Join DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray as they explore the musical journey of Malcolm Jamal Warner, celebrated for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show to Grammy winning musician. This episode delves into Warner's transition from a teen star to a music video director and Grammy-winning musician. Discover his influence on hip-hop, including directing iconic music videos and hosting Showtime at the Apollo. The hosts share personal stories and discuss the impact of Warner's representation on Black youth.
Topics: #MalcolmJamalWarner #TheoHuxtable #MilesLong #BlackPodcasters #BlackMusic #MusicPodcast
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DJ Sir Daniel: Welcome to another episode of Queue Points podcast, dropping
Speaker:the needle on black music history.
Speaker:I am DJ Sir Daniel.
Jay Ray:my name is Jay Ray, sometimes known by my government
Jay Ray:as Johnny Ray Corning, the third what's happening people.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Jay Ray, can you guess which Cosby kid has the
Jay Ray:strongest hip hop connection?
Jay Ray:Well, because I host this show.
Jay Ray:Yes, I know.
Jay Ray:But even if I didn't host Queue Points, I love music.
Jay Ray:So I would know the answer to this question as well.
Jay Ray:Our good brother, Mr.
Jay Ray:Warner.
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Warner appeared on NBC's mega mega hits, the Cosby show playing
Jay Ray:everyone's favorite fictional son and brother Theo Huxtable for eight.
Jay Ray:Years.
Jay Ray:Jay Ray, he's been on our television sets.
Jay Ray:He was Emmy nominated for the role and he made a permanent impact on our lives.
Jay Ray:Jay Ray, what did his presence on television mean to you?
Jay Ray:So, So Theo at the time, just.
Jay Ray:was like a mirror um, being a little black boy and seeing what the possibilities are.
Jay Ray:able to watch him on TV definitely, um, gave me some inspiration, but
Jay Ray:I would say also as a character was really, um, If he felt real, he felt
Jay Ray:like he could be my neighbor and felt like it could be someone I knew like
Jay Ray:it wasn't over the top or too much.
Jay Ray:It was just like, nah, this could be a boy that lived next door and that
Jay Ray:we probably wouldn't hang out because he would have been older than me.
Jay Ray:He probably would have thought I was a dork, but he would have
Jay Ray:been like my friend's brother.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Right?
Jay Ray:I echo everything you said and finding out that The actor Malcolm Jamal Warner
Jay Ray:was an only child and grew up with his single parent mother kind of endeared
Jay Ray:him to me even more because that was me.
Jay Ray:That was my life.
Jay Ray:And so seeing him on television was just such an inspiration.
Jay Ray:And I literally saw myself on television.
Jay Ray:Theo's room was messy.
Jay Ray:Like mine.
Jay Ray:Every time when Theo started rocking the high top fade, I was like,
Jay Ray:I had to get the high top fade.
Jay Ray:He was literally the blue point, the blue point.
Jay Ray:He was literally the blueprint for the young black boy growing
Jay Ray:up in America at that time.
Jay Ray:And he was definitely one of our, one of our heroes.
Jay Ray:And so this episode, we're going to talk about three reasons why Malcolm
Jay Ray:Jamal Warner was the coolest Cosby kid.
Jay Ray:And Jay Ray, although Bill Cosby.
Jay Ray:And the Cosby show had a wonderful connection to music, right?
Jay Ray:They've had everybody on there from Placido Domingo to Stevie Wonder.
Jay Ray:We can't forget that episode, right?
Jay Ray:That Stevie Wonder, uh, uh, my favorite, Nancy Wilson was on that show.
Jay Ray:I remember her coming down the stairs in the basement because,
Jay Ray:you know, the, the man cave was in the basement at the Cosby show.
Jay Ray:Um, so to that point though, sir, Daniel, for, for me, and this kind of parallels
Jay Ray:Malcolm Jamal's later career in music, the Cosby show introduced us to jazz.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yes,
Jay Ray:So as a young kid, I didn't, knew of jazz, but the connection to
Jay Ray:jazz was really different because the Cosby show would actually incorporate
Jay Ray:jazz regularly into the show.
Jay Ray:Cliff and Claire would always drop that, uh, on the, the, the record player.
Jay Ray:So it gave us the opportunity to not just hear the music, but also
Jay Ray:see some of those folks and, and be able to identify with them.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: that's right.
Jay Ray:And as much as.
Jay Ray:Dr.
Jay Ray:Cosby, the person was vocally, um, uh, vocally against a lot of
Jay Ray:the imagery that came along with hip hop culture and rap music.
Jay Ray:Very
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: was very, he was very, he was not hiding his disdain for it, disdain
Jay Ray:for young people culture at the time.
Jay Ray:Um, We cannot dismiss the fact that on season four, episode five of the
Jay Ray:Cosby show, Theo and his best friend cockroach famously played by Carl
Jay Ray:Anthony Payne, the second learn about it.
Jay Ray:Julius Caesar and Shakespeare by putting it all together in the freshest rhyme
Jay Ray:that was ever on primetime television.
Jay Ray:Do you remember friends, Romans, beat
Jay Ray:shout
Jay Ray:out to beat boxing, sir.
Jay Ray:Daniel y'all don't beat box enough and I'm tired of it.
Jay Ray:I need y'all beat boxing more.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: boxes, taking the backseat, like how break dancing has,
Jay Ray:we need to talk about that, but that's another conversation, but yes, go ahead.
Jay Ray:Um, that episode, what did that episode do for you, um, growing
Jay Ray:up, seeing that on television?
Jay Ray:Wow.
Jay Ray:So that episode actually so hip hop was kind of.
Jay Ray:in a lot of ways, but only in certain, only on certain radio stations.
Jay Ray:So back then you couldn't get hip hop everywhere.
Jay Ray:It still was not the cultural phenomenon that it became.
Jay Ray:So for me, was just fun seeing two like teenagers rapping,
Jay Ray:you know what I'm saying?
Jay Ray:Because it did feel like what would often be happening in school at the time,
Jay Ray:lunch tables and rhyming at, you know, in lunch tables in school was a total thing.
Jay Ray:I had not.
Jay Ray:Falling in love with hip hop yet personally, right?
Jay Ray:But I had, I knew a bunch of rap songs and I still owned rap records at the
Jay Ray:times, but seeing it on national TV and it being fresh and cool and funny was dope.
Jay Ray:And the other thing was, you know, our parents will always say, timetables.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yes,
Jay Ray:This was like that in practice.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: absolutely.
Jay Ray:Another reason why, for, you know, why we can't, we can't throw away the
Jay Ray:Cosby show for the, for, for the art, for the list lessons, the reflection
Jay Ray:of real American black American life.
Jay Ray:And we just can't throw it away.
Jay Ray:Um, and so in this episode, we're also talking about, um, how Malcolm
Jay Ray:Jamal played a role in that.
Jay Ray:And his connection to music and getting ready for this episode, though, Jay Ray,
Jay Ray:I was shocked to hear that you didn't know about this one very important stint
Jay Ray:that Malcolm Jamal had on television
Jay Ray:I did not remember this.
Jay Ray:Um, so Malcolm Jamal Warner did a stint as the host for his Showtime at the Apollo.
Jay Ray:And I've seen a clip of it and what's really funny about the clip.
Jay Ray:He's this very, you know, Bill Cosby and whatever, and Jell O pudding.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: and the pudding.
Jay Ray:know.
Jay Ray:Right.
Jay Ray:But it was very clear that Bill Cosby did some coaching about how to be on stage.
Jay Ray:But aside from that.
Jay Ray:It's Showtime at the Abalo holds a really special place.
Jay Ray:in my heart, I, I closely, uh, identified it, identify it with Sunday dinner
Jay Ray:because, uh, it came on, on Sundays and we could watch the show while we ate Sunday
Jay Ray:dinner because we had a TV in the kitchen.
Jay Ray:And, um, but I did not remember Michael Jamar Warner had a
Jay Ray:stent, uh, hosting that show.
Jay Ray:And.
Jay Ray:It is major that like a 16, 17 year old hosting a nationally syndicated
Jay Ray:show from the Apollo stage.
Jay Ray:Like that is a legendary stage.
Jay Ray:So, um, I didn't remember it, but, um, I'm glad that it happened.
Jay Ray:It's so funny that
Jay Ray:you
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: said, so Sundays is when you caught Showtime at the Apollo in
Jay Ray:Brooklyn, in New York, Showtime at the Apollo followed Saturday night live.
Jay Ray:So for me, Showtime at the Apollo was part of my light late night television.
Jay Ray:You know, get away since all the adults in the, you know, we're having
Jay Ray:their fun in the clubs and whatnot.
Jay Ray:I was watching SNL and I was watching Showtime at the Apollo and just getting
Jay Ray:to see Malcolm Jamal Warner on that stage, commanding that stage and being
Jay Ray:the MC for the whole show and seeing him introduce acts like another bad
Jay Ray:creation and MC brains, and probably my favorite performance of all time.
Jay Ray:he introduced Salt-N-Pepa in 1987, right before like push it really hit at Jay Ray.
Jay Ray:You haven't seen that episode, right?
Jay Ray:have not seen that
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: We got to watch it together.
Jay Ray:I don't remember it.
Jay Ray:Let me say it that way, but we have to watch it.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: We have to watch it.
Jay Ray:So listen, Queue Points viewers, listen, if you want to see Jay Ray's reaction to
Jay Ray:seeing salt and pepper, um, I believe they perform chick on the side and they also
Jay Ray:perform, they fought, they perform push it when push it was like starting to get hot.
Jay Ray:So we got to watch that together.
Jay Ray:Um, Subscribe make sure you know that when we when we're watching it You're
Jay Ray:invited to watch it along with us
Jay Ray:And drop it, uh, let drop us an inbox, drop it in the
Jay Ray:comments if you want to watch it.
Jay Ray:Um, but we should definitely check that out.
Jay Ray:That would be super fun.
Jay Ray:But yeah, I had no idea, or I did not remember that Michael Jamal Warner,
Jay Ray:um, did a stint as a host, but when you brought it up and it was like a little
Jay Ray:clip of him, I'm like, Oh, that's wow.
Jay Ray:That's the thing.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: and I made him and so he's like the coolest Teenager in
Jay Ray:black Hollywood at this point like he's on a major major um A major
Jay Ray:television show, a sitcom on NBC, and he's coming into contact with all
Jay Ray:these up and coming stars as well, specifically in the music industry.
Jay Ray:So of course, it just makes sense that at some point they're going to invite
Jay Ray:him to the set of their music videos and he's going to start making cameos.
Jay Ray:Right.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: He was in Houdini's, um, funky beat and Jay Ray.
Jay Ray:At the beginning.
Jay Ray:Yep.
Jay Ray:And Jay Ray, do you remember he was in Michael Jackson's Liberian girl?
Jay Ray:So no, I didn't remember that, but every, We have to do something around
Jay Ray:Michael Jackson's Liberian girl, because you want to talk about a flex, everybody,
Jay Ray:everybody who was in that music video.
Jay Ray:Michael Jackson was the dude at that point.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: We should, we should probably do a live watch on that as well.
Jay Ray:And count the cameos, just count the cameos.
Jay Ray:Cause
Jay Ray:can name.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: see who we,
Jay Ray:Right.
Jay Ray:Cause I'm sure it's like, wow.
Jay Ray:I know that face.
Jay Ray:I do not remember that name.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: absolutely.
Jay Ray:So the, I guess the progression of a young person, especially if you're intelligent
Jay Ray:and you're soaking up everything around you, the progression of somebody growing
Jay Ray:up on television is that they, Start directing, you know, if you're, if you,
Jay Ray:if you have that talent and you, you see what's going on behind the cameras.
Jay Ray:So guess what?
Jay Ray:Uh, Malcolm Jamal Warner becomes like the youngest and the hottest music
Jay Ray:video director on the scene because he starts, um, directing a few of
Jay Ray:your favorite music videos, including new additions and eHeartbreak.
Jay Ray:absolutely.
Jay Ray:Um, that was the first time I remember realizing that Malcolm Jamal Warner had
Jay Ray:had kind of moved into that direction.
Jay Ray:What's interesting about that period of time, I think we've talked about
Jay Ray:this before on the show is later.
Jay Ray:MTV and BET started to add directors names because music video
Jay Ray:directing became like a whole thing.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yes.
Jay Ray:then it was like, you didn't really know who directed any music video.
Jay Ray:It was just like a job for folks.
Jay Ray:But Malcolm Jamal Warner, I remember watching the Any Heartbreak video,
Jay Ray:which in itself was a moment.
Jay Ray:And then he appeared on camera.
Jay Ray:So that's what told like that he was behind the scenes.
Jay Ray:So he had like the thing and he was like back there, like directing.
Jay Ray:And I'm like, Oh snap.
Jay Ray:They all directed now.
Jay Ray:Who
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: You know, and grown up and he's directing music
Jay Ray:videos and talk about cameos.
Jay Ray:That video was chock full of cameos to you had heavy D and the boys,
Jay Ray:Mm
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: JJ fad was in the video, the boys.
Jay Ray:And I mean, like Hakim
Jay Ray:video.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: all those kids.
Jay Ray:Yeah, they were in that music video.
Jay Ray:Mm
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: And one of my favorite music videos directed
Jay Ray:by Malcolm Jamal Warner is of course, Brooklyn's own special ed.
Jay Ray:I'm the magnificent
Jay Ray:to
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: where he makes a cameo in that.
Jay Ray:Well,
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: So did you know that he also Malcolm, uh,
Jay Ray:directed the five star video?
Jay Ray:Remember five star, they had a video for their song.
Jay Ray:I love you for sentimental reasons.
Jay Ray:He directed that video.
Jay Ray:And so I went back.
Jay Ray:I did not remember that, but I went back and I watched that video.
Jay Ray:First of all, that song still holds up today.
Jay Ray:Um, it's a very 1994 video.
Jay Ray:It looks like, so it's a combination of things happening.
Jay Ray:So you got a little bit of a, of a, um, hip hop bass, slow wine happening.
Jay Ray:There's a Janet Jackson style midriff thing happening with the women.
Jay Ray:It's sepia.
Jay Ray:You know, you got to
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Oh yeah.
Jay Ray:You gotta have Scipio.
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:um, beautiful song still.
Jay Ray:And a lovely, lovely video.
Jay Ray:Um, I did not remember that, uh, song or that video and y'all
Jay Ray:should go and check it out.
Jay Ray:Um, but I love you for sentimental.
Jay Ray:I love you for sentimental.
Jay Ray:I love you for sentimental reasons.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: That way.
Jay Ray:Yes.
Jay Ray:hard to say fast.
Jay Ray:Um, it's a classic, uh, standard in particular in black music.
Jay Ray:So Nat King Cole has done that song and many, many other folks.
Jay Ray:So, yeah.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: So, you know, while we're talking about Malcolm Jamal Warner and
Jay Ray:his foray into hip hop music and hip hop music videos, we got to, there's
Jay Ray:a sidebar here that I don't know if a lot of people know, but Jay Ray, did
Jay Ray:you know that Malcolm Jamal Warner.
Jay Ray:Introduced MC light to the world of voiceover work.
Jay Ray:Oh, that's a great fact.
Jay Ray:I did not know that.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: So, um, you know, in crossing paths, MC light and Malcolm
Jay Ray:were, you know, crossing paths and she, and she was like, Hey, you
Jay Ray:know, ask them, how do you get into the voiceover work or whatever?
Jay Ray:And he passed on his.
Jay Ray:Agents information to MC light, which is not something that happens a lot.
Jay Ray:He was like, Oh, here, here's her name and number.
Jay Ray:Well, here's the, here's my agent's name and number.
Jay Ray:Uh, and, um, they got in contact and MC light was able to book.
Jay Ray:Like three major commercials back to back from that beginning.
Jay Ray:And now she's the voice of the BET awards among other things.
Jay Ray:So we have Malcolm Jamal Warren to thank for introducing L Y T E MC light
Jay Ray:to the world of voiceover acting.
Jay Ray:I love that fact so much.
Jay Ray:Um, it shows that there is room,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yes,
Jay Ray:saying?
Jay Ray:Like we don't have to gatekeep everything.
Jay Ray:Like you don't have to be the only one.
Jay Ray:So the fact that Malcolm was like willing, first of all, he's probably
Jay Ray:like, I'm Malcolm Jamal Warner is fine.
Jay Ray:I'm a get work.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: exactly.
Jay Ray:you to get work too, sis.
Jay Ray:You know what I mean?
Jay Ray:I love that so much.
Jay Ray:Thanks for sharing that fact.
Jay Ray:I had no idea.
Jay Ray:Yes,
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: begin to wrap up this episode of Queue Points, you know,
Jay Ray:Malcolm is just like the quintessential Renaissance man, uh, actor, host,
Jay Ray:director, uh, dancer, cause he dances in the videos also, but Malcolm also.
Jay Ray:Had started a new career as a full fledged musician.
Jay Ray:absolutely.
Jay Ray:Yeah, Malcolm, Malcolm Jamal Warner's miles long.
Jay Ray:So Malcolm Jamal Warner is an accomplished bass player.
Jay Ray:Um, miles long is really interesting to that point.
Jay Ray:It's a jazz funk band, um, with some hip hop leanings.
Jay Ray:he is a spoken word artist, um, Grammy winning, spoken Grammy winning now.
Jay Ray:So the last miles long album, 22, 2022 was nominated for a Grammy,
Jay Ray:but he ended up winning a Grammy.
Jay Ray:In like 2015 for, um, his appearance on, uh, Robert Glasper's black radio too.
Jay Ray:and so he's absolutely.
Jay Ray:Accomplished musician and spoken word artists.
Jay Ray:And I think what's interesting is Malcolm Jamal Warner is helping to
Jay Ray:carry on the legacy of spoken word.
Jay Ray:We don't get a lot of that.
Jay Ray:We of course grew up with spoken word as part of our experience.
Jay Ray:You know, we would have it on TV.
Jay Ray:We would have it as part of the hip hop experience.
Jay Ray:Remember all the black people snapping in love Jones.
Jay Ray:You know what I'm saying?
Jay Ray:You've got to snap and
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah.
Jay Ray:Right.
Jay Ray:And it's a lot of this.
Jay Ray:I mean, I wrote poetry.
Jay Ray:I definitely performed.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Oh God.
Jay Ray:I think we all had a stint in the spoken word
Jay Ray:You walk up onto the mic and
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: and we connected through spoken word like Jay Ray and
Jay Ray:I are doing here on Queue Points.
Jay Ray:You know what?
Jay Ray:You just unlock the memory.
Jay Ray:I met Malcolm Jamal Warner, shout out to Joyce Littell.
Jay Ray:Um, Of V one Oh three fame here in Atlanta, Georgia
Jay Ray:from W V E V one Oh three.
Jay Ray:Joyce Littell has a long running and fantastic show called passion and poetry,
Jay Ray:which combines spoken word and, um, and, and music, all types of music to
Jay Ray:inspire love within the black community.
Jay Ray:And one of the, one of the special guests when here was Malcolm Jamal Warner.
Jay Ray:And.
Jay Ray:I got to escort him to his dressing room and to the stage, Jay Ray.
Jay Ray:How could I not remember that?
Jay Ray:That is so wild.
Jay Ray:I got to meet Malcolm Jamal Warner and.
Jay Ray:It was just one of those and I, I was trying, I didn't fan boy,
Jay Ray:Yeah.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: but I did mention, I was like, Hey man, you know, of course I grew
Jay Ray:up watching you and you meant a lot to me growing up and I think I'm, I'm, I'm,
Jay Ray:I kept it cool, but I just had to drop that on him and just let him know, wow.
Jay Ray:That just came to me just now, Jay Ray.
Jay Ray:I thank you for, for suggesting that we do this.
Jay Ray:but you know what?
Jay Ray:What I love about you telling that story is it was clear that Malcolm was cool
Jay Ray:and it wasn't like a bad story because you know, we always front of mind.
Jay Ray:Remember the celebrities that we've met?
Jay Ray:They'd be like, I never want to meet them again.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Oh man,
Jay Ray:And clearly that was not the case with Malcolm Jamal Warner because
Jay Ray:when people are, you know what I'm saying?
Jay Ray:That would have been devastating.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: meet your heroes.
Jay Ray:But in that instance, it was a good encounter.
Jay Ray:Wow.
Jay Ray:Shout out to Malcolm's more Warner
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Shout out to Malcolm Jamar Warner.
Jay Ray:just being and giving little black boys hope that you know, you could
Jay Ray:do whatever it is that you want to do.
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: Including these two black boys doing Queue Points
Jay Ray:podcast right here, right now.
Jay Ray:Jay Ray, let the people know how they can get in contact and keep
Jay Ray:seeing two black boys, um, do their joyful work and Queue Points podcast.
Jay Ray:y'all thank you so much for tuning in.
Jay Ray:If you can hear our voices, if you can see our faces, go ahead
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Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: There it is.
Jay Ray:This is Queue Points podcast.
Jay Ray:And what do I always say?
Jay Ray:Jay Ray in this life, you can have a choice.
Jay Ray:You can either pick up the needle or you correct in this life.
Jay Ray:You have a choice.
Jay Ray:You can either pick up the needle or you can let the record play.
Jay Ray:I'm DJ sir, Daniel,
Jay Ray:Name is Jay Ray y'all
Jay Ray:DJ Sir Daniel: and this is Queue Points podcast, dropping the
Jay Ray:needle on black music history.
Jay Ray:We'll see you on the next piece.
Jay Ray:y'all.