The Unsung Story Behind R&B Group Troop: The Dance, the Music, the Brotherhood & the Tragedy

running man, yes. so yeah, we did all those moves, wow, yeah, it was, it was, it was something to see and the response from people was like they couldn't believe that, even at the age we are now. We can still do those moves, so it was cool, it was cool, I hear what I'm saying, well, Michael Jackson, who we're all big fans of, in his 50s, is still able to do all these things, so kindly. of forgetting that I could still do all these things, but yes, you can still surprise and you know that it is the

music

that really channels the artist to do what that artist does when, first of all, you know when the name is spoken of the person before they come on stage, that's the beginning of something like the butterflies and then when that

music

starts and the fans back that music, whatever that choreographed movie is that happens when the fans are interested, that's just what pushes the artist a lot more, yeah, wow, that's really, I mean, I'm looking forward to one of these days you can come to the UK and things that would be great, that would be great.

Sweat actually brought us to the UK a long time ago. on our first album, in fact, on his first album also on this Make It Last Forever album that we had, we did a tour with him and then he was about to go, I think to London, well to England and he tells him uh sylvia rome uh the one that's actually electronic, he tells her hey, I want to take

troop

s with me and yeah, and by chance we went with him to England, yeah, you're both both signed to Warner Brothers, you know, picked from the Atlantic.

Okay, okay, you guys recently went with Big Bub, how was it? Because, you know, what was that like? How did they play against the crowd? Just because I know Bob has a great personality and all, he's our friend, heh heh. He actually put the show together for us, you know, he called the promoter and said, "Hey, man, I want this

group

to come and be on the show." He actually, you know, let us lead the show for the whole nine meters and the song. Thinking that you raised him and he did some of the movies with us on set was really cool, it was really cool, it was really cool, you know that and I think a lot of people that I know that know Bob talk about how a lot of these guys know that he's a great character, but he is him, he gives love, love and stuff, big heart, big heart, okay, and I guess you know, I think a lot of people will be looking forward to seeing them.

I always end my interviews by asking my guests that if you were stuck in an elevator and they asked you, they would say, look, it's going to take a couple of hours before we get you out, what movie would you like to see, while they say why are you there? There, um, you said a couple of hours, yeah, yeah, I wish we were in the elevator with a big bug, we'd watch a house party, so this song comes on that he made today, uh, uh, why are you talking of me and Yeah, and uh, and New Jackson, okay, well, also as far as songs, what song would you normally like if you were stuck and they said, look, we'll play them before your movie comes?

I'll play you the song, what song would you play? You always think of my favorite song that I would love to hear, all I do is thank you, okay, that was a song that was actually my idea that we do that song, that was my idea, I always thought it was a great record and I thought that Speed ​​was a lot like Mike, so I said, man, we have to take this song to Sylvia and tell her that we have to make this record if we remake it knowing how I know. Like what are you going to do when you give him the voice?

I said he's going to shoot himself. I said because I know you're going to do it like Mike, so he'll change our lives. The song also changes our lives. What is your favorite Michael Jackson song? It has too many. Yes, you put your favorite if necessary. If I can't, I can't choose my favorite Michael Jackson song. I can't choose my favorite Luka Dandrill song. I can't choose my favorite song about worms and fire. I can't choose my favorite Stevie Wonder song. I mean, there are too many, there are too many, it's like each song has a different type of celebration. about it, yeah, and it's just you know, it's just good music to listen to, man, that never dies, I mean, that's the kind of music that you can feel, you can feel, uh, a certain way when you're In the middle of that song, everything is different, yeah, you don't even feel the same.

True

story

. One day I got mad at a person and I want to tell this person about themselves and one of my favorite Jackson songs came up. I show you the way to go, yeah man, when I tell you how it changed, that's what music does, yeah, you know, music does that, so, it's hard to pick a favorite song, it really is for me , it's hard. Pick a favorite song, but I will say this, although I have this iPod player that has a lot of songs on it, a lot of songs and if you're not on it, my favorite song of all time is Lady, you know when you said? steve sang lady my life on the phone, that's my favorite song of all time, not just the michael jackson song, but the song in general, um, because it's the kind of song that i don't think i ever did again until appeared on an invisible album. that's the guy from when he sang butterfly and um and I was living in Los Angeles and steve harvey was on um he was on 103 the beats uh well yeah yeah yeah that time yeah yeah so this was back in '99, 2000, when I was living. in Los Angeles and he was the only station that was still playing it and had gotten Michael to appear on the show and he was talking about it and kept playing Butterfly.

I bought the album, of course, but it was late in my life. two, um, you know, it was the side of Michael that we, you guys, didn't get to see and I think we got caught up in the bad and all that and we forgot that he could really let go of his voice and show tenderness and emotional side, did he ever Did you know him or any of the Jacksons? Oh yeah, actually, man, let's say the stories about when they met the Jacksons and they practically adopted me, adopted me to be in their family. Wow, cool, cool, people, cool, cool!

People um uh, it took me a while to get to know the last one that I needed to know at the time, which was Marlon and I didn't meet Marlon until 2012. But I know everyone else except him, even Janet, yeah, yeah. janet latoya ruby ​​um yeah even michael oh my michael in 89 wow and i met michael around the time our first single from the second album was released i'm not sure um it's a song that steve wrote and uh our boy zach carmen had produced, uh, I'm not sure, it was the sign that came out and it was at the same time that Gardner Elementary School was putting their name on the outside of the auditorium, so I rolled up there, I'm just trying to take a look. like, you know, you know, and um, I walked by the school, where this school has a really big, tall door, you know, channel locks, chain lock around it and everything with the security guard outside he wouldn't let in nobody and I actually see this other guy, may he rest in peace too, Cliff Winston, uh he was also a regular guest jockey on 102.3 kglh, that's the TV Wonders radio station in Los Angeles, yeah, um , he is asking me.

Cliff asked me, John, can you? take me with you man and I said man I'm here like trying to get a glimpse of this man you know not much when I said a long black limousine pulled up and the window rolled down and it was jabari abdul samad jabari is the father of the guys, the guys, he's their dad, okay, so he tells the security guard he said, hey man, that's my other side, he let him in, so the guys were already inside, so the security guard , you know, he let me in. with your bar you're walking, so yeah, your brothers are already inside, I don't know, they have to see where the world would hold, you know, just kids, so, I walk into the auditorium and I'm like maybe.

I'm at this hour where there's like five rows up and Michael's like eight or nine wheels down and I'm amazed because I'm in the same room as Michael, as you know. jackson says who does this you know, you know and then he's talking to his assistant his assistant looks at him michael looks at me he looks at his assistant they whispered something to him he just looks at me and whispers again he turns to his assistant and turns around he just started to walk towards me. If I move, what is happening? Security will come and try to catch me or whatever, what am I supposed to do now?

So I'm stuck standing there in this. hour walk while michael jackson walks towards me and he's wearing his red and black shirt and this and some black pants, i think you know this from his bad times, you know when one of those outfits and then he looks at me, he's wearing these uh these ray glasses- ban and, but not the aviator ones that he wears, the ones that go directly to the other side with a little money, you know, things on the side and he lowers his glasses and says john john right, it's incredible that you guys are bad, my family said.

He watches them music videos all the time, we love them, how mind-blowing, mind-blowing, they can say anything or just, well, yeah, well, I told him it's because of you and what you do and what he. He always went with his brothers, I said you guys always sang, you know, you

dance

d really hard and you kept coming back to the microphone and you kept singing with the vocals and everything else, and then they told us no and he said, well, he said, hey. it definitely shows and yeah, wow, you know, I think a lot of people just don't think I'm going to get into conspiracy theories and stuff, but I don't think people understand what he meant not just for black music but just for music in general. um, how do you know how far ahead I was?

He owned half of Sony Music and stuff, yeah, he wasn't just an amazing performer, songwriter and singer, he was probably one of the best businessmen, um, and you know it, but you know it from that 80's 80's since mid 80s to 90s knowing that no one could touch it, I mean, yeah, yeah, it must have been an amazing experience, I mean, when you said to Steve and the rest, what, what, what, what, what, what , what what,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,? that he really knows you guys yeah oh yeah well I took a picture with him and we were traveling so I brought the picture with me and I walked into Steve's room where he's in the mirror doing something with his hair and uh so I'll walk into this room and I slide the photo right next to him and he's like oh oh I can't believe you're standing next to her it was crazy it was crazy did you ever make that photo public? uh I have one of that theme probably fine and I have other pictures with me and the rest of the family wow, yeah, yeah, you know what it's been, it's been great, it's been fascinating, you know, like I said more when Troop came out . in Nigeria from the mid 80s to about 91 before I moved to the United States, um, but like I said, you guys were always the constant performers, you know people who

dance

d and sang and they took it to another level and it's really good.

To see, like I said, I was really impressed when I saw little clips of you and Steve posted about you guys now together and performing, and I think there's a hunger for people from my generation, from our favorite bands from the '90s and '80s, to get back out there. because we're not getting that kind of stuff now, you know, when you think, look at the charts, it's very dominated by trap music. I'm not even going to say that hip-hop will be trap music and very similar r b songs that sound the same, no difference, no distinction, so that puts us off, now we're looking back at the people who really gave us those good ones. memories so it's really good to see that you guys are back um we.

We're hoping to hear some new music so we can reconnect with what would be, you know, it may not sell the same way albums sold in those days, but in a sense it connects us and gives us the hunger to Come and see. you guys and um and then look for ways to get your music too thanks for watching remember to subscribe to the channel but most importantly hit the notification bell so you can get notified when we have a new interview. come but thank you very much for watching