someone playing the guitar and it takes on this thing in your rhyme. He said, we can definitely try that. But he was like, Lenny Kravitz, he's like, no, no, no, let's. Let's don't do that. Let's don't do that. I said, all right, all right, cool, cool. But yeah, I mean, I mean, that record was just special, man. It was truly, truly special. But like everything else, you know, like, of course, I mean, verbal clap, just like, it would just had this amazing feel to it. And once I had added to. To the production, I added the. Put all things aside. Everyone was like, yo, this is gonna be crazy. And so, yeah, it's just moments where you're just like. You just get these goosebumps, man. You're like, yo, just going to be something really, really cool. Yeah, man.
- [15:59]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
Well, yeah. Yeah. Can you talk about what inspired you to. To first start your. Your journey in music and. And how it all really came together first?
- [16:12]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I mean, it was just something that grabbed you, you know, in the neighborhood, you know, we all were. You know, you. You love music. You know, you. You can have the. The. The. The amazing records that your parents could have in the house, and you're just listening and you love music. And you. The era of like, you know, being on your little. Your roller skates and listening to all the great disco or R and B and. But then listening to AM radio and all the cool, amazing records that now they consider yacht rock or whatever, like, you know, whether it was Boston and Chicago or Steely Dan and Doobie, but all that we were just affected by in such a positive way. So when hip hop, this thing that came about called hip hop, where you're just rhyming over your favorite rock record, your favorite jazz record, or just some record, you don't even know where it comes from. But it just happened to have this breakdown. That older statesman who was maybe only like eight years older than us, they. They've now made this a standard, like the Sarone record. I didn't know who Sarone was until I heard Rocking in the Pocket. And then so, I mean, like, yeah, it just took that made me feel like, this is what I want to do. Like, I want to do this now, mind you, I'm super young, I'm in school. But it really just held your heart. It has helped your soul. So when it was about really feeling like, you know, what we can, like, you know, we got these crews. You listen to these crews on these different tapes. You know, you listen, you hear Bismarcking on a tape rhyming. And Bismarck is always showing up to our school. And here it is, you got. You can hear these tapes of Dougie freshing them in the basement. You know, let's, you know, let's get equipment and let's let us start doing the same thing. It was just as simple as that. And people just start getting better at it. And, you know, you have people saying like, yo, you're pretty good at this. And you know, I always love to write. If I wasn't doing this, I could have been a writer. You know, I was into comic books. I was always into like, stuff like that. So, yeah, I mean, rhyming, it was just. It just called out to me. Hip hop honestly called out to me, yeah, me, Dave and. And Mace, man, just practicing in the house and just getting better.
- [18:36]
Home Depot Advertiser
And.
- [18:37]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
And I mean, honestly, once Prince Paul once, you know, because he was just such an amazing DJ in the neighborhood and, you know, to see him get down with Stetsasonic, and then they made this record that just energized the entire, the entire neighborhood. It was like, Paul made it and he was like, maybe I being from Long island can make it. And then you start seeing, you know, wow, these guys from Bay Shore EPMD made it. Or these guys who we actually met before called JVC Force, they got a Wreck it out and pe, you know, all these artists from your same island, Rakim, Biz, Markey, they just energized you and confirmed that you can do this. And so we just took our chances and that's how we just were blessed enough to finally put together that demo and have a bunch of labels love it. And we went with Tommy Boy.
- [19:29]
Buzz Knight
We'll be right back with more of the Taking a Walk podcast.
- [19:34]
Matt and Joel (How to Money Podcast)
New year, new goals, and in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt and I'm Joel. We are from the how to Money podcast. And every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [20:02]
Narrator (Valley of Shadows)
On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
- [20:08]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
It's an all out manhunt for John Auge. Every search and rescue team in LA county has been called in to help.
- [20:14]
Valley of Shadows Promoter
Within days, tips started flooding into the sheriff's department.
- [20:17]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
They ruler around the drug scene. Was that a deputy was taken care of.
- [20:24]
Narrator (Valley of Shadows)
Is this the story of a man who just got lost in the desert? Or of a cover up inside the nation's largest sheriff's department?
- [20:32]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
A homicide captain saying detective, do not.
- [20:36]
Home Depot Advertiser
Find out if this guy's guilty or innocent.
- [20:38]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Who does that?
- [20:40]
Valley of Shadows Promoter
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert.
- [20:47]
Narrator (Valley of Shadows)
Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?
- [20:52]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I wouldn't do it alone.
- [20:55]
Valley of Shadows Promoter
Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts, lines and tines with.
- [21:03]
Home Depot Advertiser
Spencer Graves on the iHeartRadio app is a podcast designed for hunters and fishermen to enjoy success.
- [21:10]
Spencer Graves
I like the idea of like, hey, put me on a big deer. You know, hey, there's a big deer out here. He's doing this. Be looking for this deer. But I also love doing it on my own. I love going out there and saying, running my cameras. I love patterning the deer. I like showing up at the right time, checking the wind, knowing what stand I need to be in. And then whenever it all comes together and it happens, that's the most satisfying thing ever. So when you do it on your own, it's like, I then can hang my hat. But if I had somebody say, hey, pull up on these dots and catch them right here and you're going to win. And then when I go in, it's like, yeah, it's cool, I won the tournament. The ultimate goal is done. But it's like, dude, when you find them and you make them bite, that's the puzzle.
- [21:55]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I love it.
- [21:55]
Home Depot Advertiser
Listen to lines and tines with Spencer Graves on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:04]
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- [22:35]
Buzz Knight
Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.
- [22:38]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
Were there early mentors that really kinda helped drive that work and that passion and fuel that, that, you know, enthusiasm? Or was it really just observing what was going on and being, you know, just so observant of it that that was enough for you?
- [22:56]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Observant, Honestly, just, you know, watching whatever video you watch, listening to whatever radio personality. We, we were young, but we would go, we would leave Long island and go into the city to go to whatever the club was at that point, which a big one was Latin Quarters. And, you know, we had a fake ID and we made it in somehow. And you know, you see red alert DJing and, you know, then back then there weren't no VIP sections. So you. I could be on the floor looking at the stage. KRS1BDP is going out to get on Boogie Down Productions. But Kane, Big Daddy Kane is standing right there and Roxanne Shantae's over. Like you, they were standing and standing right there in your vicinity. And it's like all that energy you took in, how they interact, you looking at them, how they interact with their friends. And you go back to Long island, you, like, you just energized and you're writing and you're trying, you're just trying to get better at what you're doing. So it's really observing. I would say one mentor definitely was as well. He lived on my block. Our music teacher, Mr. Collins. Everett Collins. And Everett Collins. He was a tour drummer for Isley Brothers. He was the music teacher at our school. He was a. He was in the group Surface, who made songs like, you know, you know, you know, make Me Happy. And so he was a writer in Surface. He was in that group. So it was. He was like a, you know, a very humbling superstar in our. Our neighborhood. And. But he was much older, of course, and he. So, like, he was just. Always had great words for us, great understanding. And so just to have, like, all the things you were viewing on your own, you could just talk about from this amazing musician who was a part of the industry. It was just. Those are all the other people. Or, like, whether it's him or just the things you observe that you use to take in to then use as input or output into what he was trying to do.
- [25:03]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
Was there a moment that was a.
- [25:04]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Particular.
- [25:06]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
Turning point for De La Soul that you could sort of pinpoint when.
- [25:12]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
When we felt like it was going to happen, or even after it happened.
- [25:15]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
When you felt like it was going to happen?
- [25:17]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I mean, honestly, once. Once Paul came into the picture, we knew it was going to happen. Like, Paul working along with Mace on something. Like Mace was working on something because it just. It was like. It was like another DJ in the group. Actually. He went on to want to do his own thing. He was just like, yo, I don't know. It's like, I don't know if this could really happen here with y' all guys. And maybe it looks like I can DJ for this person that was over here at the Juice Crew. And. And, you know, it was this young lady named Dimples D, who was part of Cold chilling. He was DJing for her. Or I think one time, like, maybe one of Lights. Dj. Light dj. I got sick, and he did something with. With her. So he just felt like, you know what? I could just do something over here. It doesn't really seem like something's happening here. Mace, he was now being pulled into doing something with this guy around the surrounding neighborhood named Gangsta B. And Gangsta B was going to now do something on his label that Mr. Collins, who lived on my block, he was trying to put together. So Mace took it upon himself to kind of say things differently. He was like, look, I can do this, but this could be the way to get us into the door, you know, get us in And I felt like, wow, that's, that's amazing that even though Mace could have this opportunity, he's staying loyal to me and Dave about what we could be doing. And so Mr. Collins brought Prince Paul in to try to remix this record that Mace and this other mc Gangsta B put together. And that's when Mace and Paul really started talking about May start telling him like, yo, I got these guys, Merce and David. Paul knew who we were from the neighborhood. But he was like, word. He's like, Merce, like little Merce. Because he knew my older brother. He's like, he rhymes. And you try to tell me Dave Jolicort rhymes and he's like, yo. And so when Paul heard the demos of what Me, Mace and Dave was doing, he just felt like, this is what I want to be in the business in. And he was like, please tell your guys, come to my house, let's have a meeting. And once Paul had that meeting with us, he overdubbed our demos with stuff he added. And he was like, I can promise you, you can have a shot. That's what I will promise. And I just knew it was going to happen from there. And from there it did. Him and Daddy O, we went into the studio, Calliope Studios, professionally fixed up our, our songs and him and Daddy O started shopping. Daddy O was shopping mc. He had a blind mc. I forgot his name and say that, say Daddio's artist was on side A. Paul had us on side B and they would shop it and people was just falling in love with us. So I, I knew it was going to happen from that point.
- [28:21]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
You know, you face challenges over your career with, with record labels and, and sample clearances and things of that nature. How did those experiences shape your outlook and your resilience in the midst of the industry?
- [28:39]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Well, it definitely got you more focused on being on point with your business. We handed in the music. I mean we've told this story thousands of times, hundreds of thousands, but we handed in the music. We, we, we. You know, it was kind of like, you know, certain songs that was like obvious, like that's, that's Peg from Silly Dan and But this may be weird Horn or blah blah blah. This is from this record. So we, we handed in the notes. And so when it came back that these things weren't cleared, it just really got us on top of our business. And mind you, I mean, between De La Soul and Bismarcky, we actually created the business of sample lawyers. So I mean like, yeah, it just got us more on Point on making sure. Okay, so let's write all this information down. We will make sure that once we hand all these things into the label, they have to give us confirmation, show us that, you know, this is being cleared. Like, oh, you sampled that record. So now the. The master recording that's owned by Universal or whoever, they're showing that it's a quote. So we will see it all from beginning to end. There's a quote out. This is what they want. Do y' all want to pay that for the sample? We could say yes or no. We say, yeah, okay. And then you saw when it was. The. The. The sample was paid for, so it just really helped us to be more. More on point with the business side of things. And, yeah, it was. It was a little rough at some point, but even in the roughness, there was still, like, just honestly amazing things that came out of it. Because, you know, like, even when the Turtles sued us, it was like. But then when we sit down with their lawyer, it was just like, you know, he's a big fan. And it was just like moments of this. This sunshine through rain. It was like, okay. And, you know, and so, I mean, yeah, we got through it and we. We just grew up a lot quicker in terms of understanding the business, which was important because if you didn't take it upon yourself to take part in the business side and only paid attention to the creativity, you could turn around and do something that wouldn't be best for your interest.
- [30:50]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
So did you. You set up a separate sort of business vertical on clearances of samples? Is that what you. You said?
- [30:57]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
What? Well, we. We worked along with the label, but, like, it was an outside clearance that then sent us. So basically, yeah, an outside clearance company who would let Tommy Boy and us see. Okay, so this is what's going on. Like, Deborah McGannis, DMG, she would be like, okay, so, yeah, like, y', all, you've now sampled this artist for this. This. This composition you put together. This is what the master recording is saying that they want. This is what the publishing side writers are saying. Do y' all want to pay this? So we were seeing the paperwork all at the same time, which allowed us to then know, like, okay, so this is being cleared. This is. We didn't just give it to, like, certain people at Tommy Boy and just walk away. La la la la la. The next thing you know, the album comes out.
- [31:45]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
And then.
- [31:45]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Because that's what happened with the first album, like, we. They were. We weren't involved in whatever and whatever process Whatever was cleared, we didn't know. And obviously what didn't get cleared, because maybe the execs at Tomboy felt like, you know, this is a great record, but up until that point, maybe this just be a regional record. It may not go big. It may not become a. A national thing. And three feet high and rising, as we know to this day, became national, international, flew. It flew around the world. So it. It was a lot of eyes and ears on it. And therefore, would it not. Would it not just being a regional record, different companies who could own that sound will be like, yo, this is a great record. But, you know, De La Soul didn't reach out to us. Otis Redding wife could be like, yo. Like, they never reached out to us. Like, you know, so that was the stuff that was happening when you put.
- [32:39]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
In a bottle what it's like to win a Grammy. Explain that to me. How does it feel?
- [32:47]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
I mean, it feels. And I just say this for me, honestly, because, like, any plaque I have, any award, I've gotten none of them to this day. I've ever really put plaques on walls. Like, I've never done that. Really. It's rare, but it's just somewhat of a confirmation that it just makes you feel like, wow, this work we put in, people are acknowledging it. I just come from an era, 100% that we never made records to win Grammys. We never made records to do this. You know, like, we made this piece of art in the midst of just making, in that present moment, this piece of art. And we had the superpower to make it.
- [33:37]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
We had.
- [33:38]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
We had other people with superpowers, whether we're management or record execs, to now positively exploit it, to now make more people know it's there. And all that work comes back in this award that shows that you did. You now passed this threshold of making it to this point. And your peers recognize you and the fans recognize you, and it's a great feeling because it was never honestly made for them. They just magically could feel, as I have as a music listener, where Stevie wondered. They make new music for Kelvin Mercer, but Kelvin Mercer can relate to this Stevie Wonder record that touched my heart, and that's what I'm blessed to be as a musician. This group, this. This group I'm a part of, where fans and listeners can feel that, like, you've touched my soul. And therefore I'm going to spend my money to buy your music or listen to your music. And we were rewarded for it.
- [34:35]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
You may have read my mind to the Last question, which is what's your secret to staying so inspired after decades.
- [34:44]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
In the business constantly listening to new music? And I mean, I've always been like that. So I mean, when I was 17 years old, I've always was about, I don't want to just try to get use my cassette to, to record music off of the. The FM radio station with the strongest signal. I would go down to the college radio stations and try to get the first bit of stuff I remember, like this, this college station that could play demos around the different regions and I heard 2 Live Crew first, like when they submitted demos to this college station. So. And I'll be like, yo, listen to this. Like, I've always been about studying and listening to music. So even to this day, as a 55 year old man, like I'm on every site you can think of or even when you're on your respective streaming services and I allow that rabbit hole, that suggestive thing to know, oh, you like this? Listen to that. And I'll just find a time to just listen to music and it inspires, even down to the music, younger music that could be like, okay, I wouldn't be talking about this. I ain't trying to shoot and kill nobody. But the energy and how the person could present the rhyme and how the music could move, it could draw something to make me want to pin something real quick, even if it's into opposition of what the person is saying like now, it shouldn't be like that. Let me write it. I'm still getting inspired. So I think that all plays a part of it. Reading, viewing things around you, but taking the time to even, you know, shut out the world, shout the news, shut out reading and just look at my kids and look at my wife and all that just plays a part. I sponge that to put it back into my pen or whatever I'm creating. Musically brilliant.
- [36:42]
Podcast Host (Taking a Walk)
Paz, thank you so much. I really appreciate the time. Congrats on the release of the the 20th anniversary I say celebration of the grind date and it's an honor to be able to take a walk with you.
- [36:56]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
Oh, thank you so much, sir. I appreciate it. Thank you.
- [37:00]
Buzz Knight
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.
- [37:18]
Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos from De La Soul)
This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.