A Reaction To The Vince Staples Episode Of The Questlove Show

Questlove Show is a production of iHeartRadio.

Open mic, Eagle. What up, brother Jake?

See, I called you brother Jake instead of cousin. I hope that's not.

Hey, man, it's family either way. Okay. I appreciate it, man. It's nice to be back with you for another QLS mini, Questlove Show mini. What's going on in your world? Happy Friday.

Hey man, happy Friday to you too. Another long week of work and I'm getting ready to hit the road in a little bit. So, you know, everything feels like ain't enough time to do it, but you know.

How it is. You really are a true, like, I think I'm a traveling man. You are a traveling man.

It's sort of ridiculous when I really think about it. I'm like, oh, this is actually a little much. Like all the travel that I do, it's a little much.

Is there anything you do, like, you know, I assume... be it gas points or airline points or hotel? Like, is there anything you ever do for yourself with all of the accumulation of whatever travel loyalty points or whatever?

I bought two flights earlier today with straight points.

For yourself or for work?

For work. I don't do, I don't look.

Yeah.

Jay, I will not leave my house if I don't have to, because I have to leave my house so much. And I, I'd say that that's an over-exaggeration. Like, You know, if my son wants to do something fun, I don't travel for fun.

Okay.

Because I travel for work relentlessly.

You're not somebody that has like a vacation on your mind, be it long-term, short-term, whatever?

My vacation is laying in my bed. That's my vacation.

Has it always been that way since you've been in this line of work?

I think so.

Yeah.

Because once I started making money in this manner.

Yeah.

It bothers me if I'm spending money to go be somewhere and I'm not making any money there. It bothers me.

I can relate.

It occurred to me once that the way we are socialized to vacation, it's like, oh, I'm going to go somewhere and pretend to be rich for a week. Why would I do that? That's not... That's a very valid point.

Let me ask you this. Is there a part of the world that your career... has not taken you that you would like to see?

South America in any form. Because that's one continent I have not been to.

Okay.

So I would love to see anything in South America. And I want to see way more of Asia because I've only been to Japan.

Nice. In South America, is there an ideal first stop?

No, but I do want to see pyramids and stuff if that stuff is seeable.

Yeah.

I want to see all of the old stuff on the earth.

That's dope. That's dope. I've never been to South America either. I've seen... Venezuela. I went to Trinidad and I saw Venezuela off in the distance. That was cool, but I hope to get down there someday myself. Yeah, man. We're here today to talk about a recent episode of Questlove Show, as we often do. This is a special one. You and I have both admitted that we're both, at one point in our lives, baseball card heads.

Yes, absolutely.

With that said, I'm not a numbers person, but I am a stat guy. I don't like taking the soul out of things, but you know, in my five years of working on the show, I do like to see like what episodes are performing, why they're performing.

And so that's good stuff to know.

Exactly. And, and, but I don't even approach it. Like I approach it like a competitive way of like, you know, what, what our listeners and viewers are telling us. And the cool thing is, so a lot of folks make the comment, you know, like, man, why does your YouTube channel have this many subscribers? I think it's 42,000 right now. And it's a valid point. I mean, this show was always, you know, And it's Questlove Supreme Days. It began out of Amir and Sugar Steve's dream of having a radio show and other other folks in the mix. You know, Infante had the Gordon Gartrell podcast. All of these forums came together to launch QLS. And but it was never about video. And it's it's funny. There were things during

the pandemic that would hit YouTube often on the Roots channel. And then it wasn't until 2024 that QLS had our own channels. We're never a gotcha sort of podcast. We don't lead with the sexiest of headlines. Right.

So it's not material that's naturally going to go super viral video-wise.

And the cool thing is, the reason that dovetails into Vince Staples is in just two or so, two to three short weeks, it's really skyrocketed. And it's soon to be, it's competing right now with Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys, which was a Zoom conversation in 2024. But Vince Staples was shot in studio and it may soon become our biggest episode on this channel. And there's some cool forces at play with that because Vince had not done a lot of press. And he even talks about the conversation.

He doesn't particularly enjoy doing interviews. I don't know. Do you enjoy doing interviews?

It depends. I tend to enjoy the opportunity to add context to a project that I'm pushing.

Yeah.

But it can get old fast if the people you are interviewing with either aren't the best interviewers, which often happens, or they aren't paying attention to the interviews you've done already. So they're asking the same questions. It can get old fast.

Because it is a living, breathing thing. And I think that in this day and age, a lot of times a guest, an artist, will bring their audience. So they might have seen, if Jay-Z and Rick Rubin are doing an eight-part thing on HBO, and Jay does another conversation with Frasier Tharp, like people are following those conversations once to the next. So I do think in a very different way than 20 years ago, you need to be aware of what your guest has already said. And by the way, as a quick aside, you and Kenny have a great conversation with the questions and Sean Kantrowitz, like amazing.

Thank you.

Really enjoyed that one. Listen to it.

I mean, Sean's a great interviewer too.

Yeah, 100%. But Vince and his manager, Corey Smith, who's an industry veteran, has known The Roots and Amir for 30 plus years, they decided, which was such a gift to the show, that this would be kind of the first point of contact. And I think for reasons maybe you just alluded to, for Vince, he wanted to sit down and have a conversation with a peer. And what was beautiful is, I can share this, they were carte blanche.

They wanted to talk about life, talk about a new album, but it was a really beautiful thing. And you know, I, I was, I was present for that taping and it was the first time I'd ever met Vince Staples. Um, you know, I've been a fan of his and a listener of his supporter for 15 years or so. Um, but to see kind of how he moves was really interesting.

And it's, it's funny because the, the interview, the traffic isn't just coming from, I don't even know if Vince has shared it, but it's come from people on YouTube looking at what one of the more notable artists right now has to say. And there's some beauty in that. And I, It's a real nice opportunity for QLS.

I mean, and I imagine that, and this is, maybe this is a little bit of the cynic in me. There has been a lot of controversy recently with Vince.

Okay.

As a result of some interviews he's done. But more like content creator style interviews.

Like those five minute joints?

Yeah, yeah, like that. So there was one in particular that sort of caused a huge stir recently. where somebody asked him what his favorite song of his was. And his answer was that he didn't have one. And it's more specifically, he was like, whichever one has the most streams and keep streaming it. And the interviewer, you know, was trying to follow up and get an answer. And he's like, no, he's like, I don't have a favorite song.

He's like, if you work at McDonald's, do you have a favorite burger to flip? Like, and a lot of people got really, really upset at that answer. And he ended up taking it to social media because the backlash was so big. And he was explaining his stance, but then some of the responses from people who were upset was also very enlightening and almost frightening at points. What do you mean? It seemed as if a lot of white people were upset. People were saying stuff like, we want you to care about the job we gave you like stuff like that. You know what I'm saying?

Right.

And it's like, I really enjoyed, I won't say enjoy it. I'll say, I really thought that his answer was great because to me, his answer was more enlightening about the actual position he's in as an artist. Like he has been on a major label. He is now on a big indie label. His album's been out a couple of months now. So this is way past the press cycle.

He's doing interviews to keep generating content and probably push live shows. And he's working. You know what I'm saying? He's working. And the work is making albums. And when you make albums for a living, there's no part of that that lends itself to you having a favorite song of your own. It's kind of not the position he's in.

Yeah, I mean, that's well said. And honestly, there's just people out there that don't enjoy the favorite question. Last night, I was sitting next to a guy in a lounge, in a bar, whatever, Perfect strangers. And we just got to talking as one does and started talking about music. And I'm the type of guy just as an icebreaker would say, well you know what's the best concert you've ever seen or you know you have a favorite you know like Amir asks people all the time who's your north star who's who's your inspiration and I run into folks time and again that just don't like that question really and when it comes to your own art I think it's a product of and I'm not knocking the journalists because they have a format clearly like the content

creator rather But ideally, you want somebody to talk about something and surprise you and raise that curiosity with momentum. Vince didn't want to bring that. And that is his prerogative.

I think not only is it his prerogative, I think that any answer that he would have chosen would have been performative, to be honest. It wouldn't have really been real. I think he gave the real answer. The real answer is, It doesn't matter if he has a favorite song or not. That's not how his career works. Let's say he put his heart and soul into track three off of album two.

What difference does that make now? You know what I'm saying? It doesn't help anything he's trying to do right now. And the business of music, it isn't swayed in any way by any of his products being his favorite. And Gosh, somebody, oh gosh, there was a really good reply from somebody on Twitter because people were upset at him comparing his music to Flippin' Burgers. And his response to that person was, burgers cost more than songs, which again is like, that's the reality of doing this for a living. Like you want him to have a favorite song when you don't pay nothing to hear it?

Right.

You know what I'm saying?

And I think that mentality that you alluded to of folks saying, like, we put you here, that is so wrong. I mean, that's wrong in any format. And there's a lot of cringe and ugliness and deeper things to unpack in that attitude. And truly, I mean, one of the things that I admire about Vince Staples, period, is his directness.

There are artists out there that are very media trained. And Vince isn't one of them. And to me, it makes him a more compelling interview guest every time. Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Years ago, I always appreciated that Vince Staples, he'd be asked, what are some of your musical inspirations? The artist that stuck out, because he's the only person I've ever heard say this, he'd go, Ray J. I'm a big fan of Ray J. And I couldn't tell if that was him, if he's doing an Andy Kaufman troll.

Taking the piss, as they say.

Exactly. But I thought it was so interesting. And then you look in more recent years, I mean, he has that incredible, just clipped to the heavens conversation with Z-Way where, you know, he's unfazed in her special format. And so to have him on QLS, and there's a few moments, obviously, you know, that stood out to folks of his insights on the famed September 11th, 2007 battle between 50 Cent and Kanye West over, you know, and Vince, you know, truly comparing it to slavery. And like, he's just, Watching his mind and how he reacts was really cool. But yeah, I think that that's just it. And here's what's funny, too, is Amir makes a comment at one point to Vince jokingly of like, I'm going to find one thing that

you're passionate about. Because throughout the QLS conversation, Vince, you know, is like, you know, I'm grounded by my family. The thing that I cherish most is my family. I have the same friends I did when I was 15. I more or less live in the same place. To me, that is so interesting. versus a very colorful, imagination-filled answer.

But what really stood out to me is, it's funny, like Amir asked Vince, like, what do you listen to? And he said, he listed a few audio books that he keeps coming back to. And at one point he's like, I've listened to the same hundred songs my whole life. And that may be true, but one of the things that I find so fascinating about Vince Staples is he has a huge appreciation for the landscape of hip hop.

And he's this guy who also in the same vein was like, you know, his upbringing was a lot of folks around him kind of listening to unsigned like peers, you know, like cloud rappers, for lack of a better, but like folks in and around Southern California. But throughout the interview and several people that probably have, you know, a breadth of interest in hip hop music like you and I do, you know, we're pointing out like, yo, it's so dope that Vince Staples sites Blue in Exile.

or ghetto pop life, the album by the late Gemini, the gifted one. And he mentions MERS and passing. So you can never say this guy is not passionate about music. He is dialed the F in. And that really stood out to me. Like Vince Staples is somebody after hearing that conversation and witnessing it, I want to hear him talk about music more, you know, because it's deeply insightful.

And the thing that really stood out to me, and I'm curious if, if you have thoughts on this is like two points stood out at one point, you know, Amir was just speaking about how Vince, for a certain generation, represents this guy who comes from a certain set of circumstances on the north side of Long Beach, who also makes very vulnerable, introspective music. And Vince was like, you can point to Blue, who's done that. You can point to Merz, who's done that. A few minutes later, was just talking about the same ecosystem of guys like King T and MC8 and the late Mossberg. And I kind of got to thinking, I'm like, you know what I like is these walls and containers that so many music fans and media put on things really don't exist. And

I think Vince gets that.

I'm always of two minds in that situation because I'm a person who came up in the era of underground versus mainstream, specifically when it came to East Coast versus West Coast or real hip hop versus mainstream hip hop. And as an adult, I can look back and see how much of the human beings making the music were a lot of the same kinds of people. And that a lot of the distinctions, a lot of the differences was marketing stuff, being done by labels or being done by stylists or even being done by like A & R people at labels who figured out the best way to package certain things, whether it actually fit them or not.

So I do recognize that some of the walls aren't, you know, quote unquote real, but I think a lot of rappers move with intention. And I think a lot of rappers make choices on, you know, what they rap about and what they don't rap about. And I think that a lot of people want to be seen as having a certain sort of street credibility. And so that they make sure that most of their content reflects that.

And I'm not saying they're not genuinely into that or genuinely like that. Um, but I think that there's other artists, rap artists who don't do that.

Yeah.

That more so follow their own creative whims, regardless of what the expectations of the genre are or what could cost them quote unquote credibility. And so I do think, There's something to be said about the people who take those creative risks versus people who play it safer. And so in that contrast of the spectrum of choices that a rapper could make, I do think it's not altogether wrong to group them in certain categories.

Yeah. And I relate. And you brought this up in your conversation with Amir. And when you were a guest last year, I mean, you've illustrated this point of like you were very pro like Dr. Octagon and folks around you were dealing with, you know, Pac and Biggie. And I remember, you know, going into record stores and you had a finite group. You had a finite inventory of hip hop. And I'm like, man, why is there all of this and not this great stuff? in hopes that felt the same way about radio. And now it's funny because, you know, we can listen by and large to every album. Right. So, and that's what I like in this modern day is like Vince Staples mentioning a MERS. I hope that that, I hope that those same folks that are outraged by

Vince Staples, not having a favorite song or, or maybe not even outrage, but have opinions and react to it are also, whether it's a MERS or a Mossberg, taking heed of the fact that he's shouting out these artists and listening.

And also he's a product of both or he's a product of all. And I think that's one of the things that make Vince such a special act. Yeah. You know, a special rap artist is that he is the sum of all of these influences that not only, you know, his environment, but a rap diet that was filled with many different types of rapper that, You know, and all of that is in him and it's in his personality.

And I think all of that makes him appealing, you know?

Yeah, I agree with you. And it's funny, too. Like I much like you. I mean, you and I have both on this format and off air talk, you know, music a good bit. And Vince even shared that many of his album covers are homages to albums outside of the genre. Different, you know, Green Day and different like things that I didn't even pick up on that were hiding in plain sight to me. And I, once again, I mean, and he said, like he mentioned, he had done an interview before QLS with something involving, you know, the, the recording Academy and the Grammys. And he said, when it comes to his music, he likes to put it all out there and that is the conversation. And then if you want to have a conversation about life or,

you know, socioeconomic dynamics or race, he's up for it. But that was cool. And it's interesting, too, because I mentioned Corey Smith, who, you know, I've gotten to know a little bit over the years, but he also is part of the management of De La Soul. And you can look at De La and you can look at Vince, and they're both introspective entities that are always fighting against being what folks think they are. And that's just super cool to me. And this interview was really special. I think that QLS has had a really interesting summer. And one of the things I'm proud of is we can have Jojo, who is bold and real and Again, redefining her own legacy one week, and then you can have Vince.

And then, you know, we had Wallow on.

Oh, word.

Yeah. And the Wallow episode reminded me and actually Amir, I think, looked at me in the middle of that taping. He goes, man. I opened Mike Eagle this one.

Because he got, he got to stop using me as a verb like that because people don't know what he means.

But I think Wallow came in and disrupted Amir's life in a really positive way. Um, which I know for sure you did, but it ends up being a very different interview than, and there's a beauty in that. Everything is not structured. Everything is not talking points, but, um, needless to say, I'm proud of where we are this season and the variety has been really, um, Really positive.

Sick, man. I'm happy to be here to see it.

Absolutely, man. Well, I know we're just in brief talking about things, but I do want to encourage people as always, please keep sending in those mailbag questions. I think we're going to get some days ahead with you and Amir to go through some things and weigh in. And when I'm in New York taping episodes, I've been asking Amir a lot of the questions y'all have been sending me.

He really enjoys that. But also, if there's things that folks want to hear about or you have any questions on how the sausage is made, please hit the DMs at QLS or go to questlovesupreme.com. But we are so grateful. I encourage everyone, two things, well, three things. Definitely check the episode if you haven't, if you made it this far in the episode about it. But it's a really powerful 85 minutes episode. And definitely check out Vince Staples' Crybaby album. And then, which is, I do think that one of the reasons he's doing some press right now, it's that season where, and I hate that artists do this, like, not that they do it, but that it's part of what's necessary. We are coming up on awards season. So folks,

remind the powers that be. They made a great album. Check it out. Because, you know, in the third and fourth quarter, that's when folks especially with Grammy decide these things. And Vince definitely has made one of the stronger albums this year. And my third and final thing is so have you Mike, you know, doomed, check it out. Um, definitely.

And Mike, you're going on the road. I know you're hitting the East coast. I'm trying to line up some childcare and catch you in Baltimore.

Oh, that'd be dope, man. Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Baltimore, DC, Carborough, North Carolina. And I feel like I'm leaving somewhere. I Nashville and, chicago with dj shadow too.

Oh nice okay great well please do that and um thank you everyone and please uh tell somebody about the show we.

Appreciate you all tell everybody about it everybody

So Questlove shows and production of iHeartRadio.

A Reaction To The Vince Staples Episode Of The Questlove Show

Kapitelklicken springt direkt hin

Shownotes

Transkriptvom Podcast bereitgestellt · Zeitmarken springen hin