Teedra Moses–I Am Music

Summary

Podcast Summary: Toure Show Episode Featuring Tedra Moses – "I Am Music"

Introduction

In the January 29, 2025 episode of The Toure Show, host Toray engages in a compelling conversation with renowned singer-songwriter Tedra Moses. The episode delves deep into Tedra’s illustrious career, her unwavering commitment to artistic integrity, and the profound influence of her New Orleans roots and black heritage on her music. Throughout the discussion, Tedra shares invaluable insights into navigating the music industry, the importance of owning her work, and her strategies for maintaining a loyal fanbase.

Early Influences and New Orleans Roots

Tedra begins by reflecting on her formative years in New Orleans, a city synonymous with rich musical heritage. She emphasizes how the vibrant music scene shaped her as an artist:

“Every day of my life, home and school was full of music... Soul is innately in me.” ([06:45])

Growing up, Tedra was immersed in the sounds of R&B, gospel, and jazz, influenced by local artists like Shirley Murdoch and Anita Baker. Her music teacher, Ms. Shatters, played a pivotal role in nurturing her vocal talents and harmonization skills, instilling in her a deep appreciation for the art form.

Career Beginnings and "Complex Simplicity"

Tedra discusses the creation of her debut album, Complex Simplicity, highlighting the balance between sophisticated sound production and authentic emotional expression:

“I think that was the complex simplicity in the sound... I keep telling myself that life is simple, but we complicated.” ([20:18])

The album, released two decades prior, showcased Tedra's ability to blend 80s R&B influences with her unique artistic vision. Despite initial self-criticism, Tedra has grown to appreciate the album's impact and the personal growth it represents:

“I didn't like it at first... I listen back and I'm very proud of myself because it was way better than I thought it was.” ([23:05])

Challenges in the Music Industry

A significant portion of the interview focuses on the obstacles Tedra faced within the music industry, including label bankruptcy and legal battles:

“The label going defunct put me back into artist development... I'm on the road now. I'm perfecting, learning, how to rock these shows.” ([25:41])

Tedra recounts how the dissolution of TVT Records in 2008 disrupted her career trajectory, forcing her to pivot towards independent artistry. She emphasizes the importance of owning her publishing rights, which provided financial stability despite industry setbacks:

“I own 100% of my writing and 100% of my publishing... My sister learned how to administer publishing, so we just kind of like, we made good money.” ([35:53])

Owning Her Music: The Power of Publishing

Tedra underscores the significance of owning both her songwriting and publishing rights, a move that has proven financially lucrative:

“I was sued one song. I made, like, $5 million on one song... I own my writing, I own my publishing, too.” ([35:53])

This ownership has empowered Tedra to maintain control over her artistic output and financial earnings, contrasting with many artists who enter 360 deals that dilute their profits and creative control.

Building a Loyal Fanbase

Adopting an independent approach, Tedra focuses on nurturing a dedicated core of fans rather than pursuing widespread, impersonal promotion. She leverages direct communication and grassroots efforts to sustain her music career:

“I have a core fan base... I'm going to concentrate on who loves me already... this worked.” ([42:20])

By engaging directly with her audience through mailing lists and social media, Tedra fosters a personal connection with her fans, ensuring sustained support and word-of-mouth growth.

Collaborations and Artistic Growth

Tedra shares her experiences working with influential figures in the music industry, notably producer Raphael Sugg (referred to as Rafael Siddiq in the transcript). Their collaboration on her debut album highlighted Raphael's genius and his ability to empower artists:

“He just encourages you... He was like, that's amazing. You should keep that. I can do what I love to do and do it at the quality level I like and be okay.” ([50:28])

This partnership not only enhanced Tedra’s confidence but also reinforced her commitment to maintaining artistic integrity.

Personal Life and Resilience

Balancing motherhood and her music career, Tedra speaks candidly about the challenges she has faced, including an abusive family situation and the struggles of raising children as a single parent. Her resilience and dedication to her craft shine through as she recounts overcoming personal and professional hurdles:

“I became a much better artist... When you don't have anything, you lean on what you do have. And I had talent, so I just started leaning into that.” ([29:31])

The Role of Black Heritage in Her Music

Tedra passionately articulates how her black identity is the cornerstone of her artistry. She views her heritage as her superpower, deeply influencing her musical style and personal interactions:

“That's my superpower, being black... I don't think I would be as good at anything without my blackness.” ([52:01])

Her music embodies the rhythms, resilience, and communal spirit inherent in black culture, making her work a powerful expression of her identity.

Perspectives on Cannabis and Social Change

Towards the latter part of the interview, Tedra discusses her views on cannabis legalization and its cultural implications. She highlights the disparity between societal acceptance and legal restrictions, advocating for broader legalization and recognizing its historical significance:

“This is my God given right... It’s a beautiful plant... You want peace? Let everybody smoke marijuana.” ([48:05], [48:37])

Tedra connects this stance to broader social justice issues, particularly the overrepresentation of black individuals in the criminal justice system for cannabis-related offenses.

Closing Thoughts

As the interview concludes, Tedra reflects on her journey, celebrating two decades of musical evolution and reaffirming her commitment to authentic artistry. Her story serves as an inspiring testament to perseverance, the importance of ownership in the creative process, and the enduring power of cultural heritage.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “I made, like, $5 million on one song.” – Tedra Moses [35:53]
• “That’s my superpower, being black.” – Tedra Moses [52:01]
• “I own 100% of my writing and 100% of my publishing.” – Tedra Moses [35:53]
• “I didn’t like it at first... now I love it.” – Tedra Moses [23:05]
• “We have a core fan base... this worked.” – Tedra Moses [42:20]

Conclusion

This episode of The Toure Show offers an intimate look into Tedra Moses’s life and career, highlighting her resilience, artistic integrity, and the profound influence of her cultural heritage. Through candid discussions and powerful insights, Tedra provides listeners with a deeper understanding of what it takes to maintain authenticity and success in the ever-challenging music industry.

Transcript

[Tedra Moses]

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[Toray]

Switching to HR Block is easy. Just drag and drop your last return. It's better with block.

[Tedra Moses]

The Tour Ray show okay, though. Victoria Ray show okay, though.

[Toray]

That might be the best question I've ever been asked.

[Tedra Moses]

You's a phenomenal person. I mean, you. Legendary. I am a fan of you, my brother.

[Toray]

Can you ballpark how much you made writing?

[Tedra Moses]

I know, because I was sued one song. I made, like, $5 million on one song. That's not even the little ones. That was Dip It Below because I own 100%. You know, it's 200%. It's weird. In publishing, they call it 200%. It's like 100% this side and 100% that. 100% publisher, 100% writer. Not only do I own my writing, I own my publishing, too, which, you know, would put me in bad situations where people sometimes wouldn't want to pay me because I'm not a big publishing company, you know, But I have a secret weapon by the name of Tamia Moses, who's my sister, and she gonna get that money, you know, so we just. My sister learned how to administer publishing. She. So we didn't have to pay somebody else to administer publishing, you know, so we just kind of like, we made good money. My sister was making good money.

[Toray]

Five on one song, one record.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

Tedra Moses is an amazing singer. She got an incredible album called complex simplicity from 20 years ago that people are still listening to. Let's get into it. I want to talk to her about music and making it and why she loves being black so much. Let's get into it. It's Tedra Moses on Toray Show. Tedra.

[Tedra Moses]

Yes.

[Toray]

How you doing?

[Tedra Moses]

I'm very blessed. Welcome Happy to be here.

[Toray]

How are you?

[Tedra Moses]

I'm full of joy and gratitude.

[Toray]

Yes. Yes. On an upswing.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

Tell me about doing Tiny Desk. Cause the show asks you to change up, right? Like, you have. This is an acoustic set, right? As opposed to. So we have to do some rearranging. We have to do a little rethinking.

[Tedra Moses]

And we only have so much time.

[Toray]

And so much time and so much physical space. So just talk about as an artist, you get this invitation, okay, now we have some work to do. It's not like if you were doing Colbert. You just show up and do your song. But Tiny Desk asks you to switch up.

[Tedra Moses]

Well, basically, what they give you is just a certain amount of time. I was invited by DJ Cousin B. He says. He hits me a year ago, and he goes, do you want to celebrate 20 years of complex simplicity on Tiny Desk? Sure, let's do it. So we decided we're going to do it. And at that point, I said, well, let's do a whole tour to lead into the Tiny Desk, okay? And so I go to my guy, Darion Javon. He puts together a great show for my tour. Duran Bernard comes, and once he finds out, because he's so excited I'm doing Tiny Desk, he had done it already, so he was, like my guru, you know? So he gets me together, and he says, okay, you only have this much time. And so we take what we already have and we start to condense it down. So I kind of had an advantage because I was already out on tour. I was already doing it with these same people every night, with the exception of Duran. And he had already been there, so he kind of understood. And so we just condensed it down. We took, like, the more media parts and left them in there and condensed certain songs and tried to fit as much as we could in without it being rushed and feeling like it wasn't just a flow and it wasn't that hard to get to that. To that space.

[Toray]

Sound like you talk about reducing. Like Rick Rubin, when he produced the early Def Jam records, he was, like, reducing, like, just how much can we take out and it still be what it's supposed to be? That's what you're thinking about.

[Tedra Moses]

Exactly, exactly. And that's what we did. We rehearsed for a couple of days, but like I said, we had already been on the road. And I think, to me, rehearsal, to me, is not about so much knowing the records, knowing the parts. It's about the chemistry of the people that are playing together. I think that's to me, what rehearsal is more about. Our chemistry was locked in by this time because we had been doing. Because you toured on the tour. Yeah.

[Toray]

So it turned out to be interesting. So, I mean, for rehearsal, for preparation, the chemistry of the folks is more important. Cause everybody is a sharp musician. I got the part. I know where I'm supposed to come in. Da da da da da. But that we have a bond, that we actually like each other.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. We're joking. During rehearsal breaks, we all smoking weed together. You know, it's like the camaraderie that makes the stage performance even better.

[Toray]

You're not just rehearsing when you're playing. You are rehearsing when we're just hanging out and creating the bonds.

[Tedra Moses]

Exactly. In my opinion.

[Toray]

Yeah.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

So that's super important to me.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

Hell yeah. Yeah. So New Orleans.

[Tedra Moses]

Yes.

[Toray]

Is, you know, where you're from. Incredible music town in one of America's greatest music towns. Talk about the impact that New Orleans had on you in creating you as a musician.

[Tedra Moses]

I left New Orleans when I was 14. I think that most of what you become in life is those early years. Right. And then you kind of like, that's your base. And you kind of build off of that or you shave off of that. Right. And I went to an all black school by the name of Saint Joan of Arc in the Carrollton area of New Orleans. And I went there from third grade to eighth grade. Shortly after I left to go to California. Every day of my life, home and school was full of music. So if I'm at home, we had a radio that went up and down, but never went off on wyld, which played R and B music, soulful music. Right.

[Toray]

Like who, who, who are the people you remember from Wild?

[Tedra Moses]

From Wild. Specifically, I remember Shirley Murdoch.

[Toray]

Okay.

[Tedra Moses]

Cause I remember thinking, why didn't she get a Grammy? Not understanding how that worked back then. Cause I thought she was such an amazing singer. And I remember, I remember. I don't even know what this guy's name, but he used to sing Starship. It was one of my favorite songs on the radio. Anita Baker, you know these. What's the name of. What's our white soul sister? Tina Marie.

[Toray]

Tina Marie.

[Tedra Moses]

You know these voices because I grew up early on before I left, like my five, six, when I'm starting to remember music. That's Tina Marie.

[Toray]

You get Teddy Pendergrass.

[Tedra Moses]

Well, Teddy Pendergrass was in there, but that didn't catch me. It's like the Princes and the Prince caught you. Yeah. These things caught me. The 80s R&B, female singers, you know, any type of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production. Tony Braxton, Toni Braxton was more. When I got to la, okay. But definitely like Sherrell and you know, the early, early, late 80s.

[Toray]

So you liked Alexander O'Neill.

[Tedra Moses]

Alexander O'Neill. I was just trying to get him to my brain to come out. Yeah, anything. Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, you know, early Janet, all this stuff.

[Toray]

Morris Day.

[Tedra Moses]

Morris Day, that whole. First of all, Minneap had something in the water just like Virginia. But. Yeah. So, like, those. Those things were coming out. And then you have school where I went to this private school, Catholic school, which New Orleans is a very big Catholic city. And we had lots of predominantly black, not even predominantly all black Catholic schools. And I went to a school about St. Joan of Arc. And we had a teacher, music teacher, by the name of Ms. Shatters. And she would teach us. We would be a. We should make every class a choir. And she would make you sing, give you your parts and all this thing. And I really, really wanted to tell her the last time I, when she was alive, while she was there, that she helped me find my voice because she just something. She was a pretty woman that could really sing. And that was interesting to me. Even though my mother can sing, that's my mom. This is a pretty young woman that can sing, and she does it so well. And so even though she's singing gospel is, like, sensual to me, you know, and it was really beautiful. And this is my experience growing up in New Orleans. If you're walking down the street, you probably hear somebody playing a horn out of their house, you know, you hear.

[Toray]

So wait, she was the one who. You said, oh, I could be a young woman because I see myself as a girl and I see my mom as impossibly old relative to me.

[Tedra Moses]

And by this time, she doesn't have a voice anymore. She lost her voice.

[Toray]

Okay. But then this woman is like. I can see her. I am, like, growing to be her. And I could be like that.

[Tedra Moses]

I could be like that. Yeah.

[Toray]

Wow.

[Tedra Moses]

Her whole family was. And that's another thing. In New Orleans, you have families known for music. Like, you know, the Marcelluses, the Chatters, you know. Yeah, yeah. The Baptiste, like John Baptiste, he come from a musical family. You know what I mean?

[Toray]

I went to college and was friends with Monique Morial, who became a judge, and her father was mayor and her brother was mayor, and I bet. I think her nephew became mayor. And, like, I just knew her. And then slowly, you're like, they're a family. The Morials, like, run New Orleans. But there's lots of family dynastic stuff in New Orleans.

[Tedra Moses]

Kind of like the Caribbean Islands. It's like a class thing. You know what I mean? It's like, who's your people? That's what people ask. Who's your people? Well, my people. You know what I mean? It's like you're a part. You're not just an individual. I have friends that say, you know, I didn't do certain things growing up because I knew I represented my family. You know what I mean? And you can't put smut on your family's name. You know, you have to. This is a big deal in New Orleans. Kind of like the Caribbean Islands, you know, I really do feel like we just didn't break off into the island.

[Toray]

I feel like that, too, when I'm there, that this is the most Caribbean part of America. Right. Like, it's. It's kind of at the islands, kind of. It's. It's a really amazing. Just the vibe.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. And like the Caribbean, New Orleans has held on to African practices more than a lot of other cities.

[Toray]

I watched tremendous. And I was really moved by. You watched Treme, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you didn't say anything. No, I didn't. And. And. And the refrain was, how's your house? Right. So they would reconnect through the restaurant or on the street or whatever. How you doing? Da, da, da. And then, how's your house? And different people had different answers. But, like, everybody keeps asking that question, and it's kind of a deep sort of moment of how, like, you know, this entire world was affected in that way.

[Tedra Moses]

And is every hurricane season, there's a trauma in New Orleans because I left. I wasn't there for Katrina. I was already in California, but now I'm back. I have a home there now. And it's a trauma every. It breaks my heart because it's a trauma every season. You can hear it. And, oh, this is going to be. This is going to be a bad hurricane season because we didn't. Because the weather was this. And blah, blah, blah. Or there's a storm coming. It's category two now, and we're gonna. You know, it's just so.

[Toray]

I think it's gonna happen again.

[Tedra Moses]

So much pressure, you know, so much. It's very sad to see. And I don't think they're even aware of it, but I. I believe in energy coming together. And I think if we all think it's gonna be bad then. It's probably gonna be bad if we all calm down and me calm down. That's kind of how I see it. But they don't want to hear that. They don't want to hear that. They've been through it, you know, They've been through it. And it's. It's a trauma that comes up every hurricane season.

[Toray]

I feel like your voice is changing a little now that we're talking about New Orleans so much.

[Tedra Moses]

It does. When I go home, I talk like that. When I'm in la, I talk this way, you know, it's just. It does. And when I'm around people, it's like Jamaicans, you know, when they're around Jamaicans, you can hear the patois come. You don't understand what the hell they saying.

[Toray]

You know, it's so beautiful, and I don't understand it. So wait, talk about Mom's influence. Because Mom's a gospel singer.

[Tedra Moses]

Yes.

[Toray]

Is she your first teacher?

[Tedra Moses]

By the time I was old enough to really pay attention, and she couldn't sing anymore. When I was really little, I remember her singing in a church. But I didn't get to hear as much of my mom singing because she stripped her vocal cords somewhere around when I was about eight, maybe somewhere around there. But she would constantly put us. We would have to go and wait for my dad. We would have to pick him up from my uncle's automotive shop that was like their hangout. And we would sit there waiting. My dad was not very considerate of the fact that we were sitting in the car waiting. And my mother was one of those women who just was sitting, wait. Like, I would have drove off, but my mother would sit there and wait. And she would have all this in the car and we coming from school, and she would just start, to the best of her ability, with stripped vocal cords, giving us our parts to sing together. Cause she kind of wanted us to be like Jackson 5 or DeBarge or. What was that, the jets or somebody. You know what I mean?

[Toray]

Staples singers.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. Yeah. She wanted those kind of things. And so she would give us our parts and teach us how to harmonize. She would explained to us which instruments were what on the. You know, she kind of infused these things into us without us really noticing, not noticing her intention. And before I became. Ever wanted to become a singer, she would say, tedra, don't get all those cavities in your mouth. Because when the girls are on TV and they're singing and opening their mouth, it's all that black, nasty stuff. Or silver. And don't do that. Take care of your teeth. So when you open. Torrey, I had no desire to do anything. I meant to be a doctor or a lawyer. I didn't know what this lady was talking about. But I think that goes to show you that parents see things in their children.

[Toray]

Why'd you move to la?

[Tedra Moses]

My mother left my father, and I said, mom, we can't just move to the east side.

[Toray]

Was she escaping?

[Tedra Moses]

I think she was.

[Toray]

Did he know that she's leaving?

[Tedra Moses]

No, he didn't.

[Toray]

Oh. So it was like, midnight, we're out.

[Tedra Moses]

It was the daytime, you know. But she left my father, and we say, mom, why you can't just move to the East, New Orleans East? She said, because your dad will kill us. But I don't think he really would have killed us. But my mother was one of those ones. She didn't, like, sugarcoat anything. And my aunt. My Auntie Mona, may she rest in peace, she died in 2022. Late 2022. And she used to tell me every time I would come home and I sit and talk to her because I love talking to my auntie. And she would say, girl, I will never forget when your daddy called me. Mona. Mona. Have you seen Shirley? Have you seen Shirley? Cause I think the house got robbed. I don't. I haven't seen the kids. I don't. I think somebody robbed me. All they left was the microwave. Oh.

[Toray]

So he really had no idea?

[Tedra Moses]

He had no idea. He had no idea? No. Oh, the man was crazy.

[Toray]

I'm sorry. Well, wait, what had happened that made that need to happen?

[Tedra Moses]

My father was abusive, and I think from me understanding now that he probably cheated and stuff, too. But she wasn't happy. She was very, very unhappy. Like breakdowns? Like breakdowns. My mother was. She would get so overwhelmed that she would, like, just kind of, like, drop on the floor and just, you know, like, really overwhelmed. Really, really overwhelmed. She was a. She had four children with a man that was abusive and dismissive. And it was time to go.

[Toray]

What number are you?

[Tedra Moses]

I'm sorry. Of the kids, I'm in the middle. I'm the third child, and it's four of us.

[Toray]

When did you start to say, oh, I could sing well enough that I could make a run at that.

[Tedra Moses]

I could try to sing professionally when I was doing wardrobe styling. And my children's father is a rapper by the name of Raz Kaz, and he was around it all the time. And I just never really thought I could Sing. Because I grew up in Southern Baptist church where people belt out singing, and they were very powerful. Like, people sing like Jasmine Sullivan in my church. You know what I mean?

[Toray]

And that wasn't you.

[Tedra Moses]

That wasn't me. You know, that wasn't me. I had this sweet little V. So at this point, I'm working with my best friend Nadia McKenzie, who's a wardrobe stylist, my children's father, he's a rapper, and he has his thing. She has her thing. I'm just doing. Working with her because she's my friend and I'm excited about her thing, but it's really her thing, and I'm making money doing it. We're making pretty good money, and we traveling all over the world, but it's not my thing. So then I had to get to a point like, what do I love? And I love music. And so I just took a shot at it. My children's father and I fell out for reasons that were, you know, we couldn't get back together. And he. I asked him could he introduce me to some. Some producers, and he introduced me to Paul. Pauly, and we went from there. But it wasn't like, I can do this. It was like, I'm a try.

[Toray]

I'm gonna try.

[Tedra Moses]

You know what I mean? Yeah, I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try. Welcome to Nada Yada island. Next on Metro's Nadiata island podcast. I almost fainted when the four new bombshells arrived. Four free Samsung Galaxy A16 phones at Metro.

[Toray]

No way.

[Tedra Moses]

And finding out the fourth line is free.

[Toray]

Things got heated.

[Tedra Moses]

That's wild. Join Metro and get four free Samsung 5G phones only at Metro plus tax. Bring four numbers and an ID and sign up for any Metro Flex plan not available currently at T Mobile or been with Metro in the past 180 days.

[Toray]

I feel like soul music is a culture, right? And it's who you are, and hip hop is a culture, and it's who you are. And to me, in a way, like a rapper and a singer being. And you're a singer before you're a professional singer, right? You are a soul music person before you. So to that combination, I'm like, how does that work of this person who's like, you know, he is hip hop and you are soul music. And so how does that connect?

[Tedra Moses]

The beautiful thing about it is, I will say this. Of all the things that didn't work with Raz and I, we made beautiful children, number one, who are also really great artists on their own. They have in a group called Coast Contra. And he gave me outside of the ear I picked up from New Orleans and growing up with black music, like, black music from gospel to jazz, I grew up with black music. When I first met Rez, he taught me about the Pesh mode. But at the same time, I would go with him to the jazz spot in Leimert park, and we would sit there all day listening to albums for him to find samples. Then he would go to this place and dig in the crates to find records. And then we'd go back to his house, and then we would just listen, listen, listen, listen. He really trained my ear. But then at the same time, he introduced me to Nas and Snoop Dogg's first album, which is stuff I probably wouldn't have listened to on my own, you know, and Big L and all this stuff that I probably wouldn't listen to. So he gave me ear, and I think that it helped me as an artist a lot. And at the time, I don't know if I was an influence to him in music, because he was already doing his thing, you know what I mean? But he was pouring into me, and I think that was the benefit of having, like, the rapper boyfriend.

[Toray]

Mm, interesting.

[Tedra Moses]

That kind of rapper boyfriend.

[Toray]

Right, Right. No, I love how your ear is being trained. Cause he's just sitting there all day looking for samples. Not just from.

[Tedra Moses]

And I love him so much. I just want to be with him, of course.

[Toray]

And not just from the soul music, you know, but from. We sample from everywhere. And so you are getting to learn and hear all these different things that you had not. So he opened your musical world up. That's amazing.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, he did. Thanks, Raz.

[Toray]

Complex Simplicity is such an amazing title. 20 years. 20 years. Congratulations.

[Tedra Moses]

Thank you so much.

[Toray]

How does the title relate to what we get musically?

[Tedra Moses]

I think that the sound of my project, my first project, was far more sophisticated than I was at the time.

[Toray]

Okay.

[Tedra Moses]

And I think that was the complex simplicity in the sound. I mean, if it was up to me, I would have just jacked beats and sang over hip hop records, you know what I mean? Because that's what I really enjoy.

[Toray]

You would have done a Mary J. Blige kind of thing.

[Tedra Moses]

I was doing a Mary J. Blige type of thing in my mind. Even though the a song that really was the basis of the creation of the sound of Complex Simplicity was Aaliyah's Rock the Boat. Because it had that, like, I love 80s. I love the 80s sound. And it had that 80s sound. And I wanted that sound throughout. But I also loved hip hop so much by this time, I'm, like, really, really in love with hip hop. And so in my mind, I was doing the Mary J. Blige thing, but it was a. Not that Mary is not sophisticated, extremely. Always have been very sophisticated, but it was more directly from the hood. I think what I was doing was a little bit more polished than I actually was at the time. And to me, that was the complex simplicity of the sound. But if you listen to what I'm saying, clearly I was a young woman from an urban area, you know what I mean? And went through struggles, if you listen to what I was saying on it. And my life at that time is really where the name came from. It was less of the records I was making, but the struggle that I was in. And I kept telling myself that life is simple, but we complicated. And I'm trying to figure out, how do I simplify it in here, in here? Because I know it's black and white. I don't care what anybody says. Gray is bullshit. I knew this as a young person. It's black and white, but I'm complicating it somewhere in here. And it took me a long time to figure it out, But a good start was getting out these emotions on this album. And I will never forget Paul Pauley, who executive produced it with me and produced most of the records on there. We were sitting on my balcony at my house, on my patio at my house one time, and drinking some red wine, just talking. I was like, you know, it's like, it's simple, but it's complex. You know, it's like. It's complexities, but, you know, I keep saying these words. He was like, it's complex simplicity. And then we decided right then and there, that's what the name of the album was. Because I was really just talking about life. I wasn't really talking about the music, but when I look at the music, I can hear all those things within it.

[Toray]

Sometimes when we look back at art that we made a while ago, we get critical of it because we have grown and changed, and we're not. So do you look back on it and be like, you know, it's still the way that I would do it? Or I'm like, I would do it a little bit differently now?

[Tedra Moses]

No, I think I didn't like it at first. I think I love it now.

[Toray]

You didn't like your.

[Tedra Moses]

I didn't like it, No. I thought it was okay when it was released.

[Toray]

You didn't Love it.

[Tedra Moses]

By the time it was released, I had started to like it a little bit more. I was just heavily critical of myself and it was probably my insecurities that stopped me from liking it because I just. Just didn't think I was good enough. I just didn't think I was good enough. This is my first time. You have to understand, Tory, I didn't do jam sessions and, you know, fight hard to get a deal and go out here and work with all different producers. I met a producer, we made records, and then we put out. The very first song I ever wrote in my life and recorded and arranged and sang was on that album, you know, so it was like no pre work before that. So I think it was a high level of insecurity was why I didn't like it, not because it wasn't good. And now in retrospect and as time has gone on, I listen back and I'm very proud of myself because it was way better than I thought it was.

[Toray]

Yeah. Yeah. Wow, that sounds.

[Tedra Moses]

So I guess I'm reversed in what was.

[Toray]

No, but it sounds hard. It sounds hard. I mean, what do they say, like, the first album is based on like everything you've ever thought and experienced up until that time.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

And then the second album is the period between the first album and the second album, which is why sometimes you get a sophomore slump or whatever, but you were still a developing musician at every level as a baby. As you're making this album, definitely you're building the plane as you fly it.

[Tedra Moses]

Yes. And with not a lot of. Well, I guess I did have courage, but not a lot of security.

[Toray]

Well, that's an interesting point because you're on tvt, which I remember, small label, but it had a couple other people that popped off. But then the label goes bankrupt.

[Tedra Moses]

Yes.

[Toray]

I don't.

[Tedra Moses]

In 2008.

[Toray]

Why. How. How did.

[Tedra Moses]

That's Steve Gottlieb's business. I don't really know. I just know that it did. And maybe it was. Cause I remember it was. Koch was the number one and TBT was like the number two indie label. And this is, you know, Torre. That wasn't a woo hoo indie time. It was like.

[Toray]

It was rough.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. It was like. And so I don't know if maybe they moved too fast, you know, because TVT started. It's called TV Tunes because the owner had published it on a lot of the different shows, the theme songs, which was lucrative because these shows are playing constantly over and over, and I don't know what happened. I can't tell you what happened.

[Toray]

Tell me how it affected you. Like, how do you learn this information? And then how do you see, like, this is the impact it has on me.

[Tedra Moses]

Well, I already had my hand raised. I was trying to get out of there. You see what I'm saying?

[Toray]

Because you knew things were not going in the right direction.

[Tedra Moses]

Well, I just realized that I don't think I was ever meant. I think TBT was the best place for me because if I was on a bigger label, they probably would have just dropped me before the album came out. Because I'm not. I don't know. I just. I like to do what I want to do. Not in a way like I'm defiant. It's just like, I'm not easily controlled for reasons that don't make sense. I'm gonna listen when it makes sense, but when it doesn't make sense, like, I. I'm not going to listen. And I know who I am. And as much as I may have had insecurities, I understood who I was. I tore all my hair out when I was. I first started because I wasn't going to wear a weave because I already had hair. You know, it was these things that I just would stick to. And I think that TBT was the perfect place for me to start. And then when we got to the place of them going defunct, I did want to go to another label. And for a second, I thought about going to another label. But I wasn't going to take the halt of going to another label and finding a new label. I was going to just keep going, keep going. I have an album that's not highly publicized. You know, I've been on that label for four years. The album came out maybe two years or three years before it went defunct. And so what do I know how to do? I know I know how to perform, or if I don't, I'm about to learn. So I'm going on the road now. I performed that album for years and years, and then I started to make mixtape. And so it really put me back into artist development. Okay, Them, the label going defunct put me back into artist development. Now I'm on the road. I'm perfecting, learn, you know, how to rock these shows. I'm making mixtapes. But because I don't feel secure enough to say I'm making original songs. But I don't feel secure enough to say this is an album. Plus, I don't have the money to mix and master them because it wasn't that cheap. Back then, you know, so I'm just now making mixtapes. I'm an R and B artist.

[Toray]

But you're giving away the mixtapes.

[Tedra Moses]

I'm first giving away the mixtapes because that was how we did it back then.

[Toray]

So you were a touring artist. That's how you were.

[Tedra Moses]

I was touring.

[Toray]

You didn't have a record deal?

[Tedra Moses]

I did not.

[Toray]

Right. So you. We made our money touring.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, made my money touring and selling the mixtapes when I had them, you know. Yeah. And writing for other people, because I started writing for others as well.

[Toray]

I mean, how long is it between Complex Simplicity and your second album?

[Tedra Moses]

Oh, the second album came out in 10 years. Yeah, 11 years.

[Toray]

You know, folks don't realize, why did Tedra have this big album, this beloved album here, and then she doesn't do anything for 10. Well, it's not her fault. The label fell apart. The label went bankrupt. And then she's trying to figure out her life, and then she's trying to figure out what next label to get to and that.

[Tedra Moses]

And raise kids in between all that by myself.

[Toray]

How old are your kids when the label goes bankrupt?

[Tedra Moses]

8, 9, 10? Somewhere around 10, 11.

[Toray]

Wow. So you're really going through it there.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. And. But I was blessed because, like I said, I started writing for other people. And I had a record that popped off that kind of gave me money to invest in myself. That was Dip It Load from Christina Milian. And so that kind of gave me. And I had other records, too, that you can put that smaller money with the bigger money. So it was holding me down. But then I got sued. Right. And so I got sued for the Dip Below record, which I didn't have anything to do with the music part, but Paul. Pauly and I did that record, and we were sued. And that took a lot of finances. And so, you know, now you're losing homes and all these different things. But I think ultimately, through that whole process, I became a much better artist. I mean, I just started to really. When you don't have anything, you lean on what you do have. And I had talent, so I just started going into that, you know.

[Toray]

You had a period when you went with Rick Ross.

[Tedra Moses]

Yes.

[Toray]

How did that come about? And how did. How did that feel? How. That wasn't that long.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, well, it was. I moved to Miami because that was in a time when I was losing everything. So my house in la, it was too expensive, and so I had to just let that go. Y'all can have that. Do what you will with it. I Can't. I can't take it. So I. I go to. I moved to Miami, where I had a place there as well. Now that's where I live and in New Orleans. And Rick Ross was like. He reached out to me on Twitter and he was like, yo, I heard you live here now. Come by the house.

[Toray]

Is it DM or a straight up dm?

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

That's crazy.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, he's like, come by the house. And I realized he was like 20 minutes away. Look, okay, I'm coming over there now. Went over there. And this is when he was putting together Maybach Music. He had Meek Mill, Wiley. And then he says, just. I remember him saying this specifically. He goes, just change your. What is it that you do in the. Like, in your. In your social media, you know, your description. He says, just put MG MMG in your bio. Change your bio mmg. And I was like, okay, cool. But we never technically signed anything or. I was never technically signed to him. I was never on mmg. Oh, yeah. I just kind of just started singing on their records and listen, Tory, at the time, it was helpful. It was helpful.

[Toray]

Yeah.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, it was the first. He was the first person that ever even said my name on mtv. And I had been out for I don't know how long, you know, so it was like a thing that just brought attention to what I was doing.

[Toray]

But then. But then that didn't become, like. It seems like there's a string of, like, music industry things that have nothing to do with you that keep getting in the way of you. Like, I just want to make a record and put it out to the people and, like, did this, you know, the bankruptcy, the lawsuit, the MMG comes and goes. And there's another label situation.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, we did. We did Shanake with the. Which is a very indie label that was distributing through. It's called Monarch now, but it was called EONE at the time. And we did that project. But honestly, don't cry for me, Argentina, because. Because I have no qualms with any of that. You know how you have people and you see their name and then you see all their publishing and you see all these things behind it. Like, I think me getting the label was just as hard as me getting a boyfriend. I'm. I don't attach to people that easy. Like, we had conversations with mmg. It just. There was no negotiation, and I'm not gonna give up my publishing. You know, they. Certain conversations with certain people. Well, yeah, I don't do 360s. You know what I Mean, like, these were choices.

[Toray]

Does that make it harder for you to get a deal when you're like, no, 360 is no publishing. And that alone is going to make people not.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. Like, I've built this publishing before you came along. You're not helping me build my publishing. And I built my stage show and these people coming out to see me before you came along. So I made a choice to not do that.

[Toray]

Yeah, but that limits your.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

Possibilities.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

That's crazy.

[Tedra Moses]

I'd rather be here where I am than somewhere doing it in a space where I'm not getting what I deserve.

[Toray]

Is it that I refuse to entertain any 360 or you are not offering me enough money?

[Tedra Moses]

I don't want to sell my. This is mine. It's for me. It's for my children. It's for my children's children. It's ours. It comes from here.

[Toray]

Who told you? Like, don't ever.

[Tedra Moses]

Raz. Kaz.

[Toray]

He told you, don't ever let go of your publishing.

[Tedra Moses]

Listen, I wanna say this on your show, too. Cause people have heard me say things about Raz where it makes it seem like we're not cool. We're really cool. But this is the main thing. He did piss me off, not helping me take care of those kids. I was very mad about it, but he gave me tools. Do you understand what I'm saying? In retrospect, now that we're older, I look at it and I thank him so much for saying, don't sell your publishing. It saved me millions of times over. I remember being without a place to live and then $300,000 coming through and then coming through every three months. Do you know what I mean? I remember what my publishing did for me. Because this man told me, I messed up. Don't sell your publishing. And he also told me, don't let them tell you this is how it goes. And I never let them tell me this is how it goes. I would leave before I would go along with how it goes. And I would suffer to just own myself. Because I've seen what it does at any time. I mean, look at. Be a girl. Be a Girl was just a regular. Be a girl who's doing fine. Kaytronetta comes on now it's the end. You just don't know what can happen. But if you own it, whatever happens, it's on you. You know what I mean? So I thank him for that.

[Toray]

If you made more from songs you.

[Tedra Moses]

Wrote or songs you cut, definitely songs I wrote originally. Yeah. But then that started Getting annoying to me, too, because shopping songs is just like, a headache.

[Toray]

Is it? Yeah.

[Tedra Moses]

Because I also was in the early 2000s. Now, you had the girls that were singing. You definitely had girls in the early 2000s singing. But then we had pretty girls that just were pretty.

[Toray]

That's right.

[Tedra Moses]

And they just wanted the pretty girls to sing.

[Toray]

Mtv, right? Bet, Right.

[Tedra Moses]

And so they. They would get these songs. Oh, teachers. This is amazing. This is amazing. Right? Because you like hearing me sing it. Because I can sing. But then you take it to your girl who is super cute. Cute girl. Super cute. But when it's time for her to sing this song, she's not singing it now. Oh, this song is bad. It's like, I'm not gonna do this. Because you know what, Torre? That tears away at your chops, because now you're starting to simplify what you're doing to try to place these songs. So I quit. I stopped writing.

[Toray]

Oh. You have to dumb yourself down to the level of the client, the potential client. But that's limiting you as an artist.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. And I chose me as an artist, and I just never thought. And I, like, went through it because I was making money. Right. But it was just like. No, I just. I don't want to be whack. I'd rather be, like, really good and just keep believing in myself till I get there than to just, like, conform to this mediocrity that y'all got going over here. And I become it. Picture the day I become that. You know, I much rather just struggle to be really great. Maybe one day some people will see that.

[Toray]

I love that. I love that attitude.

[Tedra Moses]

Thank you.

[Toray]

I love that. Can you. Can you ballpark how much you made writing?

[Tedra Moses]

I can just. I know, because I was sued one song. I made, like, $5 million on one song. That's not even the little ones record, because I own 100%. You know, it's 200%. It's weird. In publishing, they call it 200%. It's like 100% this side and 100% that. 100% publisher, 100% writer. Not only do I own my writing, I own my publishing, too, which, you know, would put me in bad situations where people sometimes wouldn't want to pay me because I'm not a big publishing company, you know, But I have a secret weapon by the name of Tamia Moses, who's my sister, and she gonna get that money, you know, so we just. My sister learned how to administer publishing, so we didn't have to pay somebody else to Administer publishing, you know, so we just kind of like. We made good money. My sister was making good money.

[Toray]

Five on one song.

[Tedra Moses]

One record. Yeah.

[Toray]

Is there another song that's close? That was Dip It Low. Is there another.

[Tedra Moses]

And that was before the lawsuit, you know, that was before the lawsuit.

[Toray]

Is there another song that's close to that for you?

[Tedra Moses]

Be youe Girl does really well, the K Trinabe mix. But it's in a different time because if it was in the same time as when we were doing hardcore.

[Toray]

It's a streaming era now.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. But it does really well for streaming. So just imagine what it would do. Do in.

[Toray]

But we're. But we're here. How many millions does that one make?

[Tedra Moses]

You say? What?

[Toray]

How many millions did that one make?

[Tedra Moses]

A lot.

[Toray]

A lot more than. It's your number two record.

[Tedra Moses]

It's number two. Yeah.

[Toray]

So it's like three, four.

[Tedra Moses]

Where's somewhere like two, three. Wow. And still going.

[Toray]

Wow.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

That's crazy.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

Every year they always say people in music business are either richer than you would imagine or poorer than you would expect.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah. But see, the thing is, is that then when you think about my overhead for making music, traveling with a band, I don't have any support. So I exhaust. I mean, God forgive me, but I would like, not pay my bills to pay for music. Do you know what I mean? I would struggle to not have to suffer to not make music like I would continue to. I mean, when we started out, it wasn't studio at your house, it was 1500 a day. You know what I mean? So, yeah, I invested a lot in myself. So my overhead, until this day, my overhead is not my personal overhead. My business overhead is pretty high.

[Toray]

How many shows a year do you try to do?

[Tedra Moses]

I stopped in 2020 and just was chilling. That's when I realized I was making decent money on publishing because I wasn't making show money anymore. So that's when I realized, okay, publishing is doing pretty good, so I can handle my life. But. But before that, we didn't tour like that. We spot dated. Right. So probably doing like between three and six shows a month.

[Toray]

Okay.

[Tedra Moses]

You know, all year. Three and six shows a month, maybe more, is according to the month. It's according to the time it's going to what I have out at the time. Because you have to understand this cult following I have, they get into these mixtapes. It may not be bigly, you know, widely publicized, but the cult fans there at these shows, they're, you know, in different places around the we have certain cities that I get it off in.

[Toray]

Those cities, you know, I miss mixtapes.

[Tedra Moses]

I do too.

[Toray]

There was an era when it was a big part of the culture. And artists, singers and rappers especially, would show you a different side of themselves. They would try a different pattern, or they would try a different vocal tone, or they would come a different character, Persona, whatever, you know, more aggressive or more tender or vulnerable than you do. I'm like, yo, that is so exciting. And I'm really excited about what you did there musically and then. But you can't have that world in the world of social media.

[Tedra Moses]

I don't know why we did at first.

[Toray]

I feel like social media was around.

[Tedra Moses]

When we had our mixtapes. Just wasn't as big.

[Toray]

It wasn't as big. It feel like the mixtapes felt like this is underground. You gotta know where to get it. We don't promote it. So this is like the hardcore fan. And if you should make a mistake in some way, the hardcore fans are like, I still love you and I'm glad you tried. And now that record would go. Somebody would put it on Twitter, Instagram, whatever. A larger audience hears it. Like, you weren't supposed. That wasn't supposed to be for a million people. That's supposed to be for 100,000 hardcore people. Not like a.

[Tedra Moses]

And that was the blog era. So the blogs would talk about it. That's what really pushed the mixtapes. That's how I would have a mixtape out and that's how I would find out about other artists because they would talk about somebody else that I didn't know about. I miss more than the mixtape era. I missed the blog era because the blog era gave you the information.

[Toray]

Now, what were your blogs that you loved?

[Tedra Moses]

I don't even remember because I just used to be there like that Grape Juice from the uk, they were big on music. Um, what's another one? You know? You know, I Got Soul was a great R and B one.

[Toray]

I like the ones that would give you links.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, they would give you links.

[Toray]

And then I'm like, oh, I'm on.

[Tedra Moses]

New shit that everyone else is doing now. You gotta really go figure it out. Yes, I follow like on Instagram and stuff like that. I follow the. There's now these pages that introduce you to music. I'm big on that.

[Toray]

Yeah. I mean, okay. So being independent, part of what you are going uphill against is that labels are dropping 100, $200,000 for this new single to infiltrate radio and Spotify, and you can't do that and that whole payola system is really hard for an independent artist to crack through.

[Tedra Moses]

Mm. Which is why I decided to be in the industry of Teacher Moses and not in the music industry.

[Toray]

What's the difference?

[Tedra Moses]

The difference is I have a core fan base. So instead of me spending all my effort trying to gain the world, I'm going to concentrate on who loves me already. So I just kind of leaned into the love, and then the love spreads, you know, they start to love it, and then it's one person at a time and it's like really slow. But this year, in this 20 year celebration, I'm coming to realize how well that worked.

[Toray]

So, yeah, it's not about let's go out and try to get new fans. It's about let's super serve the current.

[Tedra Moses]

Fans and they'll trickle new ones and.

[Toray]

New folks will come in with them.

[Tedra Moses]

That's interesting strategy because the industry wasn't working for me. So then, like me just make an industry of my industry of Teacher Moses.

[Toray]

So what does that look like different than if you were a regular label or like a label artist? Like, so that your Teacher Moses business and music business.

[Tedra Moses]

Like, because now I have people in Atlanta, I have a teen teacher in Atlanta. They come to every show. They gonna hold me down. They're gonna make sure everybody come to the show. If there's new music out, they're gonna send out all these links. They. I mean, we have.

[Toray]

But how did you let them know?

[Tedra Moses]

Because I'm going directly to them. They getting the information because I'm going directly to my fan. Atlanta, London, New York, we have all these little pockets of people that are like, tedra, we love you. We just want to help you. They're not getting paid to do that. It's just young people that want to share the music.

[Toray]

Emailing them.

[Tedra Moses]

I'm emailing them and I'm. Because they're already on the list. And then they're blasting out even more. This is early social media. Right. So it wasn't as.

[Toray]

How many people are on your mailing list?

[Tedra Moses]

I don't. I have no idea. But, yeah, it's been accumulating over 20 years. Yeah.

[Toray]

Okay.

[Tedra Moses]

You know, so we. We just get information to the people. And I have always utilized social media. I'm not someone that has ever had anybody running my social media. My social media is not just about music. It's about me. So therefore, you're not just getting into the music, you're getting into the person. And if you become. It's one thing to love somebody's music. But when you can relate to that human being. Now that's your homegirl, right? You know, that's like the girl you want to date or your homegirl that you hang out with or your cousin in your head. You know what I mean?

[Toray]

It's a whole different level when it's. I like that person's music, so I like that product that you created versus I like that person. And even if I don't like their fourth or fifth album, whatever it is. Well, I'm still going to check for you the next time, because I like you.

[Tedra Moses]

You exactly. And I didn't try to do that, but I think that's what happened. Because I communicate with people directly. I'm not here. I'm here. So if you're here, I'm here.

[Toray]

I'm with you.

[Tedra Moses]

I'm. I'll email you. Yeah, I'm. Listen, I've had fans of my. My music in my hotel room in a cipher, smoking weed. Like, I appreciate you. So I treat you like my friend because you are. Because clearly you can relate to what I'm talking about. I'm being very honest here. And so we relate, you know? And I think that that thing. That thing right there helped me keep going. And like I said, Here we are 20 years later on this tour, and I'm coming to realize how well it worked. And it wasn't contrived, Tori. It's just who I am. I'm appreciative and I'm generous to people that are generous to me.

[Toray]

You know, you talk a lot about weed. Are you indica or Sativa?

[Tedra Moses]

I'm more indica. Oh, yeah. I don't. I'm not as much. I think when I was younger, I was more sativa. Cause I had to move around as a wardrobe stylist. I moved around a lot, a lot, a lot. Indica more for me because it's more creative to me. It triggers me more.

[Toray]

Like it depresses you. It makes you sleep. Like it takes you down.

[Tedra Moses]

No, not me.

[Toray]

Okay.

[Tedra Moses]

I guess different strands maybe affect people differently. Indica for me, it just gets me into a mode of pop, pop, pop. My mind, it's coming, it's coming. I can't even hold on to him. Like my engineer. Be like, okay, I got it. I'm coming. He's not moving fast enough for me to get this stuff out of my head. So that's what I like about Inda. It doesn't slump me, you know, it's just. I'm high Enough. I'm not gonna smoke all this damn sativa trying to get high. I'm not gonna smoke 12 joints to get high. I can smoke a half of a Nzika joint and be high.

[Toray]

You know, isn't it crazy how it has changed in our lifetime from being illegal and possibly immoral and the beginning of the end of your life and you're a horrible person. And now there's a weed shop everywhere you. Miami weed shops, Louisiana weed shops everywhere. Wait, is it legal in Miami?

[Tedra Moses]

It is medicinally legal. Not recreationally.

[Toray]

Do you have to have a card?

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

So it's kind of restricted.

[Tedra Moses]

I, I smoke weed all over the world freely. It's my God given right.

[Toray]

But it's not legal in New Orleans, is it?

[Tedra Moses]

No.

[Toray]

The south is not ready.

[Tedra Moses]

We might as well, because we're all doing it.

[Toray]

You know, that's the thing. Everybody's doing it. But then they want to keep it illegal. I think the rest of the country is. The coasts have been much more open to like, okay, fine.

[Tedra Moses]

I think they have a problem with letting go of the prisoners that are in prison for this crime. I think that's just my opinion, especially Louisiana because, you know, they have more prisons than anywhere in the United States of America, probably anywhere in the world. Oh yeah. What we do have is prisons, baby. It's a lot of prisons. And so I don't think these states, I don't think they want to let go of those prisoners. You know, I just wish somebody would get into the Oval Office and federally legalize it, let these people out of prison.

[Toray]

I would like to do, I'd like to see that. I mean, you know, it's, I don't know, it's painful to see non violent offenders sitting in prison. And yet now that it's leaking, everybody's.

[Tedra Moses]

Making money and then they're making it hard for people that were in the position, you know, this is what they were making money off of. And now they have legal background, like, you know, illegal background. And now you're making it hard for them to get into it legally, which is crazy. That just doesn't make sense. And more than anything, this is a beautiful plant.

[Toray]

It's natural.

[Tedra Moses]

You let farmers sell their pills and mess up people's toxins, put the toxins in the bile, mess up people's livers and stuff.

[Toray]

You know, it's not addictive. I don't want everybody to have access to cocaine. That's a very dangerous drug.

[Tedra Moses]

That's different.

[Toray]

But marijuana is like, it's different.

[Tedra Moses]

It's not altered. You just put a. I've done it. I've thrown seeds. When I used to have weed with seeds, I would throw the seed in the pot. I live in Miami. Next thing I look up is the plant growing out. How is that illegal?

[Toray]

It mellows you out.

[Tedra Moses]

It's so good. It's good. We're all peaceful. This is what the Indians were smoking when they were passing the peace piping. You want peace? Let everybody smoke marijuana.

[Toray]

This is why they sold Manhattan for nothing.

[Tedra Moses]

No, they were too happy.

[Toray]

Sure you want the land shirt?

[Tedra Moses]

What. What is the point of.

[Toray]

Oh, my God. You worked a lot with one of the giants, Rafael Siddiq. What was it like working with him as genius.

[Tedra Moses]

Very genius. It was early on in my career, and I think that gave me some confidence. When I talk about not having confidence, the way he would just, like, do it, you know, And I'm expecting him to tell me what to do. No, not really. He would just encourage you. Encourage, I guess encouraged me in a sense of do it. I would do it. He was like, I like it. And that wasn't encouraging enough. I remember when I first wrote the record Take Me on my debut album, Complex Simplicity, that we collaborated on. I was originally writing it for Truth Hurts, who was signed to him at the time on his label. And he had given it to me, and I'd gone home, and I wrote it, and he said, come in and record it. And I remember the music's playing. The guy's recording me. He's just sitting there. He wasn't even paying attention. He was sitting in a high chair, and I just sing the first line. Winter's here. And he just fell out of his seat, you know, And I kept singing. I came out, he was like, that's amazing. You should keep that. I don't think anybody else should sing it. And that's how that ended up being on my album. And I think that, to me, is that's what it was like working with him. He. Because he was a genius. And I'm looking like, yo, this dude is a genius. And he interacted with me and collaborated with me like I was equal, which made me feel confident.

[Toray]

Wow. Wow.

[Tedra Moses]

Clearly not equal. Let's say that. No, he's a genius, you know, but especially at the time, clearly not equal.

[Toray]

But to get the most out of you as an artist with him as a producer, he's got to make you feel comfortable. He can't lord over you. Then you go into a shell, and now you're not gonna be A great artist for his song. So he's gotta, like, coach you and make you feel comfortable.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah, but I think that that's just the way he is. Like, I think he's probably the type of. I don't know for sure, but I think he's just like. Either he really loves it or, like, I. What I will say. Being around him in my early part of my career, I realized that you could just do what you're really good at and be all right. You know what I mean? Like, Raphael has done music really, really well. Move into spaces of scoring films and all these different things, producing for other people, and the compromise of, like, having to do wax stuff never came. And I realized that with him, like, you don't have to conform to do. And he does well at it. You know what I mean? And I realized it. With Raphael, I can do what I love to do and do it at the quality level I like and be okay.

[Toray]

I talked to a lot of people on the show about what it means to be black and how that shows up in the work for them. And, like, so much of your history is about black culture and. But I'm curious how you feel about that, about what being black means to you and how it shows up in your work.

[Tedra Moses]

That's my superpower, being black. Yeah. That's my superpower being a black woman at that. That's my superpower because soul is innately in me. And I'm from New Orleans, too. Soul is just innately in me. Like, just the way I talk, the way I walk. Don't nobody's hip sway like a black woman. There is no one and there's a. That motion is a rhythm, and that's just. That's running through my. My blood, you know? Like, I don't think I would be as good at anything. Being a mother, being a singer, being a friend without my blackness. I think the core of what makes me. And I don't know if this has come off arrogant. I don't mean it that way. The core of what makes me as fly as I am in anything is being black.

[Toray]

Yes, yes, yes. Well, just all the things you learned in grew and took from the community.

[Tedra Moses]

Yeah.

[Toray]

I mean, like, black culture is the thing that makes America fly. Makes America, you know, cool and hip and so. Yeah, yeah. All the things that you have taken in from all the black culture you've been part of.

[Tedra Moses]

Like, and we witness, like, as children, we witness, especially as a woman, we witness older women, and we watch how they are. We listen to their Conversations. This is all infusing us. You know, it's like innately in you to. Even if it's just in your mind to tell yourself you that bitch, because that's just what you have seen. Even if even women that are like Dawson, they got moments where they look in the mirror and they see that black woman and they feel that thing. I don't know if it's the ancestors moving through you or whatever. It's a thing. It's a thing, and it's not something I can even put words on that makes me know that I am special. This is my superpower because I am black. Because how other people look and say, oh, black people have gone through this. Gone through. That's the damn word there. Gone through. We have made it to other sides. I don't think we give ourselves enough credit for being as super as we are, despite all that we've gone through. Oh, black people don't do this. Black people don't unite. I hate to hear people that are not black talk about how black people hate on each other. You have no clue. You've never lived in my neighborhood. You've never been in my family. We champion each other. I can be walking down the street, say, I'm walking down the street in this outfit today. A black girl is gonna look at me and say, oh, girl, you look good. Oh, sister, you look. This is what we do for each other. We light each other up because we can see the superpower in each other. You understand what I'm saying? I think there's an envy of this superpower. I revel in that envy. I genuinely do.

[Toray]

Thanks so much to Tedra for a great interview. And thanks to you for watching Torre. Show gives you fuel to power your dreams, because you can use your dreams like a rocket ship to blast you into a life you never imagined. You can make your dreams a reality, and maybe this show can help. You can find me on TikTok, @toraShow, on Instagram torayshow, and on Bluesky. Ore show is written by me, Torre, and produced by Ashley Hobbs. Our editor is Ryan Woodhull, our booker is Ray Holiday, and we're distributed by DCP Entertainment. And we will be back next Wednesday with more amazing guests because the man can't shut us down.