Omarion

Peace, peace. It is I the one and only Omarion and this is On That Note. Welcome everybody to another episode of On That Note. This is the place where we speak a language we all understand and that is music. My guest today is an Inglewood, California native who's been in the business longer than I have. That's a lie. No, it's true. For real? You started when you were a kid. Oh, that's right. We're going to get into that. I didn't think about that. Yes. Wow, that's cool. That sounded weird to me. You've been in a way before. You did the old hat. Right, right, right. He's the old hat. I'm talking to the OG, right? That's crazy. As a child star appearing in commercials for McDonald's and Kellogg's corn pops. Whoa. He's practically grown up in the world of entertainment, but of course, multi-talented as he is. He started dancing as a background dancer then shortly after embarked on pursuing a music career. He created a literal cultural shift when he became lead vocalist for the iconic group B2K. You might have heard of them. Yeah. Yeah. They're pretty cool. This group reached multi-platinum status and sold out tours across the entire country. He's also starred in movies, most notably the classic You Got Served, one of my favorites. Boy Goes Off. It was ridiculous. Still sad about Little Saint. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Y'all know the flick. He later moved on from his group to then achieve an equally successful solo career. The man has mastered the art of reinvention and strategically keeping his hand on the pulse of what resonates with the frequency of the status quo. He is a father, a brother, an actor, singer, dancer, a spiritual and wellness practitioner. We're going to get into that. Yes, sir. Okay. A lover of anime. We're going to get into that too. But sure. As well as a Grammy nominated and multi-platinum artist. Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for my friend and neighbor. Hey. Mr. Omari Ishmael-Granberry, aka Omari Yon. Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for the illustrious introduction. Come on, man. You know, you my bro, man. How you been? Amazing. Amazing. What a time. What a time, you know, to be alive. You know, and also, you know, still putting music out and being of this industry and this industry. So it's a great time for me. I'm excited. Yeah, man. Like I said, like you've found a way to constantly evolve. And that's one of the hardest things for an artist to do, being in the business as long as you have, because everybody is seeking to either stay the same, try to capture lightning in a bottle twice. And you know, be this person again and then again and again, or go completely left and turn off everybody. Right. You understood how to just stay in your lane yet somehow swerving and out. And that's that's really a testament of why you're successful. And that's hard to do. Yeah. A lot of artists can't do that. They don't they just don't know what to do after they get their first hit or whatever. You've managed to constantly just I'm going to do this. Yeah. And I'm going to be here and people gravitate and accept it and you do it well. Thank you. And like, listen, we get flowers here as I always say, flowers in this place. And this is what this whole podcast is about. It's about really just highlighting people's successes and how they got there and what they do to maintain it. So we're going to get into all that. But I like to start off every show with a segment I like to call we're going to go back okay, way back back in the time. Let's go. All right. What age did you score your first major TV commercial? What age was that? That was 13. 13. Yeah. And I have a story about that too. Okay, go ahead. So I was hoping you did. Yeah. Yeah. So I had been going on. I had been going on audition. I remember I found an agent. I'm like, okay, I'm going to try this mom. I'm ready to try this. It was two years that went by that I didn't book anything, you know, and I was really discouraged. That's a tough business. Yeah, it is. Especially when you're a kid because you know, you go on all these auditions and then you come to realize that, you know, they're looking for something specific. They're looking for a specific thing. And you know, I got that later on. But I remember I'll never forget my mom said, oh, Mari, you know, my hair was in braids at the time because my mom is a hairstylist. And she said, oh, Mari, do you want to take your hair out? You have an audition. And I was like, no, I don't want to take my hair out. And I ended up booking this Gorm Pop commercial. And I figured out that showing up as myself is probably the best thing. How about that? You know what I mean? How about that? Like, hey, I got my braids. If I book it, I book it. If I don't, I don't. I was kind of fed up, but it was a great lesson in authenticity. And I always carried that with me throughout all of my experience. But 13 was my first job that I booked. I already dropped in Jules the first question. So you see what you get, kids? Be yourself. Be yourself. Be yourself. And then let the chips fall where they may. You never know where it'll take you. Dive into that though. What does be yourself mean? What does that actually mean? When you say be yourself, what do you really mean by that? I mean, you know, have a sense of self, you know, back during that time, you know, as kids, we walked around, we played outside, you know, we discovered. I remember me and my boys, we was jumping roof to roof. You know, we were figuring ourselves out. So I would say that authenticity attributes to your foundation. You know, you know, the people that love you, the people that support you, which is basically your family, you know, my first, my first performance stage was the living room. So, you know, I always, of course, exactly. So I always got a, got a. Your talents in that living room couch. Yes. That floor in the hardwood. Exactly. Exactly. You know, that's when you get your first haters too. That's right. Auntie is like, shut up. You're singing too much, son. Shut up, boy. You know what I mean? Um, so yeah, I think for me, what it means is, is foundation. Yeah. Yeah, I dig that. And that is true. Like when you have a group of people that love you for who you are and appreciate you for who you are, then it makes it easier for you to walk through life being yourself. Exactly. As you know that you have a support system behind the person that you are. So that's being yourself, you know, just, you know, it does start with your family structure. But let's go back even further. Let's say about 10 years old, it was like 94. Right. I think. Scorpio energy, right? Of course. Always. Scorpio, okay. Just gotta get that out for the ladies. Yes, yes, indeed. Um, all right. So you were 10 years old. What were the sounds around your house that moms played, that your brother played? Like what were, what was the music that shaped who you are and what made you who we know you as, as a Maria? So many great artists. I have to salute my mom and my Nana as well because they did introduce me to real soul music. Shout out to moms. Yes. Shout out to mom. Grandma. Yep. I mean, yeah, we was definitely listening to Shaka Khan, Rick James, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye. The blueprints. Of course. Yeah. Patricia Russian. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. was her boyfriend at the time. His name was Oz. He was managing groups. And we also had like we had a garage full of production. Shout out to Soul G. He was like the first real producer I ever seen, you know, producing. You know, I did get a chance to record. And you know, on the DAT machine, you know, there are some songs that I did when I was younger. Yeah. So music has always been around. Okay. So you listen to music, but before you became an actual singer, you started off dancing, right? Yeah. Okay. So tell me that journey, like what, because you're a dope as dancing. So what made you transition from listening to the music and getting into the whole dancing thing? Was there anybody in your family or did you have like a street crew or anybody like that, that you dance with? Yeah. So my mom's, my mom's, you know, Dorsey Don alumni, you know, she was a dancer. Okay. And, you know, she took various styles and dance, which prompted me to go to this performing art school called LaFa. Okay. And the person who owned LaFa came up under Debbie Allen. So we would always do the chocolate nutcracker. We would always do these performing shows. And that's actually how I booked my first dance job was, you know, my dance teacher at the time, her name was Cassie, you know, for a summer program, you know, we would be there all day doing all styles, jazz, tap, ballet. And there was this audition for this group. And it was also when I met my choreographer, Roro, who did Oh, and who did touch that was the first time I met him, we actually worked on that job together. Yeah. So dancing has always been a part of my life. I'm so grateful for, you know, the, the, the art of dance. Yeah. Because, you know, once you fully understand your body, you can apply it to every aspect of rhythm, you know, in movement, and timing and transition. Yeah. That's what dancing is all about. So dancing has done wonders for my career and my ideas. 100%. Like it's part of your signature persona, not just being an artist, but knowing how to like hit it on stage and know how to do those those ill dance moves. Because it also allows you to get movie roles and all the other stuff. But we're going to get into that. But first, so you went from acting commercials, dancing. Yeah. So when did the journey with B2K start? Like, because I don't know that story. I don't know how you and the guys actually got together officially. Walk us through that. At this particular time, I was kind of focusing on being a solo artist. You know, like I said, we had that recording studio in the garage. Yeah. And I recorded this record called I Want to Be Like Puff. And I actually got to perform it for him too when I was younger. So my auntie, my play aunt, who was at the time dating the manager, they invited us to a New Year's Eve party. And there used to be this house on Colfax in the valley. And, you know, everybody would go there. Obviously, you know, because immature, you know, we met black for the first time, we performed for Destiny Child. Like, all everybody would always go through this house. And this particular time we went for New Year's Eve, this was the first time I went there. And there was already a group called Melodic. For whatever reason, you know, they started kind of growing differently. There was like one member that was really tall and then the other one was different. So yeah, so it stopped, stopped looking more cohesive. So they kept the other three members, which was Fizz, Raz and Bug. And then that's when I met them. I met them at a New Year's Eve party. And, you know, they busted out and they routine. And I was like, Oh, dope. I was like, this is dope. And I was like, well, hold up, let me go backflip. You know what I'm saying? They was like, Oh, hold on. Hold up. Hold my drink. Exactly. Busted out my backflip. And then from then on, yeah, we started becoming a group. They asked me if I wanted to be in the group, be the least thing in the group. And then it was like, okay, cool. Super dope. Yeah. So I thought it was a dope journey to embark on, even though, you know, at the time I was focusing on my solo career, I was like, wow, I could experience this with some of my guys. You know what I'm saying? So yeah, that's how that happened. Okay. Now with that, is it true that you wanted to be a football player? Oh, no. Okay, cool. See, that's why you gotta check it. Maybe basketball, but then I realized I wasn't tall enough. Right? I'm about to say, because when I read that, you know, again, sometimes social media will screw you up. But when I read that, I looked and I kind of went, huh. I mean, you know, no disrespect though, Mario. I mean, you know, he's kind of a small and stature. Like, you know what I mean? He could be another Barry Sanders. Right. Running back maybe. No, no head trauma. Yeah. No, I dig that. Well, how would you go to? I went to Hamilton High. Hamilton. Okay. Yeah. Did you even play ball there? I did. Okay. So you did play ball? Yep. I did play ball. I mean, I did everything because, you know, it's a magnet program school. So they had so many curriculum. I was doing choir. They even had a beat production class. There's a seven period. So yeah, shout out to the Hammy alumni. My boy, James Fauntleroy went to Hamilton High. Shia LaBeouf went to, you know, Hamilton. Yep. Robert Rashad. It was a lot of performers that went to Hamilton High. That's crazy. Yeah. That's crazy. You know, it amazed me to hear, because again, these stars, they had to go somewhere, right? But to know that they all, everybody went kind of to the same school. Like, so weird. That needs to be studied. Yeah. How you went to school with your guys. We talked about Jimmy Jam and Prince growing up together. Yeah, they went to high school. Yeah. Yeah. Together. Yeah. It always. Imagine Kobe and MJ and Magic going to high school together. Yeah, no, it is. It is. It's a weird nucleus that happens because even with us, like, we went to school with Black Thought and Quest Love of the Roots, Amel LaRue from Groove Theory, Love Her, like a couple of Jazz, but like, we were all in the same, that same four years. Wow. Of seeing each other around. And that's crazy. That's so dope. Yeah. But it seems to be like a thing. It is. You know, just just having you go and just like you said, all these other amazing talents that gain success. It's obviously something in that water at that time. That produces like these particular artists, you know what I'm saying? Like it's or actors or dancers or all of that, that triple threat thing, man. So, okay, so you guys get together. How was the, the, the getting to know each other? Was it, was it a, was it tough at first? Did it take a while for everybody to gel personality wise or like, did you guys just fall right in? Yeah, I think that there was like a professional and a personal element, you know what I mean? Because, you know, the guys had already pretty much created a bond, you know what I mean? Spent time together. I think we really developed our relationship through, you know, the dance, you know, and performing and, you know, Rest in Peace, Dave Scott, our choreographer. He really, like we, we, we spent a lot of time together really honing, you know, our performance. And I think that's where we kind of developed. And then, you know, we would separately, you know, like spend time together. That was a part of the bonding. That's it. And yeah, I didn't, I really, I didn't really understand at the time how imperative and important it is to spending time when you're building something with people. But that's what we did. All we, all we did was like spend time together. Of course, we were still kids. And of course, we still, you know, hop the fences to go jumping somebody else's pool and play basketball, you know what I mean? But on a professional tip, like, no, we was in that lab. And we was being sharpened. Yeah, being in a group is a lot like being on any type of football team or basketball team or whatever you, you have the tighter the, the, the nucleus and the chemistry, the better it is for everybody because you don't realize it till later, but you're spending a lot of time with them. You're traveling, you know, you smell in each other's farts. You know what I mean? Like, like, you understand, like, it's a lot of those things that you have to kind of like delve and deal with and live with. And the more you do it, the better, you know, not just how to stay together, but know when to kind of give each other space. Facts, it definitely shows on stage. It definitely shows up in situation that, you know, you might not be prepared for this, like, you know, you spend so much time and it's like, you guys know each other. Yeah, I mean, so it does show up. Well, speaking of stage, I'm going to tell you one of the most spectacular performances or performers I've ever seen, like seeing y'all like hit them, them dance moves and, and, and all of that, man, like one of the baddest to ever do it. Your first tour was just ridiculous. Thank you. Like, please tell me who was on there. Like, it was, it was you guys. You talking about the 2019 one? No, the Scream tour. Yeah, the Scream tour. Oh, Scream tour, yeah. The Scream tour was, was that's when I saw you. Yeah, you know, that's when we really fully broke out too. Yeah, I would never forget, you know, the power of, because, you know, we didn't have internet, we didn't have all of those things during that time. So it was like, you know, we did our first show and, you know, we was carrying our own luggage, you know, we didn't have all of the bells and whistles. And it was from that one show to that last show. And it was like, Hey, do you guys want to go ahead and line the next tour? And it was like, so yeah, so yeah, I remember we used to come out in our all white to ain't nobody dope as me. Right, right, right, right. Yeah, yeah, y'all smack. Like, like, it's one of those things where it's like, when you see, because I'm obviously being in a group and, and admiring other people's groups and like to, even down not just no addition, but the temptations and even older groups like Blue Magic and the stylistics and all these guys like to see the intricacies of the steps. Right. That's what I enjoy. Like it's not just somebody just doing one, two, one, like they they doing like symmetrical shit. One person's here, one person's there, the whole thing. Like how, how, how long did it take? Because I mean, it's obviously you guys in natural dances all over. But to put together a routine, how quick would you be able to get something done like before you got it? It depends. It depends on what's it's for. You know what I mean? Sometimes we're like changing choreography up until the day of the show. You know what I mean? I think dancing and performing is definitely second nature to us. I mean, you know, it's a lot of heat coming in changing, changing things at the end. But when you're in a group, you kind of rely on each other and you know, you encourage each other. And then one thing that B2K has always done is we compete. We're going to see who's going to mess up. And then, you know, it's actually something we just did recently because, you know, we're gearing up for tour. I was going to ask you. Yeah. I was going to ask you, I was going to save that a little bit for later, but go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah. We, because it's been a minute since we outside of the BET Awards where we're just like actually naturally coming together and we have some routines and we haven't particularly practiced. But we did the promo with our boy, Chris Robinson, who directed it for us. Okay. Yes, sir. And we had to do these scenes. And it's so funny because, you know, me and Raz is on one side and Fizz and Boog is on the other side. And then all of a sudden it becomes a competition. He's like, yeah, Raz, you about to mess up right now. And I'm like, Raz, don't let him talk to you like that, bro. Put some respect on him. He like, he messed up. And I'm like, ah, I love it. Okay. And then I'm looking at him in the corner of my eye doing it. And he like, oh, he killing it. Fizz and Boog is killing it. We all like, yeah. So that's one of the cool things being in the group. Yeah. A lot of people don't understand it. It's a lot of that going on. Like, you know, especially, you know, me and my guys, like if somebody fuck up a note, like on stage, we looking at him like this. Oh, you know, you're going to get clowned after the show is over, right? So no, it's real. But it does, it's like iron sharpens iron. Period. It keeps everybody tight and makes sure everybody is on point and they not slipping. And I feel bad personally. I mean, I know you did a lot of, you know, you're a solo successful, solo artist as well. But it's something about being in a group. Yeah. It's the cancellation of not just egos, but anxiety. Yeah. Like, because when you have like somebody telling you, bro, yeah, that's true. Relax. Yeah, that's true. You know what I'm saying? That's true. You good. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like when you have someone of equal stature. Yeah. Next to you saying, yo, we gonna, we gonna kill this. Just feels better. Like, it's nice to do solo stuff. Of course. But it's, I think that camaraderie of having somebody like next to you about to do the same thing you about to do at the same time. Yeah, I always say it's magic in that, particularly because a lot of my favorite performers came from groups, you know, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, you know, there's just some difference of honing your skills and sharing the space when you're in a group. You know what I mean? And I always tell my dancers that because, you know, I love to, you know, do my solo thing as well. But it's like, hey, y'all, we're all performing together. Right. Right. And it's less stressful. Yeah. I mean, like knowing that you have people around you that, that are, that shares the same space, makes you don't feel so like, you know, just isolated. Yeah. Facts. Yeah. I mean, so you touched on it. You guys back going back out on the road. Yes, sir. When and when can we get tickets to hold nine yards? What's going on? The tour is called Boys for Life. That's dope. Yeah. And we're going to make an announcement at the end of this month, where everyone can get their tickets. The tour is slated for February. Okay. So yeah, we're going to be getting ready all the January to give you that nostalgia. That's so dope. You'll be on the road, Sean. So I'll take his tickets. Because he'll be busy too. Right. Right. Because coincidentally, I think it's safe to say for me to, you know, by the time this airs here, me and the guys are going out on the road with new addition. By Tony Braxton. By that starts late January. Okay. So we'll probably. Yep. Yeah. If we in town, we don't got shown the same thing. I'm pulling up 100. And likewise, who you guys going out with? Who you guys going out with on the road? Right now is Bow Wow. And it's like two other people, we're still finalizing who else is going to be coming on the road with us. But Bow is definitely poppin out. Congratulations. That's super crazy. Now, is there music too? Or is it like? Yeah. Okay. So this go round. We will be preparing an album where we're finalizing the deal right now as we speak. But yeah, we're going to give y'all some music and also same as plug is going to be some new Omari. I mean, I was about to say that's the next question. I was fortunate enough to hear two of your joints. First off, let me say full circle volumes one and two. I remember I text you about it. Yeah, you did. Come on. And I was like, yo, the like, I loved just approaching. And again, you really have an understanding straight up of who you are first, right up, because that's important. Yeah, we were just talking about earlier, my wife and I were just talking about how artists tend to lose themselves either in an image or a, a, I guess some sort of forced obligation to be something that they really don't want to be. And you see the downwards viral with a lot of them, like either fall into some sort of depression, they don't, they disappear or anything like that. But you've managed to, I don't know how you do, I'm gonna ask you how you do it. Because like it's it's very interesting to see you just go, I'm gonna just put this music out. And then I'm gonna support it this way. And people are going to feel it this way. And then I'm gonna just, that's it. That's me. This is who I am. Like, how important is that for you? Like, what is your approach when it comes to music? Like, do you have that in the back of your head? Oh, I got to make this type of record or you just go completely on feels. So for me, the essence, you know, and the art of creating, especially based on my experience, because a lot of songs, a lot of songs were written for me like, Oh, was written for me. Yes. You know, so I still have room to grow. And that's what I love about being a musician. You know, just like Andre 3000, you know, you can pick up different things, you can grow your skill and your art and music. Yeah. Just by staying curious. And I think the essence of a lot of my hit records are really just to feel, you know, emotion. So I understand, you know, some of the laws of creation when it comes to, you know, making hit records, or just making songs that feel good. So I stick to, you know, what I know, and what feels good. That has always been something, you know, and then also the people that I work with, you know, I like to work with people that I actually like, because it's easy to get. It's important. It is. And it's easy to get caught up in, you know, this is the new hot writer. Yeah, you got to get with that. Yeah, you got to get with this person. And then you got to sing it like this. You may not vibe with the person at all. A lot of the times I'm changing lyrics, you know what I'm saying? Because there's just certain things I won't say, you know what I mean? I'm not going to be like Papa perk 30 and less fuck. You know what I'm saying? I'm just like, you could have a little wine, and then we can find out. So just staying true and authentic to my process and my experience, and also stepping outside of that, you know, not being afraid to try something different. You know, entourage was a record like that very much so, you know what I mean? Because, you know, my boy, E.Hud, you know, we were, you know, young dudes. Shout out to E.Hud. Yeah, shout out to E.Hud. I just saw him like, I saw him at the Chris Brown concert. Oh, yeah. So shout out to E.Hud. But, you know, our love for music, you know, and old school music. Because, you know, as a solo artist, everyone is always trying to beat the Michael album. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, don't do that. Yes. Don't ever go with that approach. Like, just leave Thriller alone. Like, it's impossible. First off, it is. But just do you take elements of that? Because that's what that music is for. And I think that's what all of the classics are for. For guys like us to take bits and pieces and to formulate just something inspired by it. But to try to create another thriller. Like, yeah, did you ever get to meet Mike? I did. You did? What was that like? Man, shout out to Rodney Jerkins. They were on the set of You Rock My World video. And we got a call and he was like, yo, y'all want to meet Mike? I'm like, yeah, of course. And yeah, when I got to meet him, it was so magical. It seems like a dream and unreal, you know, because that was the first person that ever bowed to me when he met me. Are you serious? Yeah, he was like, I was like, that's crazy. You remember the year? What year? Oh, what year did You Rock My World come out? Oh, that's a good question. That year? Oh, one. Oh, one. Yep. Wow. Yep. And Mike was still in his back. 24 years. Crazy. So this is still like Mike Mike. Yeah, still Mike. Yeah. Facts. Yeah, still Mike Mike still doing his thing. Yeah, I mean, or or like off director. Yeah, yeah. Walked up, holding his lapel. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, what'd he say? What'd he say to you? He started talking to Rodney. He was like, Rodney. He didn't say nothing else. He just said, Rodney. Yeah, he was like, nice to meet you, Mike. You inspired me so much. And he was like, that's so crazy. And I was like, that's right. Well, you met him. Yeah, for sure. What did you do? You just sat somewhere and watched? Yeah, I just was like, wow, you know, the first concert that my mom ever took me to was a Michael Jackson concert. We had nosebleed seats, you know what I'm saying? So I could he looked about that big. The form? Oh, I got to ask my mom what that venue was. I don't even remember. I was so young. Yeah, yeah. She brought me to the concert, but Mike has been such a major influence on my career as an entertainer, as a solo artist. And also, I think spiritually too, you know, because people forget how spiritual music is. Speaking of that, right? Yeah. You're really heavy because I've had some discussions with you because I discovered you're really big on meditation, mental health, conscious living, often sharing it with your fans. And I'll catch your live sometime and you know, you really, you be on your meditative energy and things that nature. How important is that to you for not just your career, but just your everyday lifestyle being just a human being, being a father and all of that? You know, how important is that to you? It's such a key element, especially now, you know, with being a father, you know, maintaining my own businesses, venturing out, you know, writing a book. I think, yeah, yeah, I wrote a book. I wrote a book like two years ago called Unbothered, the power of choosing joy. Unbothered. Okay. Yeah, I gotta get you a copy. I'll pick that up. No, I know I'll support it. I'll pick it up. Where can people find it? It's on Amazon. You could get it. Kendall? Yep, you can get it on Kendall. I did the whole voiceover. Oh, you did? Okay. So you did the audible? I did the audible. Y'all can check that out. Okay, awesome. Awesome. But yeah, I mean, all of these different ventures, really just grounding, grounding yourself, grounding yourself is just a important practice for life, you know, trying to pay bills, you know, like, it's funny, right? Yeah, it is. Trying to pay bills. It's depressing. Right. Right. Right. That's what I'm saying. But you gotta laugh. You gotta laugh because you like, wait a minute, huh? Keep from crying. Somebody gotta pay. Yeah, somebody gotta pay. Which is crazy. Yeah. You know, because these are things that God gave us for free. Yeah, right. That's what my man Orlando said. Right, right. No, you're right, though. But meditation, making sure that you keep your center and making sure that those types of things don't drive you too crazy or insane, right? Yeah. And my journey was unique because, you know, I wasn't necessarily introduced to meditation, you know, because someone else was like, Hey, you should try meditating. One of my, one of my OG's, Saad Guru, I visited his foundation in this outside of Tennessee. And he had this program called Inner Engineering. Okay. And it was a seven day program, you know, you left your phone, you know, you journaled and you meditate it every day. And it has such a profound, just, just, I had a great experience and it really shifted my life. And it really made me take more responsibility for my own personal happiness. And I think when we're like moving about in the world, we forget that we actually have that power to choose how, you know, we go through situations and nothing, you know, inherently has a meaning unless we give it to it. How about that? You know what I'm saying? So like through meditation, I really started, you know, light bulbs start going off and I'm like, wait a minute, hold up, I don't got to react action. I can actually respond. I could think about what I want to do. I could sit with myself and, you know, you know, falling in love and getting your heart broken or being disappointed, you know, sometimes people carry it in their face because, because they haven't set with themselves and they haven't forgiven themselves and they haven't forgiven others. And I just, I just never wanted to be that kind of person, you know, that kind of moved about and got upset at, at, you know, maybe some unfavorable moments, you know, that we all experience as humans, you know what I'm saying? Meditation really shifted my perspective and it really helped me go inward. And that's what I love about spirituality, spirituality outside of, you know, religion, because the focus becomes you, right? Not anything else. It's your responsibility, you know, on how you show up and how you go through these experiences of life. Yeah. I mean, when you really get into, when you bypass a lot of the, I guess you could say, the dogma of a lot of certain people and how they speak about certain things and certain standards that only really scratch the surface, what you realize is that a lot of what God is telling us is that the spirit of God is in you. Period. It's in all of us, like to be able to tap into that and know how to do it. A lot of people tend to go through certain procedures, which is traditional. Yeah. You know, you go to church, you do this, you read certain scriptures and all that stuff. Yeah, you bet. All of that. And that's all good. It's all, yeah. But that's really just a stepping stone. Facts. To an even deeper dive into who we should really be and unlocking exactly who we can be. Like it's a reason why you have certain people that do like amazing physical things or just amazing speakers or just amazing artists is because they tapped in. Facts. That somehow they somehow tapped into that other id. Yeah. That allowed you to kind of go, yo, I can do that. Facts. And then you change the world because, but it starts with just like you said, your mind state of basically saying, I don't have to be this, I can be that I can be better. And most of the time, a lot of those people are considered a little weird because, well, mainly because you see something that they don't. Yeah, that's facts. That's facts. You understand what I'm saying? Like, can you imagine when Steve Jobs said, yo, I'm going to make this phone that does this, that and the third and people were like, like, are you crazy? Yeah, what are you talking about? Like, what are you talking about? Even down to people that invented the airplane? We're gonna have people fly like what? Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's always those exceptional minds. Yeah. That, you know, use for lack of a better analogy, see the matrix. Yeah. And actually kind of like see the world how it could be opposed to what it is and staying stagnant into that. Yeah. And we all have purpose. We all are here for a reason. Yeah. You know, it's really truly up to us to figure out why. Yeah. And when you do, your life just unfolds in such a magical way. Yeah. You know, and you really enjoy this real short time we have here, you know, because it's really not that long when you think about it. I'm looking at my son, I'm looking at my daughter, and I'm like, yeah, every time I see him, I see him as a baby. Yeah, right. That's my baby. And I'm like, oh, now I get why my mom, right? Oh, okay. That's right. That makes sense. You know, right. It is. See your kid is actually growing into these other humans. And you'd be sitting there like, who are you? You know what I mean? You know, that type of thing when, yeah, you locked in to when they were like this small. Straight up. It's crazy. It's really. Yeah. So life is a special experience, you know. And I think it's imperative for us to all be aware and, you know, take a pause and live in the moment and enjoy it and, you know, share it. Yeah. You know, if you can, you know, it's so important to really spend time with people that continuously pour into you. Yeah. Like it helps you walk and being able to pay the bills when you don't want to and do all those other things that are mandatory in this life that we were forced to live in. But there are certain aspects that are just as important as paying a bill or having to meet this person for a meeting and all this other stuff. And I think meditation, because I've grown more into doing that more too. Oh, that's dope. Like with the with the singing bowls and the whole night. Like I lock in like the tuning forks and to hit like all of that stuff. Like a lot of people. I got mine in my bag. Yeah. Yeah. Straight up. Like, you know, it's a lot of people don't understand how deep yeah frequencies are. Come on. Which is why when I hear musicians say, oh man, I'm just a musician. I don't force these kids to do what they do. You kind of do. Yeah. Like because music is literally a frequency that speaks to other frequencies. Right. And we're in the business of manipulation. Facts. So you're you're you can either do it in a positive light, right, or in a negative. And those things really matter to a person's attitude. Yeah. Like I always use this as an example. When you work out, Brian, you have a workout playlist, right? No, whatever that is. Do you know what my playlist is, Sean? What's that? Only love music. But guess what? It puts you in the mode to work out whatever your frequency is. Right. It don't have to be like I had a tiger. Like, you know, it love is the greatest emotion in the world. 100% anger doesn't motivate me. Yeah. Love does the love for my family, the love for my friends, right? Love. You're going to hear Whitney Houston, you're going to hear Boys to Men in my playlist. You're going to hear and that's what you get. You get a good workout. You get a good sweating. But then you go to how we like we see like movies and you see like an army back in the day and what they do. Right up. Yeah, presence. It puts you it put that that horn. Yeah. Puts the soldiers like like people don't understand how important the trumpet guy was in a war. Major. Like it was major. Like when you heard the trumpet, it made the soldiers like turn up. Turn up. You know what I mean? That's a frequency. That's right. So, so those things are extremely, extremely important. And from the tuning forks to the singing bowls. And I don't want to I don't want to I'm not trying to turn anybody over to doing this type of stuff. But we just having a conversation amongst friends. But this is what I guess you and I have in common as far as like the things that matter to us that gives us that grounding and gives us that peace. Facts. And I love that you spoke about the magic of music because some people play with it. But it's really not to be played. It's not to be played with. It's not to be played with because there is a magic facts to whipping up certain sounds and frequencies and lyrics. It's like, yeah, it's almost like spells. It is. It is. You know what I'm saying? You're drumming up something. You're drumming something up. Yeah, facts. Let's get it on. Yep. Come on. You're drumming it up. To do what is, you know, placated in that record. You know, I'm saying so, you know, again, we as musicians have a responsibility period, period to understand our power and not just look at it as a means of making money. I know you don't do that because we're cut we're cut from the same cloth. Yeah. In a sense of we come from an era where it was about doing what we loved to do. It wasn't a hustle. Yeah. It wasn't looked at as oh, I'm do this so I can get this whip. Yeah. And all this other stuff that just came with facts. Facts. You know what I mean? But we did it. And it's the reason why you in particular is still in this business as heavy as you're in it because there is no guile with you. There's no motivation of anything superficial or anything like that. You still do it. And I hear it in a new music. Straight up. I still hear it in a new music. Like I was just listening to it before you got here and I was like, yo, this is such a bop. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do. Like it's just felt good. Straight up. The lyric delivery and the whole thing we're going to get to that. But straight up. But I have to ask you this question. I just this is kind of veering off to this is probably the hottest of hot takes I would ever do. But but I have to ask you this. Yeah. There was I read somewhere that you are practicing celibacy. I was you was. Yeah, I was. Okay. I was. How long did you practice it? Three years. Three years. Yes. It was very weird at the time. You know, because I was a young man. And I was really at that time, you know, spiritually searching for strength and personal control over myself and my body. And yeah, yeah, I did I did it for three years. Now I look at it back. I'd be like, fish. Because I love women. I love women. And all this splendor, friendship, best friends, lovers, all that, you know, I mean, what did you discover within those three years? What did you find? What did you find out about yourself within that journey? I think that soul ties are real, you know, real connection with women, you know, on a physical tip, like, I think that that's when I was like being introduced to like a form of telepathy, you know, me feeling, feeling closer to someone even when they're away. And also too, that I just had the power to say no to anything. That's awesome. Like, yo, if I don't want to do something, you know, I could stop today. And I think that that's a power, the power of discipline really turns your life into, you know, just another level. So I think more than anything that I was just really just practicing discipline of self. And it really served this purpose, because I'm like, you know, I always say I'm like one of the few guys that I could turn my discipline on and off. And it's like, it's a cheat code, you know, for certain things that where I have like maybe an acting role, or like I really know how to focus and commit to something. Yeah. Because of that discipline. And this day and age, especially for men, and specifically for black men, it is probably one of the most important things that we learn. I saw some statement, I don't know who said it, but it said if a man can control his stomach, his mind, and his loins, he's mastered life. Straight up. And you're absolutely right. Like, to be able to learn how or just say no. Yeah. And I don't want to do that. Like, especially in this world, and being entertainers of decadence and self indulgence. And I want this now and being able to get it now. And instant gratification, those things become harder to be able to just say, you know, I'm cool. Yep. And the allure of the game and the allure of, you know, the art of persuasion, you know, being able to have discernment, you know, being able to be like, okay, yeah, I'm liking this, or maybe I don't. Right. You know, because a lot of entertainers end up in some real unfavorable positions, because because lack of control, lack of control and continence. Yeah, straight out. You know, as it's called. And yeah, it's crazy. And I think, again, us being in the business, you kind of see it, we both see it and in certain people, and you see how it's breaking them down from a physical standpoint, because it starts within. And then it just comes outward. And you see how they look, act and it's weird. Yeah. And I also see how, you know, some people aren't able to reach certain depths of sound and love, because it's not something that they have experience. Yes, true. You know what I'm saying? It's like, you're a singer, but I don't feel like you're singing about love. You just singing about fucking. Right. You know what I'm saying? And it's like, that says something, you know, that that's probably not something a lot of people are paying attention to, but I could feel it. You've noticed it. Of course. I'm like, man, you know, your catalog is not growing. You got to get fall in love. You know what I mean? I see some new artists. I'm like, well, you got a girlfriend. It's like, well, the ladies, you know, the ladies might not want you because you got a girlfriend. You know what I mean? Like it's certain little things that can really help your art. You know what I mean? And discipline and self-awareness is probably the most important thing to really connect outside of lyrics and melody to an audience. It has to be in you. From a musical and artistic standpoint, do you believe that love can still exist? And what I mean by that is the way that the songs were delivered back in the day, the courtship, the courting, the dating, the holding hands, the first kiss, like those moments that build an actual relationship and not skipping a step. Do you believe that that can still exist in this day and age? Do you believe that it still exists in this day and age? Yeah. I do believe that it still exists. I think it's just kind of propped up a little bit differently. And then also, we are in a different age where commercially that is not highlighted anymore. The love of togetherness and coming together or like that first kiss, like that's no big deal to these little kids. I'm saying it to these ladies. But it still exists. It still exists. I don't know how much it exists in the music. But I know it exists as far as the experience. I met this young lady the other day and she kissed me and I said, whoa, you might be the one. No, but it's real. And just so we understand because I'm old. So it's like, I'm not in and out in these streets. But to be out there and see what I see, is it still a belief amongst men and women that they could find someone that they can love and appreciate and develop a friendship? Because just like you said, the music and the frequencies of the songs, it's skipping steps. Yeah, straight up. Like it's going from boom, boom, zero to 60. Right. And I think it has a lot to do with the actions of a lot of the people and they played us those actions out either on social media or whatever. I'm not saying it's all real or whatever because social media is not real. But at the same time, people express themselves in real type situations and it's influencing real people. But do you still believe that there are people, men and women, that still yearn for that old school type love, that 90s type love? Oh, of course. That still exists. It still exists. Oh, of course. We have a young lady. Of course. We have over here that's nodding really heavy. So yes, it's still real. I think it just depends on how you grew up, where you're growing up. Like I think in the heart of LA, probably not because everybody's looking to one of each other and get to a certain place in this ecosystem of Los Angeles or New York. But I think if you're in Tennessee or you're in Texas or whatever, you still have a foundation of love, I think. I think also what I found is that for some people out here, they have to arrive to love. They have to go through life experiences and figuring out what they don't want in order to really, truly appreciate the one or a person that, because what is a great relationship? A great relationship is a reflection, a reflection of you. You guys are a reflection of each other. It's something divine about finding your partner. It's something that I feel like people, they want to experience it regardless of if it's not popular or not, or it's not in the music. I think we all have a drive, especially as a man, we all have a drive to want to start a family, take our lives into a different degree or responsibility, and shout out to the single folks out there too, because sometimes you get to experience something, you're like, you know what, I just want to be alone. I don't think it's nothing wrong with that. It's nothing wrong with that. If that's your choice. But you touched on the men, right? And I want to get too deep on the conversation. But again, it's a spiritual thing, a vibe that I always get with you. And I like your perspective on things. But is it because you think that men are afraid to show emotion, why they create, why the songs are more veered to the step skipping, yeah, and keeping it a surface base. I just want to hit it. I just want to, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like, do you think the men out here have has kind of fell fell back because of fear of showing emotion of expressing themselves because there was a term that people don't use as much anymore. But you know, if you actually showed emotions to a woman, you were a simp. Yeah. Yeah. Like, you like, like if you actually get down on your knees begging you please that whole thing like that was like some simp shit. And it was looked it was frowned upon. Opposed to again, my back of my day, you had Lenny Williams going, like this whole, the whole song with him begging. Facts. Yeah. Like so and even with us, even my guys, we have a lot of songs that talk about come back to me, that type of thing. Now on Bendy Neat. Yeah, it was it was looked at. It's now. It's but it's now looked upon as like some simp shit. Like, do you think that people are afraid the men particularly are afraid to actually show feelings like these days, like and actually share with a woman how much they actually like how her hair looks today. Proposed to just her ass. I like how the your glasses look. Yeah. Right. Right. Right. That's what women want to hear. I'm assuming but yeah, men are not doing that. Why do you think that is? I think because, you know, for a long time, it wasn't cool for a man to show his emotions. And I think that, you know, it's it hasn't been cool. But what my experience has been is is actually your emotions is like a superpower. You know, it allows you to feel and to be vulnerable. And I think that what I've learned is as vulnerability is a superpower as well, because it instantly shows you how a person feels. And if they don't receive it, then you can move on. You know, I mean, but I think that the now the now society just really struggles with instant gratification. And I think that they jump to skipping steps because the idea of value has shifted. You know, I mean, you know, we seen the culture, you know, I mean, in many different instances, frown upon certain things. And then the next few years do it. You know, crazy, you know what I mean? Like, oh, okay, that's true. It's like, well, first it was the slim thing, you know what I mean? And then it was a thick thing. Right. And now it's a BBL thing. Right. And now it's, you know, and I think that society has a way of kind of moving the goalposts. And that's why foundation is so important. You know what I mean? Because I would say as a man, you need to be in tune with your emotions. And of course, I'm not saying be a crybaby. Right. I mean, don't don't ain't nobody saying that. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? But at the same time, know how you feel, you know, express yourself. Right. And I think that that we're coming into a transition, you know, where I think in the future, it will be okay for a man to express himself again, you know, eloquently, and in a way that is very heterosexual. Yes. I know what you mean. Because there's so many things that has happened from when I was a kid up until now, you know, introducing certain ideas and concepts, you know. So yeah, I think that that's really what it is. I think that it's cool to get it now. You know what I mean? It's cool. And then also too, on the flip side, you know, when we talk about manipulation, you know, just think about how much more the manipulator has been able to manipulate this time. You know what I mean? Like, I think before he was a little bit more hidden, but now, you know, he can scam and he can look like the part and he can look like the role. And, you know, he can pay for someone's time. Right. That just was not popular when we came up. Right. Right. I mean, that wasn't cool. Right. You know, a trick and a trick and dude. And then it's funny. And I have these conversations with my friends all the time because, you know, being from the West Coast, our temperament is a little bit different from, you know, a lot of the other places. Right. You know what I mean? But it's like the Southern guy, he's gotten popular over the last, you know, I guess 10, nine years. You know, and the way that he shows his lady, you know, how he cares about her is kind of like a form of tricking to a West Coast person. You know what I'm saying? It's like, I go and hang out with a girl from Atlanta and then, you know, she's trying to get me to spend a whole bunch of money for no reason. For no reason. For her to feel. That's interesting. For her to feel like I care about her. Right. You know what I'm saying? Because that's a custom there. Right. You know, it's like, oh, well, I don't have to take care of nothing. I'm dealing with him. And he like, well, that's our custom. Right. And then the same thing when you go to the East Coast, you know, the way women talk there, you know what I'm saying, are just different from the way women carry themselves in other places. You know what I'm saying? So I think it's interesting. You know, the more you grow and you learn and you experience, you go, oh, this is interesting. To sum it all up, I guess, when men acquire the ability to develop an emotional intelligence. Facts. To express themselves outside of pulling out their credit card. Yeah. And because ultimately, unless that's not your intention. Yeah. You know, like, that's what keeps a woman around. Facts. And whole culture wasn't as big as it is today. I mean, the statement and ain't tricking if you got it. That became like a whole culture in itself. Right. Like people just spending money and then the unlearned woman is will take all of that. Facts. Because they saying, okay, if I can get all of this for free and not do any of the work, why not? So yeah, it makes sense. Yeah. But I always find it interesting that with all of those things and all those hoops we jump through. Yeah. And all of the juggling and the dun dun dun dun and all that stuff that it always comes back to love. Period. And see, that's what I say. I say, you know, because we do, I do exist in a culture where it's like, oh, okay, this model's fired. This model's fired. And then it's like, oh, well, she might have been with a whole bunch of artists. You know what I'm saying? But like, does she have love for them? Right. You know what I'm saying? Does she love them? Does she care about them or whatever time that they spent? Right. You know, is it love and respect? And that is irreplaceable. It doesn't matter who you are or who you kick you with. And you know, I'm not down in what people do and their experiences. You know what I'm saying? Because I had a time when I was out, you know, enjoying myself too. But is it love? You know what I'm saying? Is it love? Is it respect? Is it admiration? And guess what? Oh, it's really about the journey. And everybody has gone through certain things in their lives where it might not have been the most perfect. You might have gone through certain people, whole phases or whatever. But it better is the end of a thing than a beginning and another thing. And as long as you get to wherever you need to get to, to find that enlightenment path, then that was meant for you. That road was meant for you. It might have been rough. It might have made you mortified a few times or whatever. But as long as you get there, the end goal is all that matters. Yeah, because love is such a powerful and beautiful thing. And you got to experience it. You got to experience it. You got to. It's one of the most important things outside of eating and sleeping. Straight up. All right. Now, we got it. We got wind on the tangent, but let's get back to some fun. I don't mind. Love is love. Love is love. Your top five. Top five. We like top fives here. Okay. Your top five favorite performers. Performers. Of all time. For all time. I know I'm putting you on the spot. Okay, I got you. So give it some time. Think about it. You know, meditate. Danger sticks. Detuned forks. I think I need my phone. Let me just make sure my man, because I'm not thinking of his name right now. I'll go around the camera there. Let me think about him. Oh, no, I got him now that I think about it. Here, you can take this back Okay. Yes. Okay. All right. Okay. So in no particular order, no particular order. Yeah. Of course, Michael Jackson. Okay, go. Beyonce. Come on. Jackie Wilson. Jackie Wilson. You don't hear that a lot. I hear him too. Come on. He's a he was amazing. He's the man. Yes. One of the ones. Yes, he was. James Brown. Of course. Another one. Yes, sir. In his bag. Give me one more and a bonus. We'll give you a bonus. Okay. Okay. One more. An honorable mention, so to speak. Just electrifying performer electrifying. So my I just ka-plow. Definitely a prince. Of course, definitely prince. And who could be my number five? Who could be my six? That was your plus one. Yeah, give me a plus one. Give me a plus one. Let me think about this. Because it's some great performance out there. It is. It is. But it's it's it's it's something special. I'm thinking of D'Angelo. Rest in Power to D'Angelo. Yeah. I went to I went to one of his shows for the first time and I never I never experienced a musician setting like a blanket of energy on everybody. Crazy. I'm like, oh crazy. So yeah, that's that's who that's who I'm thinking of. That's who I would give his persona. Yeah. Was so ill from the moment I met him. The first time I met D'Angelo was we were doing this project for this movie called Jason's Lyric and it was Black Men United. And it was a song that he wrote called You Will Know. And the whole thing was to kind of do a modern day. We are the world. But with all fellas. So it was us. It was main condition. It was godly. It was it was performing that live. Yeah, we did. Well, Usher was in it. But he wasn't in the original, but he took on our Kelly's part. Okay. So so but y'all did it on stage. Right. The AMAs. Right. Yeah. That was incredible. Yeah. No D wrote that. Yeah. Wow. He wrote that. That's the first time I met him. So, you know, he's sitting there. He has this thing with his lip. He does this thing. He's showing his key. He's like, yo, who is this little nigga? Like, like, like, like killing the keys though. Whatever. And then he did this thing. And we was like, yo, this kid is fire. Who is this? Yo, it's a kid named D'Angelo. He's like, yo, he's dope. That's when before he had the braids, he just had the, you know, the Caesar. Oh, that's crazy. And he was teaching us the parts and all of that. And just his energy then, yeah, was just so like, you, his soul was 1000 years old. Oh my goodness. Like, like seriously, like his soul is so like, in a positive way, I'm so envious of that man's energy. Yeah. Like, he's music. Period. He is, he was the walking personified. He was music. Everything he did from his swag to when he got on stage, like there was no need to put like, I'm trying to explain it. It was like, he wasn't trying to entertain. He wasn't doing too much. Yeah. And doing more than enough. Right. Yeah. He wasn't trying to entertain you. He was more or less trying to say, yo, Pete, what I do. Yeah. Listen to this. Listen to this. Feel this. Feel this. Yeah. And that's, that's been his persona from day one. And, and he will be missed. He will be missed. He will be missed. He was one of the most incredible spirits. Yeah. The world has been blessed to witness and we are going to miss you, bro. Thanks. You know what I'm saying? Like, straight up and down. So that's a great five plus one. Yeah. All right. Can I get another five out of him real quick? Yeah. To your core, you're a dancer. Right. And I knew you paid homage to your boy who just passed away. Yeah, thanks, Scott. Thanks, Scott. Yeah. So can we get your top five choreographers in all time? Choreographers are best dancers. See, choreography is different. You can mix. Okay. Yeah. I guess dancers. Yeah. Yeah. Some of these you might not know. But definitely, definitely popping Pete. Popping Pete give us who's pops. So popping Pete is from the bay. He actually was in what was what's that? What's that movie before you got served? Was it called with my man and he had the broom. I don't know. Breaking breaking breaking. Oh, he was he was in breaking. Yeah. And he also used to dance with Michael Jackson and popping taco popping taco. Yeah. Popping taco the one on the side when he did that. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So popping Pete. Definitely popping taco. There's this dude from the East Coast. I got to put two East Coast cats in there. His name is link. Yeah. Link did choreography for Lincoln stretch did choreography for and my boy Brooklyn Terry. They did choreography for Mariah Carey. Don't. Yeah. But those cats, this dude named Ejo. Ejo. Yeah. Ejo. Y'all got to check him out. Okay. Incredible house dancer. Okay. Don't. And then one more. Let me think. Let me think of somebody else that y'all might know. Oh, the Nicholas Brothers. The Nicholas Brothers. Oh, the tap. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Stormy weather. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's insane. I remember seeing that movie and seeing them boys go in and I think my mouth was open as a kid like watching them. I was like, yo, in Gregory Heinz, Gregory Heinz. He by Sammy Davis. Of course. Sammy D. Yeah. Yeah. Sammy Davis. I can keep going on. Yeah. I like these lists because it brings light to guys who don't get their shine and girls who don't get their shine. Real talk. Real talk. They're so important to the business and to the legacy of artists like you guys. They are the foundation. They influenced you guys. They're a major one. 100%. Yeah. Yeah. You know what? I failed to mention, again, you got new music. Yes. When is it coming out? What's the name of the album? What's the first single or the singles that you gave me are the first one and two? Yes. Okay. Cool. So what's the name of the album? So the album is titled O2. O2. Yep. I put out my first album. Oh, my solo album. Got it. Got my first number ones and everything. Congratulations. Thank you. So this is a homage to that. O2 is also air. So you want to permeate like air. Let's go. Yes, sir. It's coming out in February. What I'm doing with the first two singles is what I'm calling, well, first of all, O'Marion invented productions. Okay, let's go. It's a versus release. So I want to encourage artists out there to not put just one song out because we always feel like this is the one. But with this release, which is coming out April 28th, one song is called The One and the other song is called For War. Yeah. Beautiful. That's in April. No, October. October 28th. That's going to be the first release. Can we world premiere it here on Sean's? Come on. Let's do that. Can we do that? Of course. Can we do that? We get a world premiere, our first world premiere. Can we get a first world premiere? Our brother. Yeah, let's do it. Now, I'm assuming there's visuals and everything that's wrong, but like we would love to somehow incorporate on that note. The video on top of the interview and just... Most definitely. That'd be dope. That'd be so fire. Yeah. So For War, a special song tapping in to the question of if you have to fight for love. Should you fight for love? And one of the lyrics in the song is, I won the battle, but I lost the war. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And we just talking about love again. And The One is definitely a ode to my fans and also The One, finding The One for your life. And that's something that I wanted to mention as well is I feel like love is the type of frequency that you have to arrive to. You have to have experiences through life to know what you don't want. So when you arrive to that place where you're able to receive love after your pain and hurt, you can find The One. You can find your twin flame. You can find your soulmate. And that's kind of like where I'm at right now. I have a private life, but I very much so am in the energy of twin flame. You know what I mean? So yeah. It's what the games been missing, I think. Like just being having those sensibilities. And again, you being all-dude, but still being able to express emotion and feelings and being emotionally intelligent. I think it's important for men to see it. It's important for women to experience it. Period. Come on. That balance. And it's that balance. And that's so important for, I think, what the future of relations between men and women will be is being able to express ourselves on that cerebral level. Facts. Okay. All right. Now check this out. What is your favorite restaurant? Favorite restaurant like of all time. Of all time. It can be a place that you frequent. You like to eat there. I know you're conscious as far as your diet and everything. There used to be this spot on Le Brea called Dominix. It's a vegan spot. And they had- It's gone now though. It is. Yeah. I've heard it. I never ate there, but I know what you're talking about. Oh my goodness. They had these fried mushrooms. Yeah. They would call it a chicken fried mushroom. Chicken fried mushrooms. Yeah. I'm hungry. I'm like a heart attack, to be honest. Yeah. Yeah. Sound great though. It's a good way to die. It's a mushroom. Yeah. Fried food ain't good for you, but this one, oh my lord. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's a mushroom. Yeah. Yeah. It's a mushroom. It's a mushroom. But why it's gone? It killed all its customers. Yeah. So that's spot Dominic. There's this other spot. This Thai fusion spot. It's called Galanga. I'm putting y'all on now. I'm putting y'all on my spots. Now go to Galanga. Go to Galanga. It's right on Santa Monica and Crescent Heights. Okay. And then Crescent Heights. Amarion needs a free meal. Straight up. Straight up. Galanga. Now these are for the fish, the seafood eaters. Yeah. They got this chili lime fish. Try that with the coconut rice. Bam bam. Yo, that sound crazy. Okay. All right. Cool. So you're having the fish with the coconut rice. Right. You sit and you enjoy yourself. You're having a nice drink. You're chilling. And you look to the entryway of the restaurant. You see a younger version of yourself. Yeah. He's been looking for you. Yeah. He's been trying to find out what the future entails for him. He needs some jewels of wisdom from the only person that he trusts. So he sits down, cross from you. He grabs a little bit of the fish with the rice with you. Breaks bread. And he's waiting. What would the older Amari say and give as far as jewels and information and intelligence and wisdom to the younger Amari? I would tell him that enjoy, be fully present at this particular time in your life because you things change. And I also would tell him to keep enjoying himself. And I would say, trust yourself more. Everything is going to be all right. Everything is going to be dope. Everything is going to be awesome. I would probably share with him that he's going to have two beautiful kids one day. Amazing. I would also tell him that he's going to go through some rough patches where he actually comes out on the other side better, stronger. So I would just say, like, yo, just enjoy yourself, keep smiling and know that everything is coming in divine timing. That's what I would tell him. I would tell him, just keep having fun. Enjoy yourself, get your experiences. Don't stay the same. Constantly transform. Enjoy yourself and just know you're here for a reason. That's what I would tell him. Probably one of the most fulfilling, spiritually fulfilling conversations. Yeah, no, I would definitely get into some stuff. I would tell him, I would tell him, like, yo, no, you think this is that, but it's really not that. It's really something else. And this is the lesson that you need to receive from that. Well, y'all having dinner. So you can get in all of that. We're just generalizing the conversation. Yeah, no, I'm going to tell him everything. I'm going to be like, yeah, remember that girl? Bro, bro. Amen. This was an amazing conversation. Thank you. I had a wonderful time and I could have sat here and talked to you for hours more. No, I appreciate you. We do one more thing before you wrap up, please, because you were part of a film that really is a cult classic now. We can talk about you got served enough. That is true. The cast, you had, you know, a younger Megan Good in it. Yeah. What's her name Jennifer from my wife and kids, Freeman, and obviously Marcus Houston. And what was it like with doing making that film with this amazing young cast? Yo, that was a time in my life that I was just, I was so happy and really truly enjoying the journey because we actually just got off a tour and we drove right into the film. So it was like we got off a tour and then it was like we was filming the next day. And another thing that it afford me was to be around a whole bunch of just creative dope dancers. Yeah. That was a lot of those. That was so fun. That was so much fun. And then also too. Who was the best dancer on that set? Let me think about it. Man, it was so many heads, like tone and rich, fly styles, super Dave, Dave Scott. I mean, I can just go on the list. It was so much flavor on set. I don't know if I can say who was the best dancer because it was so it was so many styles. You know what I'm saying? It was like everybody was just dope at what they did with so many B boys. My boy flips. Yeah, it was such a great time, man. I really truly enjoyed that. And I personally think it's time for another dance room. I was about to say. Gotta do it. Yeah. I think it's prime for it. I mean, the culture has always been there. And I always find it interesting that it kind of goes in waves. Yep. Like, you know, it gets really, really big. Yep. And then commercialize and then people get tired of it. And then it goes away. But at least from a commercial standpoint, but it's always been there. Yeah, I mean, it's taken on some different forms. I just like a couple of days ago, I went to the Red Bull. What was it called? Dance Your Style competition. And I mean, it was huge. Yeah, yeah. It was at the Inuit Dome. Oh, Inuit Dome. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I mean, it was like practically sold out. Yeah, it was practically sold out. I mean, dance. That community is big. Yeah, it is. It is. It's become a subculture again, which a lot of times is great because now you get the real ones. Straight up. Supposed to the execs in the suits knocking on their door trying to figure out how to make a dollar off of it. People just doing it for the love again. Facts. And you know, TikTok is popping. And you know, my daughter comes in the room and she know all the TikTok dances and I'm like, you're taking dance class. Nine. Yeah. Mine's 10. My youngest is 10. Same thing. She know it all. I'm like, how do you know that dance? Right. Right. And I'm like, she came in there and did an old school dance. I'm like, you learn this on TikTok, but it was so funny. Did you? I was like, how do you learn that dance? Yeah. Your boy dances, right? Yeah, yeah, he dance. He's cool. He's Leo though. Yeah, Leo. He's cool. He's cool. He's a mess. She's a Leo too. That's a sub. Yeah. No, he pulls it out when it when it's necessary. He's cool. But when it's time, he like, all right. Yeah, he like it. Give us a nugget from the film that maybe we didn't get to see on the big screen. You got cameos from Steve Harvey, Lil' Kim. Oh my goodness. That's right. That's right. Oh my goodness. Give us a nugget. I don't know if this is a nugget. No, maybe I don't want to mention that part. That was more than a nugget. Right. It was a rock. It was a rock. Right. I think that having that all-star cast and really just truly being supported by the culture at that time, I would say it was just a time in my life and my experience that I'm so grateful for. I wouldn't take anything back because there was some challenges doing the film because it was literally our first time being on the big screen. So we had people that were trying to tell us how to act. That was a little bit frustrating. But all in all, it was like to be a part of something culturally. I'm just so grateful. I'm so grateful because I remember that week it came out and literally people were dance battling in the theater. It was like a thing that was happening in the theater. What's your favorite scene then since you can't give us the nugget that you want to give us? My favorite scene was the last dance, the last battle at the end because obviously me and Elgin, we was beefing. I was kind of dating his sister and he got caught up. The premise of the story was kind of wild because we were really investors. We were essentially trying to invest in ourselves and in our community and we got caught up just like in real life. You get caught up in a way. But that last battle, a lot of people don't know that even though we were learning choreography, a lot of the battle between me and Columbus at Mr. Rads, that was real. Uh-huh. Columbus Short wasn't that film. Yeah, Columbus Short. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So the battle that me and him had, that wasn't scripted or planned. That happened. Are you serious? Yeah, that happened in real time. And then he ended up with his own film, Stomp the Yard. Come on. Shout out to Columbus Short. So that was a real battle. So they just kept the cameras rolling? Yep, kept the cameras rolling. I mean, it's hard when you get a whole bunch of dancers in one room to actually stop. Right. It's true. So they kept the film rolling. They kept the cameras rolling. And yeah, that was a real battle. It was a few real battles in there. And then there were some instances like at the end, because I believe I had my own crew. Yeah, I had my own crew and Elgin and them had their own crew. I flipped and then I kind of went off screen and they kind of used that as a, oh, he messed up. But I didn't really mess up. Right. Right. Right. I just went off screen. So, yeah. Right. So yeah, it was. And then Megan, good, ended up being Columbus' love interest in Stomp the Yard. Right. Which was crazy. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Shout out to Sony. Shout out to Sony. They said, Sony's always thinking. Yeah, they were like, wait a minute, you got a serve. Right. Right. We only spent that much and we made this much. Right. All right, we need another movie. Right. Right. That's crazy. But, amen. Listen, amazing conversation. Thank you. You're welcome back anytime. Yes, sir. I can't wait to hit the rest of the album. For sure. The two songs are amazing. Please give it up for my good friend, Amari, aka Amariyan. Yes, indeed. Thanks for having me.