INTERVIEW: 112, Case & Total On The 90s R&B Generation, Biggie's Magic In Studio, Cool Vulnerability + More

Summary

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The Breakfast Club – INTERVIEW: 112, Case & Total On The 90s R&B Generation, Biggie's Magic In Studio, Cool Vulnerability + More

Date: October 27, 2025
Host: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Guests: 112, Total, Case

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Episode Overview

This dynamic episode features a spirited reunion with R&B legends 112, Total, and Case as they discuss their upcoming 90s-themed tour and reflect on the golden era of ‘90s R&B. The conversation moves from their shared musical history, Bad Boy Records culture, and creative collaborations, to the unique vulnerability that defined their music. Interwoven are candid stories about studio sessions with Biggie, Missy Elliott, and others, the impact of their music, and the cultural legacy of the era.

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Key Discussion Points

1. The 30th Anniversary ‘Room 112’ Tour: Why Now?

Timestamp: 02:38 – 04:00

• Tour Launch: 112, Total, and Case are touring together for Room 112’s 30th anniversary.
  • Mike (112): “It just made sense for us to just get out there and just show the fans that we really appreciate what they've been doing, been rocking out with us for the last 30 years, man.” (03:25)
• Lineup: Both 112 and Total are managed by the same crew; bringing Case in was a natural fit.
• 90s Nostalgia: Focus on celebrating and reviving the sound and spirit of the 90s.
• First Show Dates: November 5th, with key stops in Stamford and Brooklyn.

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2. Getting Back on Stage After Hiatus

Timestamp: 04:07 – 05:04

• Reunion Feels: For Total, returning to performance was easy—“like riding a bike.”
  • Keisha (Total): “Our vibe is very authentic. So it's, you know, just show up and be authentic.” (04:51)
• Family Support: “They actually was like, go do it. Like, bye.” (04:49) Their kids encouraged them to return to music.

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3. The Bad Boy Era – Influence and Vibe

Timestamp: 05:13 – 09:34

• Atmosphere: Felt like everything they did was a hit—“just a big old party.”
  • Keisha: “That's where we learned a lot of our grind from that whole era. Just grinding, just out there, going to the tunnel, like, it was just fun.” (06:05)
• Musical Blend: Atlanta roots meeting the New York scene was a cultural “shock,” but fostered unique musical growth.
• Case on Def Jam: Felt like an outsider as the label learned “on the fly how to do R&B.”
  • Case: “I was the last artist that Russell personally signed to Def Jam. So I could always call him and be like, yo…” (07:30)
• Timelessness: Case always aimed for longevity over trendy records.
  • Case: “I never wanted to make, like, trendy stuff. I always wanted to make music... If I could do that, then I'd be happy, and then everything else would fall in line.” (08:26)
• Star Collaborators: Recalled pivotal sessions with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Charlie Wilson.

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4. Innovating the R&B Sound – Hip-Hop Crossover

Timestamp: 09:34 – 12:37

• 112’s Contribution: Mike asserts 112 helped pioneer singing R&B over hip-hop beats—merging genres authentically.
  • Mike (112): “We would always challenge people... our niche in the industry was hip hop and R&B. We weren't just hip hop artists... So yeah, the mind frame was, we started that whole trend.” (09:45)
• Challenged by DJ Envy: Wasn’t it the Bad Boy formula or Diddy’s vision?
  • Mike (112): “I’ll give you Mary J. Blige... but 112 really... and yeah, Puff did, you know, he did contribute because we came in, man, We R&B. We R&B, bro... And his vision was like, yo, this is what's going to separate y'all.” (11:35)
• Total’s Identity: Described themselves as “hip hop with a touch of R&B”—Mary J. Blige as a pioneer of the hip hop soul sound.

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5. Meeting Puff, Recording with Biggie, & the Studio Magic

Timestamp: 13:25 – 21:36

• Signing to Bad Boy:

  • Keisha (Total): Shared the story of being “discovered” by Puff via Kathy Dukes, writing a song on the spot with Puff's name, and being signed after an impressive elevator performance.
    • “So we ride and ride, and Kathy was like, y' all gotta always be ready... I'll be right back. She comes downstairs, and she was like, okay, I need y' all to make up a song and put Puffy's name in it.” (14:07)
  • Puff called 2 AM to say he wanted to sign them.

• Studio Stories: Biggie’s Genius:

  • Keisha (Total): “Big was like our little big brother... so we went to the studio and he was playing Juicy... Keisha started humming something. Biggie was like, y' all should go in there and put that down.” (15:30)
  • Mike (112): On recording at Daddy’s House—Biggie and Faith’s genius was their ability to write and perform without pen or paper, creating legendary tracks from pure vibe and observation.
    • “Big and Faith are the only two I’ve ever seen [not write anything down].” (21:34)
  • Mike (112): Recounts Big’s process—soaking up stories in the studio, then freestyling “I Got A Story To Tell” based on his surroundings.

• Performance Credits: Efforts to ensure they now get credit for features like “Juicy.”

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6. The Era’s Impact and Cultural Legacy

Timestamp: 18:21 – 24:18

• Did They Enjoy the 90s Moment?
  • All agree: Absolutely—it was a “full blown culture,” and they recognized the rare experience of being on Bad Boy.
• Mythic Status:
  • DJ Envy: “Y’ all defined not just a genre, but y’all were the soundtrack to our lives.” (18:40)
• Fashion & Lifestyle: Bad Boy artists set trends, wore black leather and headbands, making an impact far beyond music.

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7. Vulnerability and Changes in R&B

Timestamp: 21:58 – 24:24

• Shift in R&B:
  • Mike (112): “Back then R&B was kind of... more hyperbolic, you know what I mean?” (22:57)
  • Songs expressed exaggerated devotion to love; today’s music feels “transactional.”
• DJ Envy: “You gotta be able to sing about something more than threesomes in the strip club. There’s something else going on.” (23:45)
• Case: Hip-hop’s influence made showing feelings less “cool,” stripping away vulnerability.

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8. Studio Stories, Collaborations & Industry Anecdotes

Timestamp: 38:36 – 47:42

• Missy Elliott’s Early Connections:
  • Keisha (Total): “Missy told Vita she had a rap voice, and Vita ain’t stopped rapping.”
• Faith Evans & Group Dynamics:
  • Faith often wrote for others—creating unexpected career turns and cross-pollination in Bad Boy's collaborative studio environment.
• Omar Epps Rumor:
  • Keisha (Total): Clears up that Omar never "wrote for Total," but did bounce ideas musically while they were friends.
• Tensions in the Industry:
  • The group recalls confronting Wendy Williams at her radio station over negative rumors, illustrating how artists had to defend their reputations pre-social media.

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9. The Essence of Touring – Competition and Camaraderie

Timestamp: 30:43 – 32:24

• Balancing Legends’ Egos:
  • Mike (112): “It's a respect level… I'm actually fans.” (30:43)
• Healthy Rivalry:
  • DJ Envy: “I think that ego is healthy on the tour… the fans [are] the ones that win.” (31:30)

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10. Nostalgia and The Enduring Power of 90s R&B

Timestamp: 32:28 – 34:22

• 90s Resurgence: The guests agree late 2010s and the pandemic sparked a revival, with younger generations discovering—and loving—the era.
• Legacy:
  • Mike (112): “We did more than just sing, you know, we contributed to a culture. Like, we are part of history.” (34:12)

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11. The Power of In-the-Moment Experience vs. Social Media

Timestamp: 35:05 – 36:54

• Energy of Live Shows:
  • DJ Envy: “I hate when you come out on stage and everybody got a phone. I'm like, it's happening right here in front of you.” (35:48)
  • Being part of a live audience and engaging in the energy is an irreplaceable experience.

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12. Growing Up in the Arts, Family, and Influence

Timestamp: 37:09 – 39:51

• Parenting & Influence:
  • Keisha (Total) recalls a childhood grounded by church and a desire to help her mom, with music coming as a “God’s plan.”
  • Keisha: “Like, I really honestly didn't have time to dream because I was so busy trying to figure out, okay, how I'm gonna help my mom.” (37:22)

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13. Memorable Studio Collaborations & Funny Moments

Timestamp: 46:17 – 47:56

• “The Best Man I Can Be” Session:
  • Case: Working with Ginuwine, Tyrese, RL, “you gonna kind of act right, even if you don't want to” because of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’ presence.
  • On the music video: “I think he [Tyrese] was throwing it [the hat] and he walked. I don't know. I was high... I'm not doing all this. Wear my glasses.” (47:21)

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14. What the Upcoming Tour Aims to Deliver

Timestamp: 48:04 – 48:53

• Mission Statement:
  • Mike (112): “We want... to be what we set out to be, which is a refuge for all that BS… if we can give you an hour, an hour and a half, three hours of just being able to separate yourself from bills and these badass kids of ours, feel good just for a little while... that’s our mission.”
• High-Energy Show:
  • Both acts highlight the high energy and aim for fans to “just reminisce.”

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Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Biggie’s Magic in Studio:
  Mike (112): “We use the word genius a lot… but this is the true definition… he doesn't write anything, him and Faith… they just sing from life.” (20:35 - 21:36)
• On the 90s Legacy:
  DJ Envy: “Y' all defined not just a genre, but, like, y' all were the soundtrack to our lives.”
• On Vulnerability in R&B:
  Case: “You gotta be able to sing about something more than threesomes in the strip club.” (23:47)
• On Tour Competition:
  Mike (112): "Total was our first pick... Case was our first pick... We wanted to bring back that '90s nostalgia, and just bring back that whole era of I knew where I was when I heard ‘Only You’ for the first time." (30:51)
• On Nostalgia’s Purpose:
  Mike (112): “If we can give you an hour... of just being able to separate yourself from bills and these badass kids... that’s our mission.” (48:10)

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Conclusion

This episode is a joyful, unguarded celebration of the ‘90s R&B era and its continuing legacy. With laughter, honesty, and a few inside stories, 112, Total, and Case both honor the past and look ahead to sharing its energy with new and longtime fans on their anniversary tour.

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For full segment context, see timestamps within Key Discussion Points.
Advertisements and promos omitted; summary focuses strictly on interview content.

Transcript

[Keisha]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[DJ Envy]

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[Keisha]

Storm in a sewer. That was dumb. Do not follow my example.

[DJ Envy]

Listen to Crimeless Hillbilly Heist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mike]

Two rich young Americans move to the.

[Keisha]

Costa Rican jungle to start over. But one of them will end up.

[Mike]

Dead and the other tried for murder three times.

[Keisha]

It starts with a dream.

[Mike]

A nature reserve and a space.

[Keisha]

Spectacular new home. But little by little, they lose it.

[DJ Envy]

They actually lose it.

[Keisha]

They sort of went nuts. Until one night, everything spins out of control.

[Mike]

Listen to hell in Heaven on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Envy]

Hold up. Every day I wake up.

[Keisha]

Wake your ass up.

[DJ Envy]

The Breakfast Club. Y' all finished or y' all done? Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Long Rose is here as well. We got some special guests in the building. Come on. Now we have 112. We have total. And we have Case. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. Yeah, man.

[Keisha]

How are y' all doing? Great.

[DJ Envy]

Guys. This is not a random link up. Y' all going on tour together. That's right, man.

[Mike]

This is a beautiful day. 112. Room 112. 30th anniversary tour. We're so excited. Brought our brother Case, and our sister's total with us, so we know time to have a good time, man. First. First show is when? November 5th.

[DJ Envy]

5Th.

[Mike]

November 12th. Stanford, Connecticut, Brooklyn is November 13th.

[DJ Envy]

So there's some members missing. So are the members going to be on tour or. This is the tour. This is. Yeah. Nice. My other members coming. You by yourself, Jason. You by yourself. What made now the right time for all of y' all to come together for this tour?

[Mike]

Ooh, that's a great question, bro. Honestly, man, it just. It just felt right, it being 30 years, you know, us being in the game. So it just. It just made sense for us to just get out there and just show the fans that we really appreciate what they've been doing, you know, been rocking out with us for the last 30 years, man. So, you know, we're. But really excited about it, man. Like, we're managed total, and 112 are managed by the same crew. So, of course, that was an easy decision to make with that. And then Case, you know, being, you know, the.

[DJ Envy]

That's the bro.

[Mike]

Yeah, that's the bro. You know what I mean? And all of us having that catalog is definitely. We wanted to bring back that 90 nostalgia. You feel me?

[Keisha]

And all y' all can still sing. Thank you.

[DJ Envy]

Thank you.

[Keisha]

That's, you know, not everybody doing it, but y' all can still sing.

[Mike]

That's important.

[Keisha]

That's good.

[Mike]

Yes, ma'. Am.

[DJ Envy]

Now, so you were. You guys on the road already on tour before, or you. You had to break from family obligations and be like, I'm need to take some time out and get on tour?

[Keisha]

We, Keisha and I were on. We just started back a year ago. We came back out, we did the Queens of R B tour. Prior to that, yeah, we were home from our families.

[DJ Envy]

And how difficult was that? Getting back on the road, getting back on dancing, getting back on singing. How difficult was that?

[Keisha]

It really. It wasn't. It really wasn't difficult. It's like, you know, like riding a bike. Once you did it, you done it. So it was just, you know, my kids are older. Keisha still has a high school child, but so wasn't hard at all. They're very supportive, you know, they actually was like, go do it. Like, bye.

[DJ Envy]

Get out the house, Mom. Get out of here.

[Keisha]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rehearsals was dope. We had to, you know, work it out a little bit. But like Kima said, it's like riding a bike. Once you get started, our vibe is very authentic. So it's, you know, just show up and be authentic.

[DJ Envy]

But people want them dances from the old videos. Like, you gotta do that if you ain't hitting them. Them dances.

[Keisha]

We have dances and we got our bop.

[DJ Envy]

How did y' all find that balance back in the day between. Between being, like, sexy but strong but still street with it? Like, how did y' all find that balance?

[Keisha]

It was just natural. Like, that's just who we are growing up Jersey, like, how we were. Yeah. And that's what made us. To me, that's what made us who we were. Total. The name started out as total opposites because we were all individuals in our own way, you know, so it was. It wasn't like you had to buy the brand. We came as we were.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Keisha]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

How was the Bad Boy ever back then, growing up? Right? Because There was a time, 90s, 2000, it was nothing but bad boy and radio, nothing but bad boy on the streets, mixtapes, the clubs. How was that era where it just. It felt like anything y' all did hit, it was.

[Keisha]

It's a beautiful thing. It was fun. It was. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

That's.

[Keisha]

That's where we learned a lot of our grind from that whole era. Just grinding, just out there, going to the tunnel, like, it was just fun. It was just like a big old party.

[DJ Envy]

Yep. Yeah.

[Mike]

That tunnel, that was crazy, right?

[DJ Envy]

Us coming from Atlanta, you know what I'm saying? It, like. It was a different. It was like a different culture. So, you know. You know, you can imagine how that felt. He's coming. I know he's from the. From south side. You know what I'm saying? So he coming to New York. Culture shock. Culture was a shock, you know, so, you know, but. But it was so much fun because it was just like, okay, club's smaller, but you know what I mean? But it was like in your face, so. You know what I'm saying? So we. But we learned a lot musically here. Now. What about for you, Case? Now, you weren't on Bad Boy. You were on Def Jam. I was a Def Jam. You were a songwriter. You had. You have the. I always say you have that one wedding song that you will get paid for for the rest of your life. Happily ever after, like. Let's hope. So. How was. How was it coming up for you in that. During that time? Because at that time, you were Def Jam. Def Jam was heavy hip hop, and you was probably one of the Only R B singers at the time. I mean, it was cool for me, except for the only problem was they was learning on the fly how to do R B. And so I get caught up in that sometime. But yeah, I mean, you know how big they was then. So that part was cool. It was just a lot of times they had a lot of hip hop sensibilities because it's hip hop label. But one of the things that helped me was that I was the last artist that Russell personally signed to Def Jam. So I could always call him and be like, yo, I can snitch. Did you know them records was gonna be so timeless? Like, touch me, tease me, Happily ever, ever? I didn't know, but that's what I always wanted to do. Like, I never wanted to make, like, trendy stuff. I always wanted to make music. Like, my parents would listen to stuff from, like, 20, 30 years earlier, and it would have me doing it. And so my thing was, like, if I could do that, then I'd be happy, and then everything else would fall in line. You worked with Mary J, Beyonce, Foxy Brown. Foxy Brown, Usher. Usher, Usher. Who else? There's a bunch of people. Ll, Ghostface, Ghostface. Genuine Tyrese. Yeah, Genuine Tyrese. Jammu Lewis. What's a session that changed the way you saw yourself as an artist? Probably Jamie Lewis, because I was a huge fan. And I'm like, I'm sitting in a room with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and I'm like. And they was like, well, yeah, Janet. We're gonna have Janet come. She loves you. And I'm like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So they try to call her. Yeah, yeah, we don't need to do that. I was just saying I love her. Don't have. Don't have a walk in here. Because that have been different. Yeah, but it was really that one. Because I'm like, sitting there. I been listening to him forever, and I'm like, dag, I'm sitting here. Another one was the first time I worked with Charlie Wilson. I had wrote a song for him, and I was a huge fan. And I'm sitting in the booth behind him on the floor while he's doing his vocals, and I'm tripping out, like, dang, this is really happening. So it was a lot of different moments. I felt like Def Jam didn't treat you like a regular artist. Right. With total and 112, I would see them out in the club. Like, Bad Boy would have them out. Def Jam artists. Def Jam would have them out. I didn't see you. Def Jam put you out as much like that. Was it because you didn't want to go out or. They probably didn't know what to do with him because he was R B. I think a lot of it. Yeah. First of all, I hate going out. Okay. So if I didn't have to be there. That's why you always be like, yo, I ain't hearing a lot of stuff about you because I know how to. Yeah, I be over here. So I mean, I wasn't really big on going out or when I did, it'd be. I'd be somewhere else unless I had to be, you know, somewhere with. With them. Gotcha.

[Keisha]

Did you guys. Well, Mike, I saw you say that you feel like, you know, you guys first album without that. You don't think that R B would be as prevalent or as worldwide as it is right now.

[Mike]

Oh my God.

[Keisha]

Okay.

[Mike]

Okay. Yeah, so yeah, because we, we felt like we contributed a lot more. 112. You know, we walk around with, with modesty on our shoulders and stuff. And I know that that's, you know, hubris to say that while you're talking about modesty. Right. But yeah, we, we always walked around with this, this mindset that man, we'll let our actions speak for themselves. But we would always challenge people like find us. Because our niche in, in the industry was hip hop and R and B. We weren't just hip hop artists. I mean R and B artists. We were hip hop and R and B artists. So yeah, the mind frame was. We started that whole trend. It's like the way music sounds now. 112 had a lot to do with that because no one can really give us a group that did it the way that we did it before. 112 like as far as singing over hip hop beats and stuff like that. Like you, I challenge anybody. Find me a group that did it. Because back in the day, what, you had the A side and you had your B side, right? And then on the B side. So the records, right, they, they had the records. You had the up tempo records where they were singing. But they were always all that singing over up tempo beats and stuff. It was like, it was confusing. Puff, one thing that Puff told us was like when you're in the club, when you, when you're recording a record, right, Sing the song as if you're in the club drinking and you're trying to holla at a girl. You ain't gonna be in this girl talking about, yeah, you're gonna. Girl, I Want to be with you, no one else. You know what I mean? It's gonna be something smoothing. So when we wrote records, when we wrote the Up Timbo records, and then Slim having the voice, being able to just lay on the tracks the way that we did, like, that started a whole era where people now, like, when you hear R B, it has a hip hop element to it as well. It's not just R B, It's a hip hop element.

[DJ Envy]

But isn't that the Bad Boy formula, though? Wasn't that Diddy? Like, I feel like Diddy did that, like, with Jodeci. I feel like he did that with Mary J. Blige. I feel like he did that with Total.

[Mike]

I'll give you that. I'll give you Mary J. Blige, because, yeah, she. She helped. Because we always say that Mary is between Mary and 112, but 112, really? And then, yeah, Puff did. You know, he did contributed because we came in, man, We R B. We R B, bro. Like, forget all this stuff, man. Like, hip hop, that's going to cheapen our sound and all this other stuff. And he's had vision, was like, yo, this is what's going to separate y' all from the Drew Hills, from the Jaggeds, from the, you know, the Agits and all these other groups that were coming out at the same time.

[DJ Envy]

And you know what that is?

[Keisha]

That didn't make perfect sense.

[DJ Envy]

Right. Instead of all I would love a.

[Keisha]

To come up to me in a club, let me tell you what you want to do.

[DJ Envy]

Like, you just straight up, straight up, you got my attention. All right, what you want.

[Mike]

You know what I mean? Exactly. That's exactly what it was.

[DJ Envy]

You know what I'm saying?

[Mike]

Nine times out of 10, they ain't gonna be able to sing. So he's like, bro, all of that in my ear. Like, I don't want to hear all that.

[DJ Envy]

You know what I'm saying?

[Mike]

So that's. That's.

[DJ Envy]

Do y' all agree with Mike's assessment? Not to start any arguments here, but, Case, do you agree with that? Yeah, I mean, it was. It was part of it. I mean, that during that era, that's when hip hop and R and B was coming. Yeah, yeah. So pretty much. And I feel like Bad Boy was at the forefront of that. Yeah, definitely.

[Keisha]

Yeah. Because Total was hip hop with that touch of R B. We R B group, but I think we were more based hip hop with the touch of R B. And Mary definitely was the pioneer of that sound. So in total, you Guys are some of the first. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[DJ Envy]

Shout out to kick.

[Keisha]

No, no, I was just gonna say when he. When Puff did the remixes with Jodeci, because Jodeci was just the R B. And then he brought the hip hop element.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. Ghost facing Raekwon on the freaking you remix. You know, like, I can't even. I don't want to hear can't you see without Biggie part. Like, I hate. Hated when some of the urban AC stations back in the day didn't play rap, so they would just play the R B. Oh, I hated that. I was like, really? Right. Yes. Because they didn't want a lot of urban N. Didn't play the rest. Truth. Yeah.

[Keisha]

You got played. Wow. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So how did y' all sign to Puff? When did y' all meet Puff? And Puff was like, this is the group that I want. How did that story. Because.

[Keisha]

We met Puffy through this long story. We met these guys that introduce us to Kathy. Kathy was from Mount Vernon. Kathy Dukes. Kathy Dukes. She's how we met Puff. Puff is. Was her son's It. What is her son's godfather.

[DJ Envy]

Okay.

[Keisha]

He's the little baby. The little first bad boy baby. Oh, put a mic closer.

[DJ Envy]

Yep.

[Keisha]

So that's how we met him. Can I. Can I bring. Can I bring them in? So Kathy. One day, when. When we were introduced to Kathy, Kathy was like, I would love to represent y', all, manage y'.

[DJ Envy]

All.

[Keisha]

So we ride and ride, and Kathy was like, y' all gotta always be ready. Always be ready. So she pulls up, she goes upstairs. She's like, I'll be right back. She comes downstairs, and she was like, okay, I need y' all to make up a song and put Puffy's name in it. Oh, yeah, at the time, Puffy's Puffy, he's actually in the studio with Jodeci doing the remix. So he comes downstairs, he introduces himself, and then we just start singing. But we're performing. We, like, had them all backed up against the wall in the elevator. He was looking at us like he had his mouth open. He was like, how old are you? He asked our ages, came upstairs. We watched him, you know, direct Jodeci. And then he asked us how well did we get along in the studio. Like, if we had an argument, did we get back in the studio? And we were like, yeah. So he was like, okay. So he was like, yo, y', all, y' all sound really good. He was like, yo, I just encourage y' all to keep doing what y' all doing, you know, don't let nobody break y' all up. Two o' clock that morning, he called Kathy. He was like, don't take them nowhere. I wanna sign them.

[DJ Envy]

And what was the first song that y' all did? What was the first one y' all recorded?

[Keisha]

Well, we recorded songs that never went anywhere because we were just trying to find our sound. But can't you see no Juicy. Juicy with Biggie.

[DJ Envy]

Juicy was the first record y' all did.

[Keisha]

Yeah. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

And how was working with Biggie?

[Keisha]

Amazing.

[DJ Envy]

You gotta break it down. Both songs. Juicy and the can't yout See?

[Keisha]

The story behind how we wind up recording Juicy is like Big was like our little big brother. Like, we were close with Big, so we would frequently be in New York hanging out in the studio with him. So he called us one day. He was like, come to the city. We was in this. He was in the studio. So we went to the studio and he was playing Juicy. Keisha started humming something. Biggie was like, y' all should go in there and put that down. So he, you know, just gave us some words or whatever and we went in there and we put it down. And Puff had us come back the next day and do the One More Chance song. So that's how it starts.

[DJ Envy]

I did One More Chance. I never knew because it was all Juicy. I never knew that.

[Keisha]

Yeah, there's an original One More Chance. The one on the album is different from the one with the.

[DJ Envy]

With the voicemail in the front.

[Keisha]

Yeah, we need to work on that. Juicy. It says it now when you Google it. But I assume that it wasn't necessary supposed to been a feature for Biggie because it was his first single and stuff like that. So. Yeah. And we don't think, you know, we were new. I don't think it was something that just happened. Like we was in the studio and we got in trouble. It was our managers, like, don't do that no more. But I just think they didn't plan for it to be Biggie's first album to have a feature on it.

[DJ Envy]

Did y' all get writing credits for that or. No?

[Keisha]

No. Because Big wrote it, right? Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

I'm be honest with you. I didn't know y' all was on Juicy. Y' all won't be. So I didn't know that. And we know those records verbatim. The One More Chance Dirty version is like one of my favorite records ever.

[Mike]

Wow.

[DJ Envy]

Hold on. And can't you see. How did can't you see come together?

[Keisha]

We just came to the studio and the track was playing, and we were like, oh, snap. And then Terry Robinson. Terry. What was the group that Terry was? The Girls. Young Terry Robinson. She's so incredible as far as songwriting. And she came. She was like, this is. This is what it is. Okay. Verse. I like that verse. She liked that verse. Like, that verse. We went, recorded it, and it. It was. What it was.

[DJ Envy]

Was B already on it or.

[Keisha]

No, no, Big wasn't on it. He was in the studio, and then he came in and laid it down. It's crazy.

[DJ Envy]

Wow. That's crazy.

[Keisha]

Yeah. I was gonna ask. When you said we got to work on it, you can go back and make sure you guys are credited on the song now. Even though, like, it's been listed certain ways, certain. Like, how would that work? Because I think. I think Pam was able to do that with Hypnotized. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So.

[Keisha]

And then we get our sounding. We get. We get performance royalties for it. Like, our sound exchange and stuff like that. And, yeah, it has gotten updated. We had it updated on the Internet. So now if you look it up, it does say feature in total, but it just didn't go out like that. A lot of people never knew it. We were like, wait, but if y' all total fans, how come y' all can't. You know, you don't. I just never, like, realized that it didn't say featuring, right?

[DJ Envy]

Oh, y' all voice is definitely. Y' all know. Y' all know. Everybody know, of course. Did y' all enjoy the moment of the 90s? Cuz when I look at y', all, it's like y' all are like mythical figures to me, right? Like, you know what I'm saying? Because y' all defined not just a genre, but, like, y' all would have soundtrack to the our lives. Did y' all really enjoy the moment?

[Keisha]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, yeah.

[Keisha]

Yeah, Absolutely. We had a lot.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, sir.

[Mike]

Listen, when they said Bad Boy was in the building, right? It was just.

[Keisha]

I mean, we were on a high. I mean, you couldn't ask for a better label, you know, and a place to be. And especially, like aspiring artists, when this is something that you dream of doing to land on Bad Boy. And I do. We remember the time clearly when it. Bad Boy was everywhere, right? It was nothing to just walk in the club or walk anywhere and just get that love, admiration, and respect. Like, it was just black leather.

[Mike]

They in the world wearing black leather. You know, we.

[DJ Envy]

We.

[Mike]

You know, the headbands. Everybody's doing heav. Like, we were. It was. It was deeper Than the music.

[Keisha]

Yeah, I mean, it was.

[Mike]

It was a full blown culture.

[DJ Envy]

It was.

[Mike]

It was a.

[Keisha]

It was a movement and we loved each other. Yeah. We still go in each other's sessions.

[Mike]

A lot of ways. The how the record got together. Like. Like we tell the story of how we. We were on big. Like if you look at. Listen to Life after death, right? 112 is all like, big. He shouts us out throughout the whole album. That's because we were in the studio with him. So Daddy's house had the Neve. The SSL in the pre production room, right? So 12 is in the pre production room. Junior mafia, big is all in the neve room. Ceez come out and says, yo, Big wanna holler at y'.

[DJ Envy]

All.

[Mike]

So we go in there. From here up, weed smoke, right? So we can't see when nobody's interested. So we feel around and say, so Big is just sitting there, right? And we use this all. We use the word genius. We throw the word genius out a lot. But this is true definition of genius, right? So we walking in, Big cs, he said, yo, what up? And that's it. He says nothing else, right? So everybody else, Junior mafia, they moving around. Everybody's laughing, everybody's smoking, having a good time. Everybody's drinking. You know, 12, we baked out our minds because we don't smoke.

[Keisha]

Oh, y' all ain't smoke.

[Mike]

So we bake, right? So around two, three hours later, Bigg's like, yo, I'm ready. And the engineer's like, ready for what? So dude gets up, going to the booth and does. I got a story to tell. So the part where my 112 CD blast. Cause we were in the room with him. So he's listening to everybody's story. He's listening to Junior Mafia tell that story. 112 tell that story. And then he goes in. That doesn't write anything down. And that's where the genius, like, we saw that firsthand. Like, this dude never wrote anything. Him and Faith. Faith Evans, like, Faith doesn't write anything down either. Like, so Faith don't write down. Faith don't write anything down either. Jesus. Yeah, Faith don't write anything down. We watch her. Do you abandon me? Love don't live. We were. We was at. What's the other studio, bro, I forget what is Hit Factory. He was. Yeah, she was a hit factory. Well, doing that record with Mary J. Blige. And she. She just went in there and just did that whole thing without. No, like, yo, where the paper?

[DJ Envy]

Y?

[Mike]

She don't need no paper or marker.

[Keisha]

Nothing like just singing from life.

[Mike]

Big and Faith are the only two I've ever seen.

[DJ Envy]

I got a story to tell.

[Keisha]

Just straight came to him. He went after just hearing everybody.

[Mike]

He's watching everybody tell their story like. And he's almost like Kaiser.

[DJ Envy]

So, yeah.

[Mike]

Perfect, bro. He kind of associate the hell out of that record.

[DJ Envy]

They said him and Jay Z the only people that do that. Oh, yeah.

[Mike]

Tip don't write nothing down there.

[DJ Envy]

That is a gift for sure. Back in the day, it's like R and B used to celebrate, like love and heartbreak. But now, like, it feels transactional. Yeah, right. What do y' all think made vulnerability cool back then? Well, I, you know, I just think that it was a time. It was just a time period where, you know, where everything was going on in the world. We used music as our getaway. It was our medicine. You know what I'm saying? Anybody remember the 90s when we came to the club or we came anywhere. Everybody came to party, to dance, you know what I'm saying? You know, now you go. You go into places. I don't know how it is too much here in New York as much. But I know in Atlanta, everybody's staring at each other. It's everywhere now. Or they're on the phone, you know, and it's like. It's a different type of a feel. So, you know, unless it's homecoming. If it's homecoming, Atlanta. Oh, no, okay, that's true. But regular clubs is. But even when you say that, you know, the alumni. It's us in there cranking it up, you know what I'm saying? So, you know.

[Mike]

Yeah, back then R and B was kind of. It was more hyperbolic, you know what I mean? It was, you know, good. Damn. Well, we're not climbing no highest mountain Swimming no deepest sea. But we gave you the impression, I don't know how you feel.

[DJ Envy]

You know what I mean?

[Mike]

But we're not doing all of that. But we gave you the impression we sung it and made you believe that that was possible. Anything was possible. And nowadays, man, it's just. It's different. The music is too.

[Keisha]

And we came from good music from our parents.

[DJ Envy]

Exactly. That's what I was about to say too. I think the other thing that did it was hip hop became more hyperbolic. Definitely a good word for that. But when it merged with R B so much, it became not cool to have feelings. But I guess that's how people felt. And then the strip club culture got involved when it so Everything is that. And I always say that, like with everything that's going on in the world and people's lives, you gotta be able to sing about something more than threesomes in the strip club. Yeah, there's something else going on, you know what I'm saying? And nobody really does that. Well, I won't say nobody, but a lot of the music doesn't have that no more. They don't have the feelings, they don't have the vulnerability. Like you said, it's all trying to.

[Mike]

Be rappers, all the singers trying to be rappers.

[DJ Envy]

And a lot of that is technology. But it's so crazy because even the rappers back then, most of the rappers back then, we loved him because they were vulnerable. You love Pac cause he was vulnerable. You love Big because he was vulnerable. Love Kanye because he was vulnerable.

[Mike]

And it's like now you can't be vulnerable.

[DJ Envy]

You were so vulnerable at the end of.

[Keisha]

I think it's missing you. You said I can't sing no more.

[DJ Envy]

I was fighting for get ready because sports, culture and entertainment is colliding like never before. Wednesday at 10, 9 Central on BET is BET's all new series 106 in Sports. Hosted by NFL star Cam Newton and sports analyst Ashley Nicole Moss. 106 in Sports is where the biggest plays meet, the biggest conversations. Each week, Cam and Ashley are counting down the top five moments everyone's talking about. From the most jaw dropping highlights on.

[Mike]

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[DJ Envy]

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[Mike]

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[DJ Envy]

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[Mike]

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[DJ Envy]

If it's big, it's on 106 in sports. Whether it's stars like LeBron, Steph Giannis and Durant making waves on and off the court, you know it's making the countdown. So tune in and join the conversation because it's where sports meets style, competition meets culture, and every moment matters. Don't miss the all new series on Wednesdays at 10, 9 Central on bets 106 in sports. If you want to relive the countdown or catch what you missed, stream the next day on BET. The NBA season tips off, and so does DraftKings newest fantasy game. DraftKings pick six is the easiest way to play for big wins, with every possession giving you a shot at real money. Here's how to play Just pick more or less on two or more stats and unlock the upside every game brings. Download the DraftKings pick six app now and use code breakfast. That's code breakfast. Play just $5. Get $50 in pick six bonus picks make the call. Ride the Upside in partnership with DraftKings pick six. The crown is yours. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org in Connecticut. Must be 18 plus. Age and eligibility restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Pick six not available everywhere, including New York and Ontario. Voidware prohibited. One per new customer bonus awarded as non withdrawable. Pick six bonus picks that expire in 14 days. Limited time offer see [e-mail] promos.

[Keisha]

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[DJ Envy]

They actually lose it. They sort of went nuts.

[Keisha]

Until one night, everything spins out of control. Listen to Hell in Heaven on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or Wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Envy]

I was fighting for my life.

[Mike]

Singing.

[Keisha]

That song, and I was all day. Listen. So when you said, I can't sing.

[DJ Envy]

No more, is you really couldn't or you was. No, I was sick.

[Keisha]

You were sick?

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. And when I got there, what happened was I went to LA on Monday to do Missing you. We supposed to do it on Tuesday. I don't know what happened. My voice went out. So I spent all day Tuesday, Wednesday, trying to get it back, and Thursday it came back. So what did I do? I went hanging out with Ja. And so, right. I went to the club Ja Rule. And then that night, we did Living it Up. Then it left again the next day because I was out all night. So it got to Friday. It was like, we don't do it today. We can't do it.

[Keisha]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So I went in there. I was drinking stuff all day, wouldn't come back. Got to the studios, like, he can't sing or talk. So he's like, can you try it? I'm like, all right. So I went there once. He said, can you do it one more time? And I got to the end, and I felt it going. I'm like. And then I said, I can't sing. No, but I want to say it. So I sang it. I'm like, I'm knocking on the glass. That was it. That was it. That's why I didn't sing nothing else. I came out and tapped him on the shoulder. I'm like, I just literally thought you missed us so much that you can't even. I was fighting for my life. And then what crazy thing about that? I got nominated for Grammys for one of them songs. Damn it, bro. Tell the truth. But, yeah, that's crazy part. They got nominated for Grammys for both them songs. Amazing. Which was crazy. But, yeah, I was fighting that night. Yeah. How do y'. All. How do y' all balance egos, you know? You know when you're dealing with three legendary acts who all had their individual moments. Yes. You know, bro, gratitude.

[Mike]

It's a respect level.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Mike]

You know what I mean? It's like. Cause I'm actually fans.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. Actually fans. I love that.

[Mike]

And I know it sounds cliche or whatever, but it's the truth. And, you know, so often we don't tell the truth. You know, we get in this type of form or whatever, but we are genuinely, like, Total was our first pick to be on this room 112 tour. Case was our first pick to be on this, because Case, his catalog, we Just spoke about his catalog. Ridiculous. Total ridiculous. 112. Ridiculous. And we wanted to bring back that 90s nostalgia, you know, and just bring back that whole era of I knew where I was when I heard Only youy for the First Time.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, my God.

[Mike]

You know, I knew where I was when I heard Cupid, when I heard I'm Missing youg or when I heard can't yout See for the first time. Like, I remember where I was when I heard these rappers. Not where I was supposed to be.

[Keisha]

Where I was at when I heard.

[DJ Envy]

All that I wasn't supposed to be doing when I was done. But you know. You know what I think? I think that ego is healthy on the tour. Especially like this, because you have to. If you use it the right way, like, for me, it's like, okay, I'm gonna try to kill everybody, and then they gonna feel the same way. And then the fans, the one that win, as opposed to people who just go up there, don't care, with no ego, like, I just gotta chill.

[Keisha]

We come from that.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, you got it. That's what I'm saying. You gotta come from that.

[Keisha]

We come from that. Total 112 just killed y'.

[DJ Envy]

All. And that's how you gotta do it.

[Mike]

Okay.

[DJ Envy]

That's how you gotta do it.

[Mike]

My boy used to threaten us all the time.

[DJ Envy]

Friendly competition. And that's. That's the best. Because the only people that win is the fans. Was there ever a low time for y'? All? Cause I feel like my daughter's 24, and she loves 90s music more than anything. Right? It's probably because dad plays it in the house. Mom and dad play it in the house. But I just. I feel like, was there a low time? And then I feel like 90s just came back, and it's stronger than even this year's, like, this decade's music. Was it ever a low time for y'? All? Yeah.

[Mike]

Yeah, it definitely was. I think for us, the resurgence of the 90s, you know, was something that was what we appreciated more than anything. And that happened about what, maybe almost like six, seven years ago.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, it was like, what, the pandemic. You didn't know. When you didn't know what the state of music and how the industry and how we were going to perform was going to be. Remember, everybody start experimenting with the whole, you know, taping, you know, and then video. It was just. Yeah, I thought we were gonna just. It's gonna be that, you know, so. So much gratitude now to, you know, I mean, See it for where it is. And. And we feel like it's a blessing that of all the errors they chose to pick, they picked the 90s, right? You know what I'm saying? So if I had to machine, I would want to go back just to. I really want to experience it in New York. Like, oh, man, you would have loved.

[Keisha]

You laughed at me. That was crazy. I think that one time you laughed at me. Go back. And I just feel like the. The time that you guys were like, like the top, it was such a good time here. It doesn't seem real, like, when we hear the stories or like, I'm just sitting here listening to y' all talk about just walking in the studio. Big Biggie's just there and, like, you know, I can't imagine being young and just being, like, on top. Yeah.

[Mike]

Like, in that time, but you're working so hard that you don't even realize it, you know? Like, you don't even realize what it took us to step away from it, you know, and. And, okay, we can use it as our downtime, you know, and say that that was the time for us to go back and. And look at it and say, man, we. We did more than just sing, you know, we contributed to a culture. Like, we. We are part of history, you know, we're part of.

[DJ Envy]

Defined the culture in a way.

[Mike]

Yes. So it's. So that. That was amazing. It's looking at it now, being older. Like, you're looking at it now. Because my kids now, they're. They're going back and they Googling like, Dad, y'.

[DJ Envy]

All.

[Mike]

Y' all did pizza and cream. Look at the video, bro. That's me, my kid. No, because I don't go around. I don't. I don't go around. Hey, look at Mike, you know, I don't. I don't do that. You know, I, like, they. They just. They. They grew up as normal as I. I hoped I could because I could teach them to be. Because it's such a mental, you know, strain that the industry takes. Like, it gives, but it also takes. And one of the things is, you know, the. The lack of, you know, the mental health that comes along, you know, saying with that. Because you're. You're inundated with all of this, you know, you have to be perfect. Every time you see you, you're out. You all. Your face has always got to be right.

[DJ Envy]

Right?

[Mike]

Your clothes got to always be right or. Oh, man, they don't fell off, bro. Like, I just came from the gym.

[DJ Envy]

You Know, but I think the camera messed that up, man. The camera messed it up because when, like, the reason I asked him if he was out is I would see everybody out, right? I was a kid growing up, so I would go to Grand's Tomb and see y' all on 125th Street. I would go to the tunnel and see y' all in the tunnel and different things. And there was no VIP area. Like, that's what it was. And it gave you a connection with an artist. But there was no phone, so it was no, I'm taking a picture, right? It was no. The only thing that you would possibly do if you want. And nobody wanted to look corny, but you might ask for an autograph, but nobody wanted to come to the club and do that. So it gave you. You enjoy the moment. And I feel like people are not enjoying the moment now.

[Keisha]

Disengaged.

[DJ Envy]

Disconnected to the mic, and everybody had. I hate when you come out on stage and everybody got a phone. I'm like, it's happening right here in front of you. Yeah, yeah. And then, for me, anyway, I don't think that. Because I think part of when you perform, it's the. It's how it sounds, it's how it looks, but it's the energy in the room. And you can never. If you go back and watch that, you're not gonna get that energy. The energy is right there in front of you. Like, for me, I would maybe take a picture, a quick video, then I would put my phone down. I went to see Stevie Wonder. I ain't even take a picture, right? I sat there because there's an energy that goes with it. And I think a lot of people miss that because you like this. And I'm like, yo, it's right in front of you. If you put the phone down, it's happening right there.

[Keisha]

Exactly.

[DJ Envy]

Because it's different.

[Keisha]

You gotta watch the phone to see.

[DJ Envy]

If you got the right behind. Singing off key. Yeah. And so I'm like, am I messing up when I see the videos? I'm like, no, that's her singing. I'm like, hold up. Did I just. Ain't no way. I just did that.

[Keisha]

Yeah. Yeah, I did that. Beyonce's tour. And I'm like, I've never went live. Ever went live on Instagram. And I wasn't expecting this. Beyonce came out, and she just started speaking. I'm on live. I'm like, I'm on live, y'. All.

[DJ Envy]

This is B.

[Keisha]

And she started speaking, and I started crying. I was not Expecting it. I was like, okay, guys, I gotta go. Literally, I might have been filming for, like, 10 seconds. You gotta be in the moment because it's an experience. You know what I mean?

[DJ Envy]

Cause watching it back is not the same.

[Keisha]

No, it's not.

[DJ Envy]

I wanted to ask you, Kim, what was your household like growing up? Because I got four daughters, and, you know, a couple of them express wanting to be in the arts. You and your sister Vita, y' all actually made it happen. Was it your parents pushing y' all to both be in the industry or what was it?

[Keisha]

No. God's plan. Vita was always a lot more outgoing than me, so it wasn't surprising for me that she got into it. No. My mama had us in church. My. You know, my mom was. Was a struggle for her. So, like, I know for me, all I wanted to do was just be successful. I wound up singing. We sung in a choir and stuff like that, but I wound up being in a group and entertaining the industry through Keisha. When we became friends, she heard me sing, but it was just something that we just always did. My mom sung back up for Aretha Franklin. Grew up in that era, but it was pretty normal at home. Like, I really honestly didn't have time to dream because I was so busy trying to figure out, okay, how I'm gonna help my mom. Like, I needed to work. So, you know, that was my plan soon as I was old enough. So, nope, she didn't push us. She supported us. Like, she was our number one fan, but she didn't push us to be into it, be in the industry. Missy Elliott. Oh, Missy told Vita she had a rap voice, and Vita ain't stopped rapping.

[DJ Envy]

So this is. Was this when y' all did what about us? Or was it around this time?

[Keisha]

Well, yeah, like, Missy. We had met Missy before we. She started writing what about us and stuff, like, because, like you said, everybody kinda hung around each other. So Missy, we became Missy.

[DJ Envy]

Lived in Jersey for a while, too.

[Keisha]

Yeah, we became Missy. And I was really close at one time, and she was at my house at Jersey, and her and Vita talking, and she told Vita, you should rap. Be the start of rapping.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Mike]

12 got a story for that, too. So Missy used to hang out at daddy's house all the time, right?

[Keisha]

Yep.

[Mike]

And so she was like, yo, Puff, I want to get on this record. So we wrote a record for Gina Thompson. So we wrote that, right? Missy came in, she was like, yo, I need to get on this, Joan, I need to get on. And then that's the first time you heard her do the he.

[DJ Envy]

Record.

[Mike]

That was the first time that, you know, she was in Sister. She was in the girl group Sister at that point. But she had came up and she was like, yo, I need to get on one of these records. Nene's record 112. I'm gonna write this. So she was just. All the time. She was just in Daddy's house, man. And that was the energy that was around bad boys. Like, we were just all in each other's studio. Like, hey, Keith. Hey, Mike. Come in here and sing this real quick.

[Keisha]

All right, bet.

[Mike]

Faith, you know, come in and sing this record. Like, a lot of times it wasn't, you know, just. It was by design. It was really just being in the room at the right place at the right time, you know, and just making it happen.

[DJ Envy]

Because Faith wrote the song that got me signed to Death certificate. You.

[Keisha]

Wow. Crazy.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Keisha]

Was it.

[Mike]

That's. That's crazy.

[DJ Envy]

It was a song called Don't Be Afraid. And Misa, who was managing me at the time, got Faith to write it, which. There's a hilarious story for that, though. We. We had a. Me and my homeboy KB shout out to Murray. We went to. You know, you had to get the actual cd. So we had a rental car. We drive to Brooklyn to meet Faith at that crib. She plays it for me. I take the CD. Big comes in. He don't know us. It's 90, 94. So he like. She like, yeah, this case. He's an artist. Blah, blah, blah. He looking. So we leave. We go outside. The rental car won't start. They leave and come back. We still sitting there. Cause we trying to call somebody to come. We sitting outside the crib for, like, maybe three and a half hours. I'm like, we look suspect as hell. We sitting there. I'm like, yo, if I was them, I'd start shooting. I hope they don't. So we sitting there.

[Mike]

Finally we leave.

[DJ Envy]

And then when they had. It was a radio station that I was. I was hosting. They was. I was coming out. Big was coming in. And we laughed about it, but he remembered that. I'm like, yo, this looks crazy. The car wouldn't. I'm like, yo, we sitting across from his crib. Now it's dark. It's just two strangers. That was just in the crib. I'm like, yeah, this is crazy. Wasn't no Uber back then. It was barely cell phone. We were going to the paper. It was barely no cell phone. This was in 94 that's crazy. Oh, that's crazy. I gotta ask. Back then, either Omar Epps write a lot for Total. I heard he used to write a lot for Total.

[Keisha]

No, that's not true.

[DJ Envy]

That's not true. Okay.

[Keisha]

No. Yes. I just posted the other day, and I wrote, tell me what you want.

[DJ Envy]

Really?

[Keisha]

I mean, I said, tell me what you want. Tell me. So that's when Omar and I were just friends. And he would drive out to Jersey, and we would just listen to music, freestyle. The music I played him, I was like, this is a song that they. A track that they just gave us. We just started freestyling, took it to Puff. He was like, yo, this is crazy. We played it. Faith came in. Faith pinned some more. That's how it made the album.

[DJ Envy]

Most people don't know Omar was a rapper. A dope rapper from Queens.

[Keisha]

Yes. A dancer and then a rapper.

[DJ Envy]

A dancer and a rapper.

[Keisha]

Yeah, and a singer.

[DJ Envy]

I didn't know the singer part.

[Keisha]

Oh, yeah. And Omar can blow.

[DJ Envy]

Really? Maybe you only did that to you. Keith Omar can blame. Sing.

[Keisha]

So you heard Vision Group? Yeah. They. They were. I think I want to say Def Jam.

[DJ Envy]

Really?

[Keisha]

Yeah. They were, like, signed to Def Jam. But Omar can really sing.

[Mike]

Just Vision, right?

[DJ Envy]

Damn. Just Vision. Vision.

[Keisha]

Mana.

[DJ Envy]

Vision. Thank you. But I didn't get spanking. Yeah, but I remember. I don't remember Omar being in there. Oh, he was in it before they got signed. I never, man.

[Keisha]

I'm man of many towns.

[DJ Envy]

I want to ask Keisha and Kima, back in the day, what made y' all decide to go up to the radio station and press Wendy Williams? Like, what did she say to y' all that that caused y' all say, you know, we gotta go see her.

[Keisha]

Were you there?

[DJ Envy]

No. Hell, no.

[Keisha]

You were gone.

[DJ Envy]

Way before my time.

[Keisha]

Okay.

[DJ Envy]

That was the 90s, right?

[Keisha]

Yeah. I don't even remember. Yeah. Were you there? Were you looking out the window?

[Mike]

Were you the one that was in the window?

[Keisha]

She just, you know, and she was playing with our money. She just was disrespectful. And we had already sent a warning. And then she just kept saying, like. First Wendy was just like, oh.

[DJ Envy]

She called us.

[Keisha]

Something broke. And then we came up. We came up to the radio station, we sang. She was like, oh. We sang acapella. She was like, oh, y' all can sing. Then it was that. It was just like, oh, they're Jersey. And I hear that they can't pay rent and they can't pay their rent and stuff. And we were like, you Know what? Enough is enough. Because at that time, that's all she was doing. It's like, listen, you know, when we get these opportunities as black artists, we gotta uplift them and talk more about the positivity that they do, Right? Instead of. You give a moment. A blitz of something that they did positive and then something that happened negative. You playing that all day. So we was just like, enough is enough. Keema was like, puff, can we go up there? Period, Period. Cause I didn't. You know. I know politically, we would have been in trouble if we would have just went up there. So we asked permission, and he didn't say no. He was like, go ahead. Was like, wendy, what is that that you had to say? And she was like, what? No, no, no. Talk that stuff right now. And then her. Her husband at the time, security. He had said something to our security.

[DJ Envy]

Like, come on, man.

[Keisha]

Come on. And she ran to the car. She got in the car and stuck her middle finger out the sunroof. Out the sunroof. And then we never heard no more from her.

[DJ Envy]

No, she just tells the story. You say y' all sent her a warning. Was y' all the one that sent the fish?

[Keisha]

No.

[DJ Envy]

What I don't really want. She was a death J. Oh, the boss. Boss sent that dead fish in the mail. Yeah, somebody sent that dead Sleeps with the fishes. Yeah, he said that. She said that. De. That was Boston rest in peace to boss around that time. And it happened around the time when I just sign. And I just met her. Shout out to her, too. She passed a few years ago, but. Yeah, I didn't even know about that. Wendy used to. I can't say nothing about Wendy because she would find out stuff about me, but she never. She would call me and be like, look, this was I'm hearing. And she would send me the faxes. I don't know why she looked out for me. I'm glad she did, because some of it was dead on. Nah, I hope not. Not a crush on me, but.

[Keisha]

Right.

[DJ Envy]

But the reason I missed that era, though, is because y' all was able to pull up on people. Nowadays, people just be in their basement behind the computers talking crazy. You know what I'm saying? That's the worst Internet, though. Keep up.

[Keisha]

Bullies.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, they got to go, guys. Oh, damn. I don't know why they said they got to leave.

[Keisha]

Damn. All right, all right, real quick, my man. All right, I.

[DJ Envy]

Two.

[Keisha]

Two more questions. Did y' all like Tiana Taylor.

[DJ Envy]

How.

[Keisha]

You want it, right? Cuz she sampled. Tell Me? Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Did y' all like that?

[Keisha]

Yeah, I love that. Yes, we do love Tiana. Okay.

[DJ Envy]

Perfect.

[Keisha]

And K. King Combs was on it as well, but, yeah, I thought that was. That was a bop that took me back, you know what I'm saying?

[DJ Envy]

Like, to y', all.

[Keisha]

So I thought that was dope. Yeah, stay tuned. You might be seeing something with that. Okay.

[DJ Envy]

All right.

[Keisha]

A little something. A little something now, Case.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, ma'.

[Keisha]

Am.

[DJ Envy]

Yo, the best man I can be.

[Keisha]

Now with all those egos you got. Jen, Tyrese, RL and yourself. How did that studio session go?

[DJ Envy]

I felt like it was cool, but I'm gonna tell you, it probably would have not been as cool, but it's Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, so. Yeah, you gonna kind of act right, even if you don't want to. Okay, so it's them. Did y' all record at once? Like, yeah, we all flew in and recorded at the same time. Yo, yo, I was the last one that got there. Cause my flight got delayed or whatever. But, yeah, we was all there. Well, y', all, actually, I was having a party at Jimmy's, a platinum party that night that I missed.

[Keisha]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Because I had to go up there and do that. But it was cool because it's jamming, Lewis. Like, you ain't gonna get in there and ask with them. That was the funniest music video I've ever seen. I be seeing the memes now. Y' all was going in.

[Keisha]

So who. Who did the most?

[DJ Envy]

I don't know. I was worried about me at the.

[Keisha]

I'm talking about in the video shoot.

[DJ Envy]

Who.

[Keisha]

Who do you feel did the most?

[DJ Envy]

Always Tyrese. Now, I might have been genuine back then.

[Keisha]

Yeah, yeah.

[DJ Envy]

But who do you think did the most?

[Keisha]

Tyrese definitely did the most.

[DJ Envy]

I think be probably out of RL And Tyrese. Okay. Because I seen a meme recently. He was like, yo, Tyrese threw the hat in Western Face. I'm like, yo, I never noticed that. I think that was actually. I think he was throwing it and he walked. I don't know. I was high. Yeah, I was high. And I'm looking at them. I'm like, yeah, I'm not doing all that. I hit the blood again. I'm like, I'm not. I'm not doing all this. Wear my glasses.

[Keisha]

That's one of my favorite songs. But I just always wanted to ask.

[DJ Envy]

One of y' all who did the most? Cause the Most was done. Yeah, it was fun, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now that there wasn't no Jamie Lewis there. So I already knew that was gonna be different from the session. Yeah, that was gonna be a thing.

[Keisha]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So that's what I wanted to know. Yeah. Yeah. When the tour kicks off, what do you want fans to feel when they see all of y' all on stage?

[Mike]

That nostalgia, man. We want how we're Talking about the 90s and just bringing back that era.

[DJ Envy]

We won't.

[Mike]

We want. With so much BS that's going on in the world today, we want to be what we set out to be, which is a refuge for all that bs, you know, that's going on in the. In the real world. So if we can give you an hour, an hour and a half, three hours of just being able to separate yourself from bills and these badass kids of ours feel good just for a little while. Like, that's what we're. You know, that's our mission. You know, we want. We want to feel the nostalgia. I want to go back and listen to all the records because we're in this, you know, rehearsal now, and total show is. Is amazing.

[DJ Envy]

Tough.

[Keisha]

So is 112.

[Mike]

Listen.

[Keisha]

Crazy high energy.

[Mike]

High energy.

[Keisha]

Want everybody to have a good time.

[Mike]

You know, just have a good time. Just reminisce. Yeah, just reminisce.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Mike]

That's right. November 13th, we'll be in Brooklyn. What is it? Kings Theater.

[DJ Envy]

Kings Theater, yeah. So we'll be in Stanford.

[Mike]

Stanford, Connecticut on the 12th.

[DJ Envy]

Got so many questions. I know you gotta go. We appreciate it. I just. I just gotta ask one more. I'm sorry. Go ahead, Go, go. Did no one else beat? Were y' all confused when y' all first heard that beat?

[Keisha]

No.

[DJ Envy]

No, cuz there was snares all over that place.

[Keisha]

Well, you. We did not know what was gonna be put over it, okay. Because that was Terry. Once again, Terry Robinson. It's like, how you gonna write over this?

[DJ Envy]

That's what I said when I heard the crazy. Yeah.

[Keisha]

It's one of our favorites. It hit so hard. If we could just get all of those acts on the stage one day, we're gonna stay hopeful.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Wow.

[DJ Envy]

That joke was crazy. All right, well, thank you guys for joining us. 112 total, and it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Every day I wake up, Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club.

[Keisha]

Do y' all finished or y' all done?

[DJ Envy]

Hello, America's sweetheart. Johnny Knoxville here. I want to tell you about my new true crime podcast, Crimeless Hillbilly Heist from Smartless Media, Campside Media and big money Players. It's A wild tale about a gang of high functioning nitwits who somehow pulled off America's third largest cash heist.

[Mike]

Kind of like Robin Hood, except for.

[DJ Envy]

The where he steals from the rich.

[Mike]

And gives to the poor.

[DJ Envy]

I'm not that generous. It's a damn near inspiring true story for anyone out there who's ever shot for the moon, then just totally muffed up the landing.

[Mike]

They stole $17 million and had not bought a ticket to help him escape.

[DJ Envy]

So we're sitting like, oh God, what do we do? What do we do? That was dumb. People, do not follow my example. Listen to crimeless hillbilly Heist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mike]

Two rich young Americans move to the.

[Keisha]

Costa Rican jungle to start over. But one of them will end up.

[Mike]

Dead and the other tried for murder three times.

[DJ Envy]

It starts with a dream, a nature.

[Mike]

Reserve and a spectacular new home.

[Keisha]

But little by little, they lose it.

[DJ Envy]

They actually lose it.

[Keisha]

They sort of went nuts until one night, everything spins out of control.

[Mike]

Listen to Hell in Heaven on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Keisha]

I live below a cult leader and I fear I've angered her. Wait a minute, Sophia, how do you know she's a cult leader? Well, Dakota, luckily it's I'm not afraid.

[Mike]

Of a scary story where week on.

[Keisha]

The OK Storytime Podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my neighbor has been blasting music every day and doing dirt rituals and now my ceiling is collapsing. I tried to report them, but things keep getting weirder. I think they might be part of a cult. Hold up a real life cult.

[DJ Envy]

And what is a dirt ritual?

[Keisha]

No clue, Dakota. Find out how it ends. Listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News.

[DJ Envy]

Keeps you on top of the biggest.

[Keisha]

Stories of the day.

[Mike]

My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day.

[Keisha]

Stories that move markets. Chair Powell opened the door to this first interest rate, cut impact politics, change businesses. This is a really stunning development for the AI world and how you think.

[DJ Envy]

About your bottom line. Listen to the big take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Keisha]

This is an iHeart podcast.