Tank and the Bangas: How Winning a Grammy Changed Everything| SWAY’S UNIVERSE

0:00 I'm in my poetry voice right now.

0:03 I like it

0:03 because the last time we sat with this extraordinary collective of musicians,

0:10 artistry, and just real people, they didn't possess a Grammy.

0:15 [laughter]

0:16 But who predicted it?

0:18 We did.

0:19 Sure did.

0:19 Yes, we did.

0:20 We predicted,

0:21 we said, and the winner is that they would get this Grammy.

0:24 The heart, the mind,

0:27 and the soul.

0:28 And the soul.

0:28 That's right.

0:30 Best poetry album.

0:31 Yep.

0:31 Spoken word.

0:32 Spoken word.

0:33 Give it up for Tank and the Bangers, y'all.

0:35 They are back.

0:36 [screaming]

0:40 Tank, welcome back to the show.

0:41 Thank you.

0:41 It's so good to be here with you guys.

0:44 Yo, listen.

0:44 It's It's not even It doesn't even We're family now.

0:47 Doesn't it feel like

0:49 whenever we see each other cuz we see each other on the road, right?

0:53 Yep.

0:53 Special uh festivals.

0:55 Special festivals.

0:56 We see each other on the screen, you know, cuz we follow each other and

1:00 we watch all the accomplishments you have.

1:03 You guys smell different now that you Grammy award [laughter] winners, right?

1:08 Grammy by that Prada.

1:10 Um I think um you guys winning this Grammy speaks to perseverance, consistency.

1:17 It speaks to belief.

1:18 You guys have been nominated before.

1:21 Yes.

1:20 Right.

1:20 Plenty of times.

1:22 But now it's here.

1:24 What did that mean?

1:25 Did it mean the same now?

1:28 Oh my goodness.

1:29 It felt so amazing to finally really be called.

1:32 It was amazing to go underneath the stage.

1:35 Like it's different when you win.

1:36 Like they got champagne.

1:38 [laughter] Everybody says congratulations.

1:42 Congratulations.

1:42 Because everybody down there have won.

1:45 It's It's amazing.

1:45 I can see why people get bit with that bug and they want to keep winning.

1:49 The moment we got off the stage, Norman was bit with the bug and me.

1:52 He said, "You ready to do another one?" I said,

1:53 "Let me live in the moment, brother.

1:55 Let me live in the moment." God dang.

1:58 It was amazing.

1:59 It feels It feels uh like something that everybody wanted for us.

2:03 We finally got But everybody had to speak it

2:05 for us before I even knew what a Grammy was.

2:07 It's It's funny that you said it's different hearing your name called

2:11 because from the first time we were blessed to watch you guys,

2:16 there was a calling.

2:17 There's a calling on y'all.

2:19 You perform like there's a calling on your life.

2:21 You perform like there's purpose.

2:23 Your words are chosen specifically to touch our hearts and our spirits.

2:28 So to to see it acknowledged, we were rooting, you know,

2:32 we when we were reading through and and finding out who won,

2:35 we were like, "Yes, we got to work." We were like,

2:38 "Sit." [laughter] And we felt like we won.

2:41 And so I hope y'all all felt that.

2:44 I hope y'all felt like we won because the people were with you.

2:48 Definitely.

2:49 We're definitely a a people's choice, people champ type band.

2:52 It's not um yet to me very as worldwide as I would want to be,

2:57 but I also want the type of life where I could

2:59 thrift in peace and be respected among people and that I respect

3:04 and be able to collaborate with whoever I want to collaborate

3:06 with and when we go on tour like it's sold out within five minutes.

3:09 Like come on.

3:10 But you could still thrift in peace.

3:12 Yeah.

3:12 Yeah.

3:12 Yeah.

3:12 In peace.

3:13 Yep.

3:13 Yep.

3:13 Did Did any you know a lot of times when you become identified as the winner,

3:17 you guys were winners already.

3:19 You know what I mean?

3:20 You you were Grammy um you were Gram you were Grammy award artist to me already.

3:25 But who who are some of the people you didn't know

3:28 that acted like they knew you once you won that Grammy?

3:32 You start in trouble.

3:33 [laughter]

3:34 Who came up to you, congratulations, I love you.

3:37 And you was like wait a minute.

3:38 [laughter] Everybody.

3:41 Everybody.

3:40 No.

3:41 You know, it was different in the city.

3:42 Oh my god.

3:43 When I came back home, I had so many people speaking to me.

3:47 So many people saying, "Hey, Tank." So many white people.

3:51 [laughter]

3:52 Yeah.

3:52 Yeah.

3:53 Saying, "Hey, Tank.

3:54 Hey, Tank.

3:54 Hey, Tank.

3:55 Hey, Tank." Oh my.

3:55 It was It was It was kind of strange cuz it

3:58 was like it when people know your name that you've never met.

4:00 I mean, you're used to it at your shows, but not constantly in the streets.

4:04 That was different.

4:07 Wow.

4:07 So much happening for you, too.

4:08 and and congratulations on the thing about fallen.

4:12 Oh, thank you.

4:13 Yes.

4:13 Uh you know Heather, she wrote another book.

4:15 Give her a round of applause for that.

4:17 I took notes for this one.

4:19 All right.

4:19 Slow cut from Clint.

4:21 Um you said you and this is you had vulnerable as[ __] as as well.

4:25 Oh, you can say it.

4:26 I can.

4:27 Yeah.

4:27 Serious satellite radio.

4:29 I'm a Hall of Famer.

4:30 I can say it.

4:32 [laughter] If they fire me, they got to pay out the contract tank.

4:37 Come on.

4:38 Uh, but you said this is um first

4:40 time you wrote poems purely for yourself, right?

4:43 And and not for an ex or even an audience.

4:47 This one um The thing about falling, it's about three X's.

4:52 Oh, really?

4:53 Yeah.

4:53 It's about three Well, not three exes.

4:54 Jesus Christ.

4:55 Two exes and um my current love of my life.

5:01 Okay.

5:02 Yeah.

5:01 Okay.

5:02 How does that work?

5:03 like why why why is it necessary to write about what happened in the past?

5:07 Well, for one, you it's really cool when you get to look

5:09 back at it and laugh after so many years of hurt.

5:12 It's also cool to look at it and sometimes be like, "Wow, I haven't grown much.

5:16 I'm still in the same place that I was when I wrote that." Um,

5:19 I think it's good to document your feelings, period.

5:22 And the fact that they get to turn it

5:24 into songs now or stay poems is so special.

5:27 And I think it's really dope to give other

5:29 people's feelings words because everybody don't know what to say.

5:33 May I ask your your current love if you're comfortable with sharing.

5:37 Did you meet your current love as Grammy award-winning Tank versus?

5:44 No,

5:45 I wasn't.

5:45 But he was there when I got it.

5:47 He was there when you got it.

5:49 Because I always wonder what it's like.

5:51 Was he on stage with you?

5:52 No, that was just me and Nor.

5:55 [laughter] No.

5:57 No.

5:57 I said if she's comfortable.

5:59 So because I always wonder I've been with the same person for so long that we've

6:05 gone through so many different stages

6:07 of my career as well as his career together.

6:10 But when you meet someone and at your s success like how

6:14 was it different now versus your past two relationships that you wrote about?

6:19 Oh man, he's just so naturally happy for me.

6:23 Amen.

6:23 So happy for me and he doesn't mind being in the background.

6:26 He he doesn't he knows that that my shining doesn't dim his light at all

6:31 and he's he's he's proud of me and he happy for me and I see it

6:36 he's videos and he's smiling and and it's not like he came along cuz he

6:40 saw me you know blooming he's been we've

6:42 been staying touch with each other for years

6:45 and it just happened to bloom into something else but um

6:49 if and the difference is like yeah they some people

6:52 in the you know I hate to say it some some States

6:56 like to compete with you without even saying they're competing with you.

6:59 They think they're in competition with you and it's it's weird.

7:02 And they're not here anymore.

7:03 What you say?

7:04 And they not here anymore.

7:05 Not here anymore.

7:06 School scat scat.

7:07 [laughter] I never heard that.

7:08 School.

7:09 School.

7:13 You say school.

7:15 You got to go.

7:16 [laughter]

7:17 That's why they're an X, Heather.

7:19 Yes.

7:19 Okay.

7:19 I could have made it simple.

7:21 X would

7:22 um one one of the things.

7:23 But you know what?

7:24 And I think about when you listen to you talk about

7:27 this um you you mentioned that the it book was about two exes

7:31 and one current and in between exes and in between X and current

7:36 there's that in between stage right where um you're learning about yourself.

7:41 Can you talk about not rushing

7:43 the healing in between and learning about yourself?

7:48 I think that um writing helps me to heal

7:51 just writing about it.

7:53 um not cuz the paper will not judge me.

7:57 That's what I really like about a piece of paper.

7:59 It won't judge me.

8:00 And um I think it's good to have some therapy.

8:03 And therapy don't even necessarily have to be going to Better Help every time.

8:06 It could be friends.

8:08 And the poetry book is just such a good reflection to me, a reflective time.

8:12 And also taking um some some blame in your part in what you let slide,

8:19 what you let what you let slide by.

8:21 you know, it's it's definitely not all on that person.

8:25 And even that's why even in my book, I have um letters to my ex and some

8:30 of it's apologies letters for um you coming to me

8:34 as your full self and me thinking that I could

8:36 that I wanted more that I could possibly change you maybe

8:40 or maybe even falling a little more in love with potential than who you are.

8:43 And potential as we all know is what I want what

8:45 I see you to be and not who you actually are.

8:48 So I have to apologize too.

8:50 So sometimes I hope they read the book, but most of the time I hope they don't.

8:54 [laughter] They gonna know.

8:57 They gonna know, right?

8:59 They going to know.

9:00 Man, we we talked about some of the festivals um that we

9:03 bumped into each other in whether it's Essence or whether it's um Black Radio,

9:08 Black Radio Experience, Blue No Jazz Festival.

9:12 Beautiful.

9:11 But but you guys, y'all did Coachella.

9:13 We did Coachella.

9:14 We did a lot of festivals that we every time.

9:16 Norman is the one that speaks the festivals

9:18 that he wants into existence and it happens.

9:20 He's the one that does that.

9:22 Norman, your mic working.

9:22 Is his mic working?

9:23 Phil, no.

9:24 Oh, okay.

9:25 All right.

9:25 Let's go.

9:26 Give him your mic.

9:26 Heather, give Norman your mic.

9:29 He could come next to me.

9:30 Come stand.

9:31 Come stand.

9:31 Come stand next to us, man.

9:33 This is cool.

9:33 I I You guys have put in so much work.

9:36 We know you.

9:36 We love you.

9:37 We know the whole history, you know, from New Orleans from where it all started.

9:40 We talked about this before.

9:42 I love seeing you in gigantic diverse audience

9:46 audiences like Coachella and it's a younger audience

9:50 as well which I feel like you guys have a crossover appeal in that regard too.

9:54 What is it like though playing these audiences and you see these different kind

9:58 of faces whether it's white or younger

10:01 or whatever it may be jamming to y'all music.

10:05 Bro, I I tell you, um it's it's special,

10:09 especially when you you remember when where you started in a poetry club

10:13 and then to see something on TV to see Coachell or Glastonberry or um

10:19 Bonnaroo and all these other little joints.

10:20 It's like, oh, I want to go there.

10:22 I want to do that.

10:23 Small hit hard, too, though.

10:24 Never get it twisted.

10:24 Like a country festival where they treating you

10:27 good and they got some food for you.

10:29 They, you know what I'm saying?

10:30 [laughter] And they just constantly telling you we're so happy that you're here.

10:34 Like don't get it twisted.

10:35 Like them small festivals out there.

10:37 You done traveled.

10:38 You done caught a bus in a plane and a train and you

10:40 end up somewhere in a in a forest drinking out a tin cup and they loving on you.

10:44 You need that.

10:45 Thank y'all make us make it worth it.

10:46 You know what I mean?

10:47 Sleeping in tents, you know?

10:48 Like I love I love a I love a small town fest.

10:51 Y'all about that tent life stay.

10:53 I'm not about that tent.

10:54 I am [laughter] Look,

10:55 I during the day time I'm going to need a hotel at night though.

10:57 I'm a glamper.

10:59 I glamp.

11:00 Glamp.

11:01 I'm a glamper.

11:02 A glamorous glamper.

11:03 Yes.

11:03 Okay.

11:04 Okay.

11:04 [laughter]

11:05 Love that.

11:06 We're doing family day with Keith Lee.

11:08 Are you Are y'all doing Keith Lee family?

11:10 He should have asked us.

11:11 We're not.

11:12 We would have loved to

11:13 call us.

11:14 Come on.

11:15 New Orleans on the

11:18 But we all very happy for um some locals that did get it.

11:20 I'm excited to see High Sizzle.

11:22 I love me some High Sizzle.

11:23 New Orleans bounce.

11:24 Um off the top of my head, I can't think of who else is in it,

11:27 but um it's still a very good lineup and I I definitely still go.

11:30 I'm about to text him.

11:31 Okay, we gonna make that happen.

11:34 May 16th.

11:35 Oh, the day.

11:37 Oh, Lord.

11:37 Day after your album dropped.

11:39 That would be a great place to be.

11:41 Now, the the Oh, sorry.

11:43 Whatever, Heather.

11:44 All right, we changed, Mike.

11:45 The band done changed.

11:47 Can you talk about changes and why can't they be healthy?

11:51 I think that change is good.

11:52 First of all, from the moment that we started out,

11:55 we always had different members.

11:56 Someone to come in and play guitar,

11:58 somebody to come in and play percussions, things like that.

12:00 And our original band was myself, Norman,

12:02 and uh two other or should I say even three other guys,

12:05 three other guys that were around for some years and even

12:08 more changes before that when we were the Black Star Bangers.

12:10 Um I just see it as being part of the journey, you know,

12:14 of people adding in something beautiful and when

12:16 the season is up, the season is up.

12:18 But we're going to always continue to go forward and as tank,

12:22 I'mma always go forward and as the bangers, they always bang.

12:25 Yeah.

12:25 Okay, that's fair enough.

12:27 uh with this newfound success.

12:29 You know, we talk about in the music business a lot,

12:33 but you rarely hear the perspective from a band and the leader of a band.

12:37 You'll hear a lot of rappers and different

12:39 artists talking about the challenges that they faced.

12:42 What challenges do you you know, well, what have you, you know,

12:45 how have you adjusted to the newfound

12:47 success when it comes to running your business?

12:50 I think the changes be up and down, right?

12:52 I mean, I think the thing that I think co changed a lot for us, too, because,

12:57 you know, everybody didn't want to be all close

12:59 to each other no more because of what was happening.

13:00 So, I it feels like we're a whole new band cuz we have

13:03 to build right back up touring again and every the business of the the hotels,

13:09 everything is just everything has changed so much and we're used to a big sound.

13:13 Like even getting our other guys out here,

13:14 that's Devon over there on the drums and Ken and I on the bass.

13:17 Like, we still had to travel small.

13:19 We still have more members at home, you know,

13:21 cuz but because everything has changed, it's so expensive.

13:25 We have to be way more conscious of it.

13:27 But our fans know us to to bang,

13:30 you know, so it's hard to make those those changes.

13:33 Um,

13:33 you you manage all of the at the end of the day,

13:36 you make the decisions on the expenses and the finances and

13:39 we we both do we we both say, "Well, who can't come?

13:42 Who can't come?" Yeah, we do things like that.

13:44 But the dream is for everybody to come everywhere we go.

13:47 Honestly, that's how we used to be.

13:49 That's when we came here last time and we were just with everybody.

13:51 But you just

13:53 in this day and time, the business has to be considered just as much as the art.

13:57 Yeah.

13:57 Which I hate.

13:58 Yeah.

13:58 Well, it's it's the music business.

14:01 And speaking speaking to um managing between success and you know,

14:07 whatever, fame or whatever.

14:08 It's like the whole time long as we remember who we work for,

14:12 you know,

14:12 let's go.

14:13 It's it's it's God for sure.

14:16 Y all day.

14:17 But um it's like we go and whatever's supposed to happen,

14:22 whether it's a bunch of money or a little bit,

14:23 we just been doing this work and ministering really for real.

14:26 I mean like people be hitting us up talking

14:28 about they going through this was going through that.

14:30 So like yo this work and we just a part of it for real.

14:33 Absolutely.

14:33 Y'all do a great job too.

14:35 Um very intentional.

14:37 Very intentional.

14:39 Yeah.

14:39 No, I was going to say when y'all do

14:40 sat Have y'all done Saturday Night Ain't Live yet?

14:43 Jimmy Fallon.

14:44 Jimmy Fallon.

14:45 And I think they got out to Jimmy Fall.

14:46 Put that out there.

14:47 No, they're going to do Saturday Night.

14:49 Yeah, it's coming.

14:50 Sketches, too.

14:51 Yeah.

14:51 Oh, and we [laughter] will get some improv in.

14:57 No, I think when Sway mentioned the mixed crowds,

15:00 it's so true when we we've been watching and we've been

15:03 seeing and so it's great that it's just growing and growing.

15:06 But again, I think the message is just

15:08 the calling on this band and the calling on you

15:12 and the calling on you is just it's

15:14 for folks when they catch it and they see it.

15:16 I remember Sway asking on that stage,

15:18 "How many of y'all knew Tank and the Bangers

15:20 before they came out?" And people were like,

15:24 "How many of y'all know them now?

15:27 You we watched you win that crowd,

15:31 sis." And so continued love is coming Saturday Night Live.

15:35 I can't wait to be there and watch

15:36 the whole band and everybody and the sketches.

15:39 I got you on the sketches.

15:39 [laughter]

15:41 Thank you, Heather.

15:42 I mean, I'm I'm I'm accepting what you say because

15:44 what you you're powerful as well and your words are

15:48 and um so thank you for speaking that over our life.

15:50 We we just want to be happy and successful

15:53 and want everybody around us to be happy,

15:55 successful, and well, and Broadway.

15:58 Oh god, that sound like so much that sound like so much hard work to me.

16:02 But you already doing the work.

16:03 I know, but it sound like so much hard work.

16:06 You already doing the work.

16:07 That's smart.

16:07 Everybody speaks that for me, but like I'm like, "Oh,

16:09 that sound like so much work." After I'm done with 75 minutes,

16:12 I'm done with the set.

16:13 Like that's it.

16:14 [laughter] That's it.

16:18 I've seen, you know, like I hop [laughter] up in that big thing.

16:20 I do I say I roll out, you know?

16:22 Like that's in my song.

16:24 Like I love to roll out afterwards, but like what's that like two shows a night?

16:27 Like six, seven, eight shows a week or something.

16:30 You did your research.

16:31 [laughter] that you know that's a that's a lot to four days.

16:35 So you got two shows each day.

16:36 That's eight shows in four days.

16:39 Oh man.

16:40 I think that when it's time it's time though

16:42 because I never wanted to act either for real.

16:44 But I'm going to be starring in a film soon.

16:47 Norma.

16:49 Yeah.

16:49 You [screaming] are starring.

16:52 You know you have the starring.

16:53 Yeah I Yeah I am.

16:54 Look [laughter] on the call she I am.

16:59 Wow.

17:00 Norma, what's it about?

17:02 It's about a um a singer from back in the day who

17:06 is struggling to try to stay current in the times that's changing,

17:09 but it's it's from back in the day.

17:12 Wow.

17:11 So, I know congratulations wig and so you getting ready then you already ready.

17:17 Okay.

17:17 Tank and the Bangers are here.

17:18 We we're celebrating a new album.

17:20 It's called The Last Balloon.

17:23 Balloon.

17:23 Now, we've been through the green balloon and the red balloon

17:26 and the red balloon.

17:27 Right.

17:28 And now we're on the last balloon.

17:29 Yep.

17:29 This is our first time saying the cover, the title of it to everybody.

17:33 Oh, really?

17:33 It's the last balloon, [laughter] guys.

17:37 Last balloon.

17:37 Are y'all happy or sad?

17:38 It's the last one.

17:39 Oh, no.

17:39 I'm happy.

17:40 I thought the last one was the last.

17:41 I'm happy.

17:42 [laughter] He was even telling me like another balloon, sis.

17:44 And I was like, bro, it got to be in threes.

17:47 You know, it's it's the last one.

17:48 And I wouldn't do another color because folk

17:50 will really be looking for the next color.

17:52 You have to know that this is this is the final of this particular series.

17:55 And it started years ago.

17:57 And it's so um monumental in so many ways and even symbolic.

18:01 I mean even who we started off the balloon series with, you know,

18:04 no longer here and the way we've changed and it's time to really

18:08 like stay still and grounded in this and stop all that flowing.

18:12 Stop all of that.

18:13 So this is the last version of the balloon series.

18:17 You guys are going to perform three songs for us today, right?

18:20 The are these songs from the album that you're gonna

18:23 We heard that it's good to mix in a little old with the new.

18:26 So, we going to do a little old with the new.

18:28 Okay.

18:29 All right.

18:29 HP, you got something else you want to ask?

18:33 I'm ready.

18:34 When you I'm ready.

18:35 Are you ready to sing now?

18:36 You [laughter] ready?

18:37 I love black folk.

18:37 I just I love black people.

18:40 You know, come on, man.

18:41 You know, the first time I did that, I go off stage and the woman said,

18:44 "How come you don't say I love all people?"

18:47 I said, "Well, because the self-hate is very loud,

18:49 so the self- loveve need to be even louder." So, this is that's what's up.

18:54 Tanking the bangers.