♪ Ooh, fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum ♪
♪ Look out baby 'cause here I come ♪
♪ I'm bringin' you a love that's true ♪
- What's up, y'all, it's your boy Jawan.
And I am in the park with my friend Janie.
- Hey.
- And Haarlem, my best friend.
She's about to have a little photo shoot
with Pets of Broadway, so get some behind-the-scene actions
of what's about to happen for that.
That's gonna be exciting, dog photo shoots,
Ain't that somethin'?
Craziness.
(Janie whistles)
- Hi, come here.
Haarlem, good girl.
Can you stay?
Stay, good girl.
- (sniffs) I'm a proud daddy.
- [Janie] You're a model. - I'm a proud daddy.
Look at her just looking back, look at her, y'all.
- You can stand.
Yeah, good girl.
- She know how to work the camera.
- [Janie] Look at that model, oh my gosh!
- My dog, she takes after her father, you know (laughs)?
All right, y'all are about to see me get my wig put on,
and that right there is Natalie.
- Hi (laughs).
- She's carrying my baby right now.
- Oh, god! (Jawan and Natalie laugh)
And we are terrified.
- Well, she's carrying her husband's child,
but I claimed her child as my child.
You know I got a lot of godchildren, I got seven.
It's gonna be honorary number eight.
Ooh. - Yes!
- You gonna have to have a lot of friends mad at me
because I just said that, (Natalie laughs)
so I just want to let you know that.
But she puts my wig on, so this is how
I get prepared for Melvin.
A lot of you guys wanted to see this behind-the-scenes.
You know, this is usually a private moment (laughs).
We gonna get this wig put on.
So, Natalie, how long have you been
working with wigs and hair?
- Since I moved to New York, in 2014.
- Oh, you have to have been out here
about a year before me, or two years.
- That's it, that's all you been?
- I came out here two years before you, I came out,
well, 2013, yeah. - Yeah, yeah.
- Oh, that's great.
- I think I've done 13 Broadway shows.
- Oh, see, you know what (laughs)?
She had to throw that out there,
She had to throw it out there. (Natalie laughs)
13 shows? - I've worked, yeah.
- Listen, she books.
- This is my favorite though, this is my favorite.
- She said that right.
- Yeah, yeah, you're my favorite.
- You know.
I call him Frank, by the way, my wig is Frank.
This the only wig I wear throughout the whole show,
and me and Frank have a love, hate relationships,
'cause sometimes (laughs)
the hair under it don't wanna be right,
and they don't mesh, but today's a good day.
Today's a good day for Frank.
Ladies and gentleman, we have...
five ladies in the show, and you've met three already,
and now here's one more.
This is our Dance Captain extraordinaire,
women, woman, five, four, three, two and one.
She covers all the women, she's our Swing.
This is Mrs. Esther Antoine.
- What's up, y'all.
- Who is actually coming here to give me notes (sighs).
Here we go. (Esther laughs)
- [Esther] Just one.
- Oh, just one, see, listen.
I remember when I first started, y'all,
and she would come in here, and I would just, like,
hang my head because I know it's gonna be pages
and pages and pages and pages of notes,
and rehearsal the next morning, because I was new,
I was a newbie, and now she comes
and gives notes here and there, which I am so grateful for,
'cause that means I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
Or she paying attention to somebody else.
(Esther and Jawan laugh)
- One or the other.
- 'Cause sometimes-- - At least
- Sometimes-- - I can say
there's only one note today, as opposed to pages and pages.
- Yeah. - Right?
- 'Cause I remember one time, I remember,
I would be doing a show, and then the next day I'd be like,
"OK, I know I messed up, and I was on number three,"
she was like, "OK, I wasn't paying attention."
(Esther and Jawan laugh)
So then I got out of my head, I was like,
"Let me just do my show."
OK. - And you're doing so well.
- She about to give me a note on camera,
so we about to hear for the first time, like you are.
You about to hear it, and I'm about to hear it.
(Esther laughs)
I wonder what it is.
- All right, when in If You Don't Know Me by Now,
right at the end, when you go aah, ooh, step on the ooh.
You're starting to go early, aah, ooh.
- Aah. - But step on the aah, step.
- Gotcha. - Thank you.
- Oh, that's easy. - That's all.
- That's easy.
- You're awesome.
Have a good show, love you.
- She's not on any social media,
so you ain't gonna follow her.
Only time you gonna see here is right here.
- Right here, right here.
- So get it in while you can.
Hey, y'all, what's up?
So I'm about to answer some questions that I got
from you guys, and so the first question is--
(knuckles knock)
Uh-oh, come in.
- [James] Hey.
- Hey. - Hey, I'm sorry.
- Uh-oh, hey, y'all James has--
- Oh.
- rudely interrupted the question session.
Now what's up, oh no, why's he always leaving?
Everybody always want to leave me.
- Well because you always doing stuff.
Look, I was coming into the room, I'm still gonna be nice.
- [Jawan] You should.
OK, what you here for?
- Look I bought you something, (Jawan gasps)
but I'm about to take it back.
- No (laughs)! - I think I should.
- Should I take it back?
I think I should take it back.
- Listen. - I'm fading, I'm--
this my first gift James ever gave me.
That's the first thing he ever gave me.
- No. - That is the first thing.
- I gave you friendship.
- I didn't ask for that.
(Jawan laughs)
- [James] Take that bag.
- Thank you, oh, it so nice!
You know I love a book bag, listen, I love a book bag.
This is really nice, James.
I don't know whether I've got my drawers
in the video or not, but--
- Nobody cares about that.
- This is really nice.
- Nice to see you guys.
- OK, so, since you're here, I was trying
to do some questions, but I guess you can answer them.
Who you play, what's your name?
- You don't know who I--
- People don't know you. - OK.
- And these are my fans, these aren't your fans (laughs).
- What? - Where did you start?
- Where did I start?
- In, like, - In life?
- The journey, yeah, just let us know.
- I was started in El Paso, Texas,
which is where I was born.
That's where I started.
- He always gotta have a smart mouth.
That's one thing about James Harkness,
is that he can't ever answer a question without
- You. - having a smart mouth.
Even in his interview with another internet source,
- [James] You.
they asked him, "What was the first thing that you do
when you get home," and you know what he said?
"Put my key in the door."
I don't understand.
- What's the first thing that you do when you get home?
- That's not what they were asking though.
- That is exactly what the question was.
- That's not! (James laughs)
And then you had to be smart, this what I'm saying.
(James and Jawan laugh)
It's a little sad, like oh, jerk!
- First of all, wait a minute now.
I showed you some what in that interview?
- He did show me some love, and.
- In the interview about?
- (sighs) About, OK, he gave me something,
and now people have seen it (laughs).
- Love.
(Jawan sighs)
- I love you too.
So-- (James laughs)
- What's up, y'all, and good morning.
So I'm headed to the Javits Center
for Circle of Sisters right now.
For those of you who do not know what Circle of Sisters is,
it's the biggest and the largest Black women's expo
in New York convention.
It's hosted by WBLS, so there's gonna be a lot of seminars
and informative conferences and meetings
and interviews happening.
You got your favorite people there, like myself,
and I think Deborah Cox is there this year, Full Force,
"Ain't Too Proud"'s gonna be there,
my homeboy Anthony Brown, Hezekiah Walker,
Yolanda Adams, just on and on and on and on,
and this is one of the biggest things that's in New York,
and I am excited to be a part of it.
I'm excited to be there, and hopefully,
we get some footage of the inside and what's going on.
- Hoo, y'all, I got my brothers,
- Yo!
who about to represent "Ain't Too Proud".
- Guys, you need to--
- Say what up, y'all.
- Good morning.
- Morning. - Morning, morning, morning.
- You know it's early early.
It's early in the morning, his voice ain't warm,
my voice is warmed
- Oh it's
♪ Warm ♪
It's warm.
- Oh. (performers laugh and clap)
- He was up at 6:30 this morning.
Paul James, Paul James.
Also know as,
- What's up? - as Digitones Junior.
Ooh, this throat, y'all. - Aah.
- He got that Lalah Hathaway Tritones.
- [Woman] They gonna be like.
♪ Early in the morning ♪
♪ Breakfast on on your table ♪
♪ And make sure ♪
- All right, that's it, that's it.
(laugh)
- They about to get ready for sound check.
- We don't want to have to pay for that,
we don't have to pay.
- Yeah, anything else, y'all gonna have to pay for it,
but Circle of Sisters, they about to perform
or going to perform in this room.
It looks like, it looks like, probably like 1000 seats,
1500 maybe, you know.
They about to do they thing, I can't wait.
This time I get to just watch and enjoy.
He's a brave soul (laughs).
- I, cut.
(crowd murmurs)
- [Jawan] There they are.
(upbeat music)
♪ But my life is incomplete, and I'm so blue ♪
♪ 'Cause I ♪
That's Linda, our PR girl, rolling up on me.
Roll up on me, Linda, roll up on me (laughs).
They got posters, the booth is nasty, it's so good.
♪ I'm bringing you a love that's true ♪
So at the Circle of Sisters,
Your boy and "Ain't Too Proud", "Ain't Too Proud".
- Yes, you gotta come see the show.
I saw it when it first came out - he's the man.
- Oh, I'm having so much fun, come on.
Sing pretty.
Marcus? - Huh?
- Jelani?
Shawn?
Corey, Saint.
Y'all sing pretty, now, look at these boys.
They out going on at the Circle of Sisters.
- Are you sure you don't want to step in front of this?
(Performers laugh)
(organ music)
(upbeat music)
♪ Never met a girl who makes me feel the way that you do ♪
♪ You're all right, yeah ♪
♪ Whenever I'm asked who makes my dreams real ♪
♪ I say that you do ♪
♪ You're outta sight ♪
♪ So fee fi fo fum ♪
♪ Look out baby 'cause here I come ♪
♪ Aah, I'm bringing you a love that's true, ♪
♪ So get ready, so get ready ♪
♪ Aah, I'm gonna try to make love to you ♪
♪ So get ready, so get ready ♪
♪ 'Cause here I ♪
- We're backstage at the Circle of Sisters
with Miss Deborah Cox herself.
- Hey.
- Oh, you're lovely. - Hello.
- Thank you so much for all you do.
- Congratulations for everything.
It's wonderful to see all of this amazing talent,
the spirit of the show, still holding it down on Broadway
and with rave reviews.
Congrats.
- Thank you so much. - Yeah.
- Better go see "Ain't Too Proud", y'all, come on.
Yo, if you're here, that means you made it thus far,
through all the journeys, through all the cuts,
through all the transitions of this week's episode.
I thank you so much for watching
and staying with me throughout it all.
You're amazing, and if you want to know
who this is in the background playing.
♪ Some days are rough, and ♪
♪ Some days are hard ♪
♪ But I've got this to say ♪
It's my brother, Mykal Kilgore.
Please do yourself a favor, go get that album.
It just came out, it is solid, it's great,
my friend is singing, and he sounds amazing on it.
It's gonna be the best thing you've ever done.
It's on all social media platforms,
all music platforms, iTunes, everywhere.
Go get it, please.
And as always, I'm gonna leave you
with a inspirational quote
that my History teacher, Mr. Lockreach, would say.
Down with dope, up with hope, you're dismissed.
Tune in next week for another episode
of All About That Bass, Bass, Bass.
I love y'all so much, thank you.
♪ So fiddle-lee-dee, yeah, fiddle-lee-dum ♪
♪ Look out baby 'cause here I come ♪
♪ Aah, I'm bringing you a love that's true, so ♪