So whenever we do shows in New York with Bilal, Accustomed and Mos would arise through ... and sit in with us. PJ: You're aswell agreeable ambassador for this <a href="www.shinehe.com">Endoscopy for Stomach</a> affair he does. Acquaint me about that. RG: It's a big bandage in the faculty of — we acquire saxophones, a few trumpets, a few trombones, bass, piano, drums — the accustomed bureaucracy of a big band. But we do not-traditional big bandage applesauce music, if you will. We do a admixture of old applesauce classics, but we aswell do modern-day hip-hop stuff. Like, we adapt accepting — we've done Ghostface [Killah], accepting like that. We do from Ghostface to Bell Biv DeVoe to Neil Diamond — not Neil Diamond — well, I wouldn't agnosticism Mos would do Neil Diamond. I beggarly we've done so abounding accidental [artists], from Radiohead to any casting of music that comes to mind. Because he loves all types of music, and everybody in the bandage loves all types of music. So it's like a big band, but attainable to whatever.

PJ: And some of your adolescent applesauce musicians are in this too. RG: Actually, I declared everybody in my fizz that I apperceive to be in this band, you know? Appealing abundant everybody's a applesauce musician, but they're applesauce musicians that are open, that can play added things and get it, you apperceive what I mean? Everybody doesn't get it, but everybody in this bandage gets it, so it works out. 2. Jay-Z, "Empire Accompaniment Of Mind" from The Adapt 3 (2009). PJ: As we speak, this tune is adjustment of the clue of New York City-limits appropriate now. I apperceive you about plan with declared "conscious" hip-hop artists, fair or not, whatever that appellation is. But you acquire to acquire developed up with Jay-Z? RG: Actually, no, because I'm from Houston, Texas. So I didn't even get into — me and my adult consistently acquire these disputes, 'cause she's Brooklyn hardcore, she's beeline hip-hop like, built-in in the Bronx, so we consistently acquire these little things.

But I'm in actuality from Houston, so I didn't get up actuality until '97. So I wasn't a hardcore Jay-Z fan or nothin'. I wasn't a harder hip-hop fan, really, until I got up actuality and I started affair these bodies and seeing it in actuality live. It was like, "Aw, man!" I admired hip-hop in top school, but I didn't absolutely get into it and be, like, "Aw, man, I ambition to do this!" until I got actuality and got to accommodated the bodies and absolutely get in the vibe. But I acquire played with Jay-Z. PJ: What's it like? RG: It was amazing. I've never apparent that abundant adulation for somebody on date at one time. I was arena Radio City-limits Music Anteroom — on and off, I play with The Roots for appropriate occasions or whatever — and Jay-Z just came through. Out of nowhere, just came through. They were like, "Do y'all apperceive this song?" And we were like, "Yea, we know, we apperceive it." So he just absolved on date with this hoodie, and affronted around, and the lights were off.

And the lights came on, but he still had the hoodie on. And if he took that hoodie off, I've never been in the attendance of something that major, breadth the applause, and agreeable was like — it was ridiculous. He just has so abundant respect, aboriginal of all, and adulation from people. It was abundant arena with him. PJ: I apprehend about that you went to top academy with [Jay-Z's wife and collaborator] Beyonce. Do you still accumulate in draft with her? RG: Yea, every now and then. ... A agglomeration of my accompany are in her bandage too, and that able thing, you apperceive what I mean? Yea, I see her like already a year [laughs], about somewhere. I've accustomed her for years, and my little accessory LeToya [Luckett] was in Destiny's Child, and that able thing. So I've been about them and their families. So we're cool. 3. A Tribe Declared Quest, "Bonita Applebum" from People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Emphasis (1990). RG: I'm not abiding who that is! [laughs] PJ: So this was 1990.