Uptown Voices

Today, Uptown Voices steps inside a modern-day musical fairy tale born right on the pavements of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Hosts Octavio Blanco and Led Black roll out the red carpet for the powerhouse duo known as Uptown Royalty—composed of multi-instrumentalist/composer Ron Renaissance and elite vocalist Jodi Music.

In an emotionally raw and deeply inspiring broadcast, the couple shares their decade-long journey of fusing 90s R&B vocals with authentic Afro-Cuban salsa rhythms to create a completely new genre: Electro Latin Soul. But past the explosive energy of their live 13-piece orchestra lies a profound narrative of resilience. From surviving the dangerous peak of the crack epidemic in Washington Heights to overcoming sudden open-heart surgery at age 38, and navigating childhood survival in the streets of the Bronx, Ron and Jodi reveal how public school music programs, dedicated mentors, and the primal power of rhythm literally saved their lives.

⏱️ Official Chapter Time Codes
  • 00:00 — Cold Open: The King and Queen of Uptown
    Jodi and Ron break down their foundational roots—the Boogie Down Bronx and Washington Heights—and their unified mandate to unapologetically represent their culture and people on the global stage.
  • 00:36 — Introduction: A Special Episode in Historic Times
    Hosts Octavio Blanco and Led Black welcome viewers. Led shares a brief reflection on the generational weight of watching the Knicks push for the finals, before introducing the afternoon's exceptional guests.
  • 02:23 — Locked in ABC Studios: The 2017 Origin Story
    Jodi recounts the fateful 15-hour marathon recording gig in Times Square where she first met Ron, leading to a first date of salsa dancing that permanently bound their personal and professional lives together.
  • 03:34 — Crafting the Sound: "Ain't Nobody" as Salsa
    Led Black praises the band's viral, show-stopping salsa reimagining of Chaka Khan's classic hit. Ron and Jodi share the delicate art of balancing a real-life romance with independent music production.
  • 05:53 — Why Salsa? The Technology of Primal Rhythms
    A deep dive into the longevity of salsa music. Ron traces his 30-year history back to iconic NYC venues like Gonzales & Gonzales and the Copacabana, revealing how the foundational, ancestral Afro-Cuban beats transcend language barriers worldwide.
  • 07:14 — A Product of District 6: The Savior of Public School Music
    Ron pays tribute to the public school music programs of Washington Heights and his legendary teachers, John Faddis and Wycliffe Gordon, explaining how early access to instruments completely transformed a generation of neighborhood kids.
  • 13:56 — Genre Defiance: Electro Latin Soul & "Butterfly Dream"
    The duo discusses their upcoming summer project, Volume 2, and previews an upcoming original R&B single, detailing how they record late at night in their home studio once their daughters fall asleep.
  • 18:58 — Breaking the Matrix: Independence vs. The Record Label Trap
    Octavio raises the evolution of the independent music industry. Ron quotes a famous Jadakiss line on how corporate labels keep artists in permanent debt, prompting a discussion on why true ownership of your master recordings is everything.
  • 25:03 — The Sponsored Phoenix: The Michael Rath Trombone
    Ron showcases his custom, blinged-out Michael Rath trombone featuring an engraved phoenix emblem, detailing what it means to be officially endorsed by one of England's premier instrument makers.
  • 26:33 — The Twilight Zone: A Shared Guardian Angel
    In an unbelievable twist of fate, Jodi reveals how her surrogate "grandparents"—an Irish art teacher from the Bronx who took her in as a homeless child—turned out to be the exact same educator who secured the funding for Ron’s instruments in Washington Heights decades prior.
  • 33:59 — Live at The Hudson: Upcoming Uptown Shows
    The band announces their upcoming summer schedule, including a massive performance with Inwood Arts at The Hudson (formerly La Marina) on June 8th, emphasizing why local neighborhood gigs remain their absolute favorite venues.
  • 35:19 — Hip-Hop, Social Engineering, and the Currency of Hype
    Led Black brings up a poignant critique regarding how late-90s commercial rap was structurally flipped to degrade communities. Jodi highlights why choosing a message of elegance, class, and raw vocal talent is an active, revolutionary choice.
  • 39:34 — Positivity as a Lifetime Choice: The Legacy of Celia Cruz
    Jodi speaks directly to the challenge of being a touring artist while raising small children, rejecting the disposable ageism of the American music industry in favor of the lifelong respect afforded to icons like Celia Cruz.
  • 43:17 — Backstage with an Icon: Touring with Lauryn Hill
    Ron recalls the high-intensity experience of being called to play in the horn section for the legendary Lauryn Hill at the Barclays Center, tracking his career from multi-passport international tours to corporate consulting in Cabo.
  • 51:38 — The Urgent Ticker: Surviving Open-Heart Surgery at 38
    Ron opens up about a terrifying recent medical crisis requiring sudden open-heart surgery for two clogged arteries. He details how facing mortality gave him a relentless sense of urgency to leave no art left inside of him.
  • 54:23 — Saved by the Microphone: Surviving a Bronx Childhood
    Jodi delivers a deeply moving, transparent testimony about losing her father at age nine, navigating family instability, and literally singing on New York City subway trains for survival money before her teachers stepped in.
  • 57:40 — Outro & Supporting Tax-Deductible Hyperlocal News
    The guests share their official social handles and website, closing out with Led and Octavio's classic mantra: Spread love, it's the Uptown way.

💸 Defend Hyperlocal Journalism: Support Uptown Voices
Uptown Voices is entirely viewer-supported and operates as a fiscally sponsored project of the Maysles Documentary Center. Your contributions are 100% tax-deductible and ensure our independent newsroom can continue bringing you uncovered, high-stakes local arts and political coverage free from corporate compromise.

Facebook: Uptown Voices Page

Creators and Guests

Host
Led Black
Host
Octavio Blanco

What is Uptown Voices?

Uptown Voices tells the stories of unsung heroes who are transforming New York City's Uptown neighborhoods from Washington Heights to Inwood to Harlem to the South Bronx. Each episode profiles an individual or organization making a positive difference. These social entrepreneurs, artists, and community leaders are navigating critical issues of affordability, public safety, and mental health. Through conversations rooted in journalistic integrity and genuine community ties, this podcast challenges negative narratives and celebrates the true spirit of the vibrant neighborhoods thriving north of Central Park.

Each episode features extended interviews in which subjects tell their stories in their own words. The series examines the interconnected challenges facing Uptown communities—gentrification pressures, resource scarcity, systemic inequities—while simultaneously showcasing the creativity and collective power emerging in response. While uplifting the people shaping Uptown’s future, the podcast holds local elected officials accountable for the promises they make. During this pivotal time, Uptown Voices is creating a unique audiovisual archive.

Uptown Voices is a fiscally sponsored project of the Maysles Documentary Center. Make a tax-deductible contribution to our program here: https://bit.ly/4eddiWT

Uptown Royalty (00:00)
we're both from uptown, me from the Boogie Down Bronx.

Ron from Washington Heights. And we were like, we got to represent our people, our cultura. And we're like, all right, uptown. And then what? You're my king. I'm your queen. Wepa. Let's do it.

Octavio Blanco (00:36)
What's up, what's up, everybody? It's Octavio Blanco here. Welcome to another episode of Uptown Voices where we're highlighting the people from Uptown and and and the stories from Uptown. Here I am with my my brother from another mother, Led Black. How you doing, Led? What's going on?

Led Black (00:44)
Is right.

What up, brother?

Doing doing good. Waiting for the Knicks to go to the finals historic times. Historic times right now. You know what I mean? So, you know, you think you think about this like I'm not a spring chicken, but the the Knicks haven't won the finals in my lifetime. My kids think that's crazy. My kids like that's crazy, but but yeah, man, doing good, brother. I wanna remind everyone to make sure you subscribe to the channel, show us that love, share with your people. And we got a very special episode today, so I'm excited.

Uptown Royalty (01:03)
Hahaha.

Octavio Blanco (01:03)
Yes.

Uptown Royalty (01:10)
Yeah.

Octavio Blanco (01:20)
Yes.

Yes, yes. We have great guests today. It's ⁓ Uptown Royalty is joining us. We put out the red flag the red the red carpet for Uptown Royalty, composed of Ron Renaissance, Ron Renaissance and Jody Music. How you guys doing? Welcome to Uptown Voices.

Uptown Royalty (01:32)
you

Hello, hello. We're so happy to be here. Thank you for having us for real.

Octavio Blanco (01:49)
Yeah, ⁓ I love the I love having you guys here. I love your story. I love what you guys are doing. I think your music is is is great. The ⁓ the positivity, the vibe, and the just the range is also like really, really cool. So let's talk about ⁓ Uptown Royalty. you know, how did you guys

get to get together as a group and what is it that you guys are all about as a music group?

Uptown Royalty (02:23)
Well, we came to be because Ron and I started dating. We met on a gig back in 2017 in Times Square and ABC Studios. He was playing trombone. I was singing and we were locked in a room together for over 15 hours and I was talking, talking, talking, talking and he was listening, listening. And he was like, I could tell he was like, this girl, this girl is crazy. I was just like, you know.

Led Black (02:43)
Yeah.

Octavio Blanco (02:43)
Ha ha ha.

Ha ha.

Uptown Royalty (02:51)
telling him all the things that I love, music, dance, and then we connected because we both love salsa. And ⁓ we chatted up and then two days later he asked me on a date, we went salsa dancing, and after that we never separated. So he was an artist on his own, Ron Renaissance, and I was an artist, Jody Music, on my own. And then when we got together we said, okay, let's join forces. And we were like, what is it gonna be? And of course we're both from uptown, me from the Boogie Down Bronx.

Ron from Washington Heights. And we were like, we got to represent our people, our cultura. And we're like, all right, uptown. And then what? You're my king. I'm your queen. Wepa. Let's do it. Up sound royalty. We're coming on 10 years soon. We're coming on a decade. Yeah.

Led Black (03:34)
That's dope. That's dope. I love that. Yeah, that's that's a that's amazing.

Hey Ron, I know you for a minute, you know what I mean? So it's like, you know, I I mean, you know, you've been doing the art for a minute, you know what I'm saying? And I heard the Uptown Royalty, I heard that Ain't Nobody, the Shaka Khan version, the the Sasa version. Incredible. Incredible. Like Jodie, your music is your voice is amazing.

Uptown Royalty (03:43)
Yes

Thank you, Thank you, thank you.

Thank you.

Led Black (03:58)
But the voice

is whoo, but then the way y'all make it like salsa, right? Like it was just so fucking dope. And and I think that like now more than ever, like that live that you guys are really like live killers. You kill it live. And then taking those songs that mean something to us and then throwing our own twist into it's super special. So so tell me like that. I get that, like it has to be hard though to to date and make music. Or or is it? Or is it just seamless?

Uptown Royalty (04:25)
You know, I don't want to be cheesy and be like, live in a fairy tale. But like, this lady was made for me. The universe brought us together at the right moment and the right time. And we just make it work. It's not easy. You know, we're not made to think the same. We're made to think together. So we work things out.

Led Black (04:30)
Yeah.

Mm.

Octavio Blanco (04:47)
that's so

good.

Uptown Royalty (04:49)
And we just make it work and we have this ultimate goal of bringing this music and our artistry to the world. And also we work really good with each other's ⁓ We learned what our strengths and weaknesses were as artists. And so he has so many amazing things. He arranged Ain't Nobody. He's a composer. He's on his own, his own amazing artist.

And I learned so much from him and then me being like a vocalist, songwriter, like he learned so much from me. So we pour into each other. So I think that when you do that, it's really fun to see kind of like how each other grows and evolves as an artist. So.

Led Black (05:28)
That's so dope. I like that. And if I may ask one more question, Octavio, like, you know, one thing about it's funny because, you know, I'm not really like a good dancer. I would never forget like I'm a good dancer. Not a good dancer. But Salsa means so much to me. You know, I mean, my my brother, you know, my older brother was a music head. He played all the fadia from the 70s. And it's funny because Salsa has gone through so many phases, right? Where, and just when you think Salsa's dead,

Uptown Royalty (05:30)
Yeah.

Led Black (05:53)
It never dies, you know what I'm saying? Like, and something else comes up, and I think you guys are part of that, like keeping it alive with some not other stuff. But you know, so so that's where my love, you know, again, like I think Ruben Blaze is probably one the greatest writers of any music ever, ever. And at one time Salsa was this it was like this cutting edge critique, you know, and I still love the music, but I wanna know why you guys, each each of you, why why salsa, why you love salsa?

Uptown Royalty (06:19)
You go first. Man, you know, I've been doing this for almost 30 years since I was 14. I've been playing at ⁓ iconic places that are still around, like ⁓ G &G's, Gonzales & Gonzales, Copacabana, Rest In Peace, LQ's, and all these other fabulous places that...

you know, allowed me to play the trombone with these incredible bands and these incredible ⁓ unsung heroes, musicians in our, in this world of salsa. But don't forget, he started out in District 6 when he was just a little boy. Yeah. So we, in District 6, Washington Heights, you know, had a music program that was just phenomenal. It was incredible. And it had a whole bunch of kids from the neighborhood.

and we took it and we ran with it and so many of those kids are destroying the music industry like just just taken over and absolutely yeah I can go down the list of all my peers that are just doing incredible incredible things. ⁓ One of them is in our band Charlie. Yeah Charlie I mean we we've toured the world together I mean you know it was Salsa was something that and then from there going back to dancing you know when

Led Black (07:14)
Really?

that is that is so cool.

Uptown Royalty (07:36)
At that age, at 14, and you just enter this movie scene of just everyone at the Copa, right? Just you can't even imagine. Like everyone's dressed up, incredible dancers. You're on stage. You're just watching it all. So I'm here absorbing this information of dancers doing their thing and just watching from a bird's eye view basically for a couple of years. And then I joined Piel Canela Dance Company. Joe Burgos taught me my basic.

And then from there, I ran with it and we danced salsa for real for real And then when it comes to me, ⁓ my dad, may he rest in peace, ⁓ he was always playing salsa in the house and he was always telling me, come mija, because I'm Puerto Rican, it's in our cultura, we grew up just listening to it and having it around us and he'd be like, come dance on my feet. And so as a little girl, I always sang and.

I just, you know, it was like the soundtrack to my childhood, my dad. ⁓ And then also having the background in R &B, that's where the fusions come in because I started singing, you know, I was raised listening to real singers. I'm a 90s kid, I was born 1990. So I got the last bit of like the best singers like Whitney and Mariah, you know, and La India. Like I got to really, I got to grow up with the vocalists. I got to like really, I had a cassette player. I still have.

Led Black (08:52)
Mm-hmm. Like India for real.

Uptown Royalty (09:02)
My cassettes, I showed him. I still have them to this day. And so I'm that last generation that I feel like really got to experience vocalists in that way. And so then Ron, with his ability to arrange and me with the ability to sing like that, we just joined together and we want to keep the cultura alive in the younger generations hearing salsa music in all different types of ways, you know?

Octavio Blanco (09:29)
Yeah, I I wanna say the stereotype of salsa, I think, that I that I had as a as a younger person was that it was older music. You know, you hear about Fania you hear about and even you know before. but like Led said, it does seem like every time you think Salsa is is dead or gone.

Something else is happening. And one of the cool things that I'm seeing right now is just like salsa is being embraced by the younger generation, not just listening to it for la cultura, which is part of it, but it's just like people are just like loving the music. So w tell me a little bit about that and how how that you know, how do you guys how do you guys fall into that that realm of

Performing it and then also seeing that there's a real fan base out there that that appreciates it and loves the music for the music.

Uptown Royalty (10:31)
Yeah, I mean, I've toured this music around the world playing salsa and it was, you know, life changing. And I saw how borders don't mean anything. You know, it's these rhythms which derive from ⁓ Cuba, the Afro-Cuban, which derives from Africa.

They've been around for thousands of years. They've been making people dance for thousands of years. They're not going nowhere. They've been perfected. There's a reason why they're still here. And everything else that's Foo Foo that makes it to the top, that's a commercial success, they don't last. And that's it. And that's really the reason why this music will forever be here. That's it. And it's rea- It's true.

Octavio Blanco (10:53)
Mm-hmm.

Led Black (11:10)
That's dope. That's really dope.

Uptown Royalty (11:13)
It's beautiful to see the younger generations. Like, ⁓ you know, we've had a salsa band for quite a while now and seeing now younger and younger people and even people who don't speak Spanish, you know, because Ron and I also under Uptown Royalty, we have a band that does corporate events, know, weddings, different types of parties. And there are people who are straight American, don't speak Spanish. They know all the lyrics. They want now salsa in their weddings. And it's just like, it's like, wow. It's like...

It's really beautiful and it makes us feel like, yes, like, come on, like real music, you know? Yeah, I agree. Yeah, it's sad to.

Led Black (11:51)
Yeah, you know,

it and to the point, like I said, I have a friend, his name is Brandon Espinoza, he has the salsa project. He's a kid, like he's like in his twenties, you know what mean? And he didn't grow up in this, you know, but he loves the music so much that he basically created like a an organization that does like salsa events mostly in New York, but across the country, you know what I mean? It just shows you the love, the never endingness and and Ron, you know so funny, because I've always you know, you always read and you know that it comes from Cuban son but you took it back.

You know, you took it back to Africa and and the rhythms, which is is really true. Like and I never thought about it, but right, that's that's technology that's been been been being used forever, man. you tell you tell me a little bit more about that, Ron? I like that that whole thread.

Uptown Royalty (12:33)
man, you know, these rhythms, you can hear their influences in everything, you, Mack go, go into everything, but like, cha cha, you know, you hear so many songs that are just built on that rhythm. And if you just ⁓ follow the rhythm, you know, you, you feel, you'll, you'll see the history of things that, that have been adapted, things that have been whitewashed, things that have been used.

Led Black (12:52)
Right.

Uptown Royalty (13:03)
in their various ways. ⁓ know, salsa is one of those things that people, that just, it just makes you want to dance. You know, there's no, it's, the root of it is making you feel something that just, what did say?

Octavio Blanco (13:14)
Yeah, yeah.

Led Black (13:24)
Yeah.

Octavio Blanco (13:26)
It's like primal. It's like primal. It's like something that it's like primal, something in the Yeah. You know, ⁓ you know, we're we're we're just we're just starting the interview here, so but while we have people watching, I wanna ask you like what's coming up for you guys? You know, what what do guys have in the works? What's let's let's talk a little bit about about that and then we can get a little bit deeper into your stories.

Uptown Royalty (13:28)
Yes. That's what it is. Primal. That's the word. Exactly. Exactly.

Led Black (13:34)
Fascinating.

Uptown Royalty (13:56)
You know, we're basically creating two separate genres. One that we have a couple songs out called Electro Latin Soul Music. We can't really describe it as anything else. I don't know how to. It's electronic, Latin, and soul. And then on another side with live music instrumentation, we had this ⁓ salsa orchestra that ⁓

We're about to come out with whole volume two, a whole bunch of new tunes, some R &B classics, re-imagined with her incredible voice doing its thing. And that's on the musical music coming out. Performance wise, we're at Ridge Hill Mall with our 13 piece Salsa Orchestra. Saturday.

Octavio Blanco (14:50)
That's every

Friday. Is that every Friday?

Uptown Royalty (14:53)
You know, I don't know if that's every Friday, but we'll be there four times this season. with our Salta Orchestra and then twice with our mix band that does like all genres, all different Motown funk. So R &B. And also we're coming out with an original R &B song called Butterfly Dream. So here's the thing. We don't want to be put in a box. Like we feel that

Octavio Blanco (14:55)
okay, okay.

Uptown Royalty (15:16)
We love salsa, we love R &B, we love pop, we love soul, we love freestyle. I'm very heavily influenced by freestyle. My cousin is David Torres from Nice and Wild. So I grew up listening to Lisa Lisa, Lizanne Melendez, Torres, just everybody in that world too. So I'm always gonna throw down a little something in that realm too because being Boricua and growing up with that as an influence. So we want to be able to really do all genres.

and all fusions

Led Black (15:51)
Yeah, I

think that's super dope and super powerful too. There's a group that I've been going crazy about since the beginning of the year called Rahuayana. I don't know if you heard of Rahuayana. They're like a Venezuelan band. And ⁓ and that's so dope because like they've been out for a minute, but they it's that fusion. Like so on that album they have, you know, it's definitely a le you know, they have like songs that are very like ⁓ like kind of like electronic dance music, but then they'll have a bachata, they'll have a a slice santos, they'll have a medengue, you what I'm saying? And they did it's just like really dope. And I and I think

Uptown Royalty (15:59)
Mmm.

Led Black (16:21)
You know, that that is something that that resonates with people. You know, I I I think so much of music now has just become such packaged nonsense. It's just like, ⁓ it's just like formulaic, you know, just there's no there's nothing. It just feels fake almost. It feels like it's AI when even when it's not sometimes, you know what I mean? So I think that's really dope what y'all doing. And again, I hate to I hate to bring it back, but that ain't nobody that y'all there was so crazy. You know, you mentioned La India and your voice doesn't sound like La India, but your the strength for your voice.

Uptown Royalty (16:44)
Mm-hmm.

Led Black (16:51)
feels like like like there's a there's a power in your voice that I just can't wait to see what y'all do with it. So so that that next project, when is it dropping?

Uptown Royalty (16:54)
Thank you.

This summer. This summer for sure. This summer. Yeah. Soon. We'll give an exact date soon. Yeah. But we're doing our final touches, you know? Because it's only us two doing it, by the way. she's singing her face off. When the babies go to sleep, that's when we record. You know, we're trying our best. You know, I'm doing the mixing and mastering as well, and engineering and the composition and everything. And everyone can follow us at Uptown Royalty.

Led Black (17:02)
Gotcha, gotcha.

Octavio Blanco (17:03)
⁓

Led Black (17:07)
So where can people follow you at?

Gotcha, ⁓

That's dope. That's dope.

Octavio Blanco (17:17)
⁓

Uptown Royalty (17:27)
NYC on Instagram. Yeah, so it takes some time, but I promise you that it's going to be worth the wait.

Led Black (17:29)
Don't

Octavio Blanco (17:34)
Yeah, yeah.

Led Black (17:34)
Are you documenting

the process? Are you documenting this process? I think you should. I think this is really interesting. Yeah, like like come on man, I'm thinking marketing right now. You should be recording this. What are we doing? What are we doing? This is historic. It but but but that's still dope. No, but that's still dope. That's still dope though.

Uptown Royalty (17:39)
We really, we I mean, we got some, we, we're, it's not glamorous. It's literally, wearing our pajamas. ⁓

Octavio Blanco (17:43)
Led Led.

Let

Big ⁓

Ha ha.

Uptown Royalty (17:55)
We're like, wait, is the baby crying? Ah, the baby's crying. Let's take a break. Like literally, that's how it is. You know, but that's...

Octavio Blanco (17:58)
Yo led, why are you putting

more pressure on them? They got enough going on.

Led Black (18:03)
No, no, but no, but what

Uptown Royalty (18:03)
No, we need to get it done. He's right though, he's We're almost done.

Led Black (18:07)
what I'm saying is that like I for me, that what you're doing is so unique, right? Right. So interesting, you know, or a couple, you're making this music, is you guys just doing it all. Seeing that as a as a person, I think that's invaluable. So even if you never put it out, you should be recording and capturing it because it is something special. You know, sometimes we don't we're that's pretty dope, right? What y'all doing, so

Uptown Royalty (18:28)
Yeah,

it's part of the story. Yeah, I like that. Okay

Led Black (18:30)
Yeah, it's

right, even if you never put it out, just record it, right? Like because it's it's it's it's not something you guys are are special what you're doing, so you know. If it p if it blows now you got mad concept for later, you know what I mean? So

Uptown Royalty (18:33)
Okay. It's

Thank you.

for

sure. That's so true. If it blows. Come on. That's right. ⁓ Like his horn, like that trombone.

Led Black (18:44)
When it blows, when it blows, when it blows, when it blows, when it blows, that's right. For real, for real.

Octavio Blanco (18:44)
When when when when

⁓ I don't want to get too geeky, but I'm gonna get a little bit geeky because All right, all right. So my the way I'm looking at this is I think in the past things were very much we we're talking about the diversity of the music. I mean there's like there's like electronic cumbia, you know what I'm saying? There's like there's like, you know, you hear all these bands from Mexico where they got the accordion, but it's like

Uptown Royalty (18:58)
No, I love geeky. I love geeky. Like, as geeky as you want.

Octavio Blanco (19:20)
dance music. It's like a dance track, but like we're not going to the only you know, like it's it's kinda it's wild what's going on. And I think you tell me if you if you agree that under a traditional music industry where you've got the

the music company, the ANR and all that stuff, they want to box you into what it is that you no, no, you're doing this music and that's it. That's all you're doing. But I feel like there's more independence now. The artists are becoming more independent in the way that they're creating music. They're more independent in the way that they're that they're distributing music through i internet, through Instagram, through some of th through streaming channels, which is a whole different question. But do you find that the that you f that you have more independence now?

And

is that something that you appreciate? Because I mean I guess in the other world, there was also a lot of like security and comfort because you were in the company and maybe you know you had a steady paycheck because of that. But so tell me a little bit about independence and freedom versus like being in the machine.

Uptown Royalty (20:23)
Yeah,

definitely. I think that's the big reason why we do everything by ourselves. ⁓ Because we want that independence and we want our sound to be authentic. When I was younger, I almost signed with people and it was very controlling and it was like they wanted me to be straight pop and they wanted to start and it wasn't me, like it didn't feel me. And so when Ron and I met and got together, it felt so good because I was like, okay, I could say what I wanna say. I could sing how I wanna sing and I don't have to be controlled. And Ron had similar experiences when he was young as well.

So I feel like that's why. Yeah, I mean, you know, right right now it is kind of like the Wild Wild West. Everything's super saturated and you have like this gold rush to make music because music is easy to make in a way because you have AI and you have all these different things. But.

Knowledge is limited. Your imagination is infinite. So if you have the tool to create, like how we've been sharpening this music making tool forever, ⁓ or seems like forever, you you're not really worried about AI or the business. And if I honestly think if you

just stay true to your art and who you are and what you do and keep sharpening your tool that people are going to recognize and and you know, past 10 years has been proven that so, you know, we we've been, you know, and we'll always be happy because you can always go, you know, no one's controlling us. And I always, always tell Ron, people that don't know what they're doing and what they're talking about and can't even do what you do.

a fraction of it, right? Like, so... And there's, everybody's a singer now, everyone's an artist. We all get to have a platform now that we have cell phones and internet and all this. But what I always tell Ron is, the truth is when you touch that stage, because things on the internet can look one way, but the truth is in the endless nights of us performing over and over and over, like a comedian getting on stage 20 times in a night, going to different clubs, like we've done that. We've put in the work, you know, like we've done the clubs, we've done everything. And I feel like...

Led Black (22:10)
Right.

Uptown Royalty (22:38)
you know that already, like you don't have to, you stay ready, you don't have to get ready, you stay ready. We're staying ready, like we're ready for all the opportunities coming, we're manifesting, we're working hard, we're putting out what feels authentic and real to us. But also, I always tell Ron, like no matter what, I'm always gonna be happy because my dream is like my little family with him, singing, us performing with our little girls for the rest of our lives.

Led Black (22:43)
Right, right, right.

Uptown Royalty (23:05)
That is my dream already made. So nothing Anything else that comes great. Amazing. Let's go. But honestly, like I'm just happy doing what I love because we're in it for the love of it. You know? Yeah. We, we, is life.

Octavio Blanco (23:19)
That's awesome.

Led Black (23:20)
That's really

dope.

Uptown Royalty (23:23)
Jada kisses first line is that this industry is made to put the artist in debt That's exactly what it is. You know, yeah, you might get a million dollars and just take but that's that's a loan You know you you got to pay that back so I I think in

Led Black (23:28)
Mm-hmm.

Shalom.

Uptown Royalty (23:40)
and ownership and own your product and build a foundation that no one can ever take from you and control it, especially when it comes to your art.

Octavio Blanco (23:53)
Yeah, Prince had a lot

Led Black (23:53)
Y you know not

No guy could I'm sorry.

Octavio Blanco (23:57)
Yeah, yeah, I was just gonna say Prince was really, really I don't know if you heard Prince talking about this. He was he was all about that. ⁓ so yeah, if you haven't heard Prince, look it up because he's a he was really masterful in his explanation and the way that he the way that he worked it, yeah.

Uptown Royalty (24:00)
There you go.

⁓ we're very familiar. Yeah. mean, Michael

Led Black (24:13)
Yeah.

Uptown Royalty (24:15)
Jackson, too. He owned like the Beatles catalog. He owned like the majority of Sony at one point. I mean, you talk about business business like and, you know, when you start playing like that. Yeah.

Led Black (24:20)
Yeah, he was

Yeah, and that

was back then. And that was back then when Michael owned all that. And you know, it's been the last few years where you people are selling publishing for big money. Like his catalog at one w one point must have been and anyway, Ron, so you know, I love what you're y'all was saying about how, you know, just putting in the work and just continue and and both of you were saying how, you know, every day, like it's cool you say you make music, but

But going on that stage, working through those things, you know, that's that's a difference there, you know. And recently, Ron, you were inducted to to the RAF pack. What what what is the Rath Pack? What

Uptown Royalty (25:01)
Yeah, haha.

Octavio Blanco (25:02)
⁓

Uptown Royalty (25:03)
Man, ⁓ I've been playing this really incredible trombone. yeah, it's right here. How about we do that? This is his first love. Okay, Boop. And then we blinged it out, you know. Right.

Octavio Blanco (25:15)
damn, look at that.

Led Black (25:18)
Ooh that's blingy right

Octavio Blanco (25:20)
Wow,

Led Black (25:20)
there, I like that.

Octavio Blanco (25:21)
yeah, check that's nice.

Uptown Royalty (25:22)
It has a Phoenix

on it. Yeah.

Led Black (25:24)
that's dope. Rising

from the ashes. I like that.

Uptown Royalty (25:27)
Yeah, but this is company out based out in England, know, that's so many great trombone players play it and I was fortunate to get one and now I'm sponsored and a sponsored wrath artist. You know, I'm part of their that yeah, super cool, man. It legitimate legitimizes, you know, all the hard work and to get recognized by such an incredible company. Like legit.

Led Black (25:43)
That's really dope.

Octavio Blanco (25:50)
Yeah.

Can I can

I can can I just say one of the things that I really, really love about the both of you is your love story and your relationship and your personal story. And I want to get into that a little bit because actually the the love story after you met, you also had like incredible like overlaps that kind of, you know, are like

what is going on. This is out of this world. So Twilight Zone, exactly. So let's get into that a little bit. about

Uptown Royalty (26:25)
Twilight Zone.

Octavio Blanco (26:33)
I guess what I first what I I wanna get here about your about your love story and all those overlaps because I think that's gonna get into your background too. So so how about you, Jody, why don't you s get us kick us off with with that with that love story?

Uptown Royalty (26:54)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, okay. When I, we're gonna take it back to when I was a little girl. So when I was a little girl, ⁓ I had an amazing art teacher named Ms. Schweizer. She was this Irish lady. you know, it was at Bronx Dance Academy in the Bronx. And she just kind of like noticed that, know, ⁓ basically that I was a child that maybe wasn't getting... ⁓

taken care of as much as I should have been. And I was always wanting her attention and I think she kind of noticed. And so she kind of like took me in. ⁓ And my math teacher was her husband, Mr. Nagual. And so I actually ended up living with them for junior high school. They took care of me. ⁓ My father had passed away, like I said previously, and my mother wasn't doing so well. So they actually, without having any responsibility for me, took me in.

I would literally get dropped off at the corner of school and walk into the school and pretend that I just saw them for the first time and say good morning. ⁓ They treated me like their own child, their own daughter, and literally would drive me around to sing all over New York City. I'd sing the Star Spangled Banner for the survivors of 9-11. I'd sing for the Boys and Girls Club of America for the Rosie O'Donnell Show. I was going everywhere and they would drive me around to do it. they saw a little girl that had a talent and they believed in me and they loved me and they treated me.

like their own. So it was really beautiful and special. I'm trying not to get emotional because I call them, I call them grandma and grandpa to this day. They're my angels on earth. They're in their eighties now and I love them with all my heart. So now fast forward 2017, I tell them grandma and grandpa, let's go out. I want you to meet my boyfriend. He's very serious. He's a serious boyfriend. I really like him. And they were like, okay. So we went to Red Rooster in Harlem and Ron is sitting down and talking to them and telling

Octavio Blanco (28:21)
Ha ha ha

Led Black (28:21)
Beautiful.

Uptown Royalty (28:46)
his musical story and his journey. And now you want to say your part so we can connect. You know, I'm just I'm just a regular kid from Washington Heights and they put a trombone in my hand and the rest was history. But through District 6 and I went to public school, 187. That's my junior high school and elementary. Shout out. Yes, I guess. But ⁓ through District 6, they had a music program.

Octavio Blanco (28:53)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Uptown Royalty (29:15)
And the year that I went, ⁓ the lady who was in charge of getting this funding for the arts, which she fought many, many, many years for, and we finally got it. It was like Christmas. Everyone got new instruments. Everyone got brand new speakers and top of the line everything. And it felt like we were worth something. Like, you know, like we mattered, right? ⁓ And it happened to me.

Led Black (29:18)
⁓

⁓

⁓ nice.

Uptown Royalty (29:42)
Miss Chris Schweizer. was the lady who later changed the whole type. But Ron is six years older than me. Ron is six years older. So he actually met her before me. Yeah. OK. So five times his life first. Yeah. And then she touched my life later. So that lady. So then we got emotional. We're like, wait, what? And she's like, I remember. And she starts like saying all the kids she remembered and she would drive them around to all of their shows.

Led Black (29:44)
Wow.

To do, yeah.

Wow.

Amazing. Wow.

Uptown Royalty (30:11)
So she was driving around to his shows before she was driving me to mine. So, I mean.

Led Black (30:15)
That's amazing. Wow. That's meant

Octavio Blanco (30:17)
Isn't that

Led Black (30:17)
to be.

Octavio Blanco (30:18)
isn't that it's meant to be. It's like

Uptown Royalty (30:20)
There's

a couple of more other little things, but... universe kind of... We lived five minutes away from each other too when we had our first date. were driving home. I'm in the Bronx, he's in Yonkers, but literally five minutes over one little bridge. So that's another weird thing.

Octavio Blanco (30:23)
⁓ I wonder

I want the I want the I want the movie rights.

Uptown Royalty (30:39)
Oh, definitely.

Led Black (30:39)
Ha ha ha ha.

Uptown Royalty (30:41)
Definitely. It will definitely come. I think we're just two kids who literally went to school programs with music. We had an interest in music and we went for it. And in those times, we had teachers that nurtured us. We were so blessed in those times. Music in school is not many opportunities now. They took a lot of music out of the schools, which breaks my heart, especially that I was a music teacher. I did social emotional learning.

for singing, dancing, and acting with the leadership program for 10 years. And so I worked in all the schools in all the boroughs bringing music to the schools that didn't have it. We still do. We just had We just went to. performed for the kids. For a public school. And we do it all the time. love it. That's actually kind of our favorite thing to do. Honestly, the kids, yeah, especially kids with special education. music. Those are the like. Live music. don't even know. They're just bombarded this propaganda of something else that has a.

whole other agenda. They see Ronch trombone, they're like, it's like a sword. What is it? And it's just so cool. And so we we still in the schools too. But, you know, the schools raised us, you know, so we're a product of public schools in New York City. And, you know, we our parents weren't connected. We didn't have connections opportunity. No, like we literally were just us as kids looking for people to nurture what, you know, what we were passionate about.

Led Black (31:57)
Right.

Uptown Royalty (32:05)
Shout out to John Faddis and shout out to Wyclef Gordon, two incredible legendaries, some of the best horn players I ever lived at were my teachers growing up. Shout out to Mr. Finkel, PS33.

For the record.

Led Black (32:47)
So so then

my so my question is, so then you guys meet that first night, you know, and and really vibe. Did you guys say, hey, we need to make music together? Like w how did it go from that to like making music?

Uptown Royalty (33:01)
I mean, we just make music in general on our own. We figured out a way to just, you I didn't really have my voice together, but my strengths were production. Like, I can produce anything and everything, right? From scratch to thing. And ⁓ she's, you know, this phenomenal, seasoned, ridiculous singer. And we just, you know, one thing led to another. And we were like, why don't we just do a song together? you know, man, we could...

Led Black (33:05)
Mm-hmm.

Uptown Royalty (33:30)
We could do this. We could hire two musicians and play at this little... I'll get a speaker. We started with one little speaker in the back of a French restaurant with our keys player. three of us. And that's how we started in that little tiny spot. I was getting my repertoire together. She was already just slaying it, tearing down door after door, you know. But now Ron's evolved and Ron is like singing his face off all genres. We're you know, killing it. Yeah.

Led Black (33:55)
That's so dope. We got we we gotta perform uptown s again somewhere. We gotta make something happen uptown. I thought would be really dope.

Uptown Royalty (33:59)
Oh, oh, oh, real quick,

real quick. We are performing uptown at. Man, that place has changed so much, but it forever be La Marina to me. Yes. So Inwood Arts is having a thing in two Mondays from now. Whatever Monday that is, I don't even know. I don't even know what day it is. But but look out for that. Instagram, the flyer will be there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. On Instagram or a website, Uptown Royalty.

Led Black (34:04)
Okay.

the Hudson.

Mm-hmm.

That's a

Uptown Royalty (34:26)
That and my June 8th. I don't want to give whatever second Monday that is. We'll be uptown. Yeah, yeah, cool. Yes, I'll send it to you. So we're excited about that. Because we love playing for our people.

Octavio Blanco (34:31)
I'll put it up on the screen.

Uptown Royalty (34:38)
Can I do that thing? Like look for it over here. Yeah, right here. Look, look, look.

Led Black (34:39)
Yeah. Go, go. That's hilarious.

Octavio Blanco (34:41)
Yeah ⁓

Uptown Royalty (34:50)
So yeah,

so we're definitely trying to do more things uptown for sure for the community. We do different types of shows. We've done shows that are on super high scale for amazing venues. But we always say the Little Hood gigs, those are our favorite gigs because it's our people. And you get to see the joy of the communities you came from. so that's- And these are the people that need this music. Yeah. They need a moment to just escape.

Led Black (35:18)
That that's interesting though, like it I'm sorry, because let me just finish that that thought. Like, what's what's interesting is that you know, as a person that you know grew up listening to hip hop, I love hip hop, right? Like my whole life. But then you look back and you like, I feel like in certain ways, hip-hop was used against us. Right? You know, if you if you think about like, you know, early hip-hop was this really pro-black.

Octavio Blanco (35:19)
And it's

Yeah, go for it. Yeah, go for it.

Led Black (35:41)
Very conscious music, you the rock hims, the public enemies, you know, like even even the street dudes were still dropping something, and then it became gangster rap, right? And then and you liked it too, but in retrospect, you see, like, that was ⁓ that was done on purpose. That was done, you know, i to kinda degrade us, you know what I mean? That's my opinion. And I wanna see what your take is on like modern day music. Like I know as as artists, it must rankle a little bit.

Uptown Royalty (36:07)
⁓ I mean everybody's in this for a different reason. Man, you know, like if you come from nothing you you trying to win at any way possible on survival mode. I get it. That wasn't my journey. I was blessed to have incredible people. I changed it, right?

Octavio Blanco (36:33)
You're good, you're good, you're good. You're good. Stay

Uptown Royalty (36:33)
It's just real life. think when you're

in it, I think when you're in it for the right reasons, ⁓ and it's really like save both of our lives in different ways, ⁓ we get emotional because, you know. ⁓ We don't have time to even think about it. We're on go mode since birth, right? ⁓ But what I will say is, you

Led Black (36:52)
Right.

Uptown Royalty (36:58)
Sometimes I'm like dang like I missed the 90s But it's like that by design, you know, that's why I at the same people who won't on these record labels All these prisons all these places all these pipelines is you see you see where it's going You see where it's why it's like that. Yeah, but the more why we doing what we're you know, that's why we're you know You gotta figure out a break the matrix

Led Black (37:02)
Right.

By design, yep.

No.

Yeah, I love that. I love that. Yeah, you know

Uptown Royalty (37:26)
And we do that

very heavy with the young generations. love to bring kids on stage. We love to have the kids touch the congas, the imbales. We love kids to come and take the mic. like even with our daughters, like we're exposing them to all genres. We're exposing them to the truth, you know, because we want them to really have the realness in them. When we see things these days, the hype and all this stuff and it's like, OK, OK. But like some of the some of the poorest people I've ever met in my life, all they have is money. You know,

you have these people who they worship money and that's all they have. Yeah. And you get you go into these rooms into these places as a fly in the was a musician. You get invited to these people with money, right? Money, real money and connections and power, whatever. And you don't you you start to realize that they're not happy. They're desensitized to everything. They were born desensitized because a lot of them come from a golden

wah-wah, right? Like, they don't understand anything else, which I wish some people in the hood would realize that the specialness that we have coming from an inner-city social, lower social economic situation ⁓ and the power that we have as people, if we came together and not re- and realized that we have way more power together than- And more in common. Separate.

Led Black (38:27)
Yeah.

Uptown Royalty (38:54)
Yeah, the beef that you have with the guy across the street could have easily been your brother or your crewmate. Because if you lived in your building, it does, you know, there's, you know, growing up, you see a lot of violence and you see a lot of things that shouldn't have gone down or whatever, you know. And I grew up right on one of the first. So a lot of violence spilled on my block. And I would see it from my window because, you know, this street would have beef with this street. And then.

Led Black (38:56)
Whoa.

Uptown Royalty (39:22)
it would just spill out and you just, know, for whatever reason. But if you realize that we're stronger together, man, you know, we are stronger together. Yeah, separate.

Octavio Blanco (39:34)
And

one of the things that ⁓ Jody that you that you had brought up when we spoke in our pre-interview was it was just about the positivity as a choice, as a as a as like like not to diss anybody who's doing their thing and their they've got their message, but but it doesn't it can't all be that. Like we gotta give people the choice to like have like a positive message. And I think that's what you bring. So talk about how important that is.

Uptown Royalty (39:55)
Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

Well, being a mother, first of all, like, ⁓ and being had being a teacher for so long, I saw the change in the kids. I saw how they used to love doing musical theater. We would do in the Heights, you know, we would do West Side Story and they would get excited. And I saw as kids in school started not liking that and they just wanted like, you know, they wanted certain styles of music that I just feel like I wouldn't want my kid to be saying those lyrics and saying, you know, I know we're exposed to it. It's in the street. It's everywhere around you, but

You know, I just feel like I saw students and kids start to change and then wanting to protect my kids so much. ⁓ I just want to instill realness in them. I want to instill real music, real art, real instruments. I want them to appreciate and value those things. Like what happened to us. Like what happened to us, you know? Whitney was a big influence on me as a little girl. Lauryn Hill, know, singers that just hearing their voice, ⁓ it was so classy.

It was so beautiful the way they presented themselves. And really all they had to do was stand there and open their mouth. ⁓ It was something so beautiful that really impacted me. And I'm just trying to find ways that I could do that for our youth, for the next generations. I'm just trying to find ways to show them also that a mother, I have two kids, I'ma still keep going. Just because I'm a mom doesn't mean that my dreams are done. Just because I'm a mom doesn't mean that that's it. I just gotta be quiet and stay home and cook and clean. No.

I want to show also younger generations of women and young men, we could keep going. doesn't, know, like Cella Cruz was like, you know, she kept going. I want to keep going and I want to show them also, because also in the Latin world, I feel like you could grow older and people will still love and appreciate you. And I feel like in the American and the English world of music, you have to be young, 16 forever, you know? And it's like...

Led Black (41:41)
Mm-hmm.

Right.

Uptown Royalty (41:56)
⁓ Disposable Ness to capitalism we want to change that we want to show them like no like real musicians You know, we're not just bringing shows. We're bringing an experience, you know We're bringing something like we it's like a block party in the 90s when we perform. That's the vibe we give like it's the 90s You know, they're cooking they're cooking the hot dogs are cooking the you know, the burgers the music is blasting like, know, the pump is open like

Led Black (42:00)
Yeah.

Uptown Royalty (42:24)
That's the energy and the vibe that we want to give every time we perform that people feel like we're a good world, the hood together, like enjoying life when times felt a little just more simpler, you know, for that moment. Come in unity, community, come in unity. ⁓

Led Black (42:38)
Yeah, I wanna see I wanna see y'all perform now. Like y'a y'all sold me. I really definitely wanna see y'all perform.

You know, what I find really special about y'all though is that like you have separate musical journeys that were already kind of intertwined before you joined Forces. And then, you know, you joined forces and now taking that to different levels, which I love. But what's really interesting, you mentioned Lauren Hill, Jody, and

And you, Ron, have performed with Lauren Hill, right? So tell me about that night and also about both of you, I want both of you to tell me like where has this music brought you? Like some of the places like I can't believe music brought me here. Where were those places?

Uptown Royalty (43:17)
Well, music brought me to her. Right? That's first. Right? It's really up. Lauryn Hill. You know, the Queen Legend icon came out one out like maybe a couple albums, but that one album, right? That just shook the world and is still considered one of the greatest ever. Right. I when I got the call, shout out to Igmar Thomas, trumpet player.

Octavio Blanco (43:21)
Mm-hmm.

Led Black (43:21)
Mm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Uptown Royalty (43:47)
musical director for the horn section there. We did a couple shows. It was incredible. She's my top five favorite artists. And to hear those samples and those things in in-ears while playing for Barclay Center and everyone going nuts, it was pretty intense. Because as a kid, that's the soundtrack to your life.

Led Black (44:06)
Wow.

Mm-hmm.

Uptown Royalty (44:14)
You know and where else you toured the whole world Bobby? Yeah, tell them all the places you went that people were dancing salsa before the age of 25 I Was a reserve already on my like third or fourth passport That's how much traveling Before they like yeah, so You know we were we did it. We were on tour with so many different people And just touring the world everywhere. I mean everywhere everywhere. Where are the places names all over Europe?

Turkey, Istanbul, Budapest, know, went with Cool in the Gang to Colombia, Mexico. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, I was one of the guys that people would call as a trombone player. You know, I could read and I could sight read and they could put me in any situation and play in a section and I would do the thing. So, until our stuff got so busy.

Led Black (44:51)
Cool in the gang, wow.

Uptown Royalty (45:11)
that I was just like, know, we can't freelance anymore. We have to really focus on this company because we're doing it. We got like multiple bands. We're all they're all working. Yeah. I don't have time to prepare the music for the salsa thing because the next day we have a whole completely different set list. You know, so, yeah, it's just we just finished coming back from Mexico. We have so under Uptown Royalty, we do corporate events, weddings, things like that.

And so one of our bands just finished coming back from Mexico, from Cabo. And we were, yeah, and we brought two brands. We had a Ofima Mariachi band and then we had our band. And we did like four nights, like curated different music for this amazing event. So, you know, now Uptown Royalty is going worldwide. Now we're going worldwide. We've been to Portugal, like just, it's been amazing ⁓ to do what you love and to do it in beautiful places and gorgeous venues. ⁓

Led Black (45:43)
Nice.

Octavio Blanco (45:58)
Yeah.

Led Black (45:58)
That's

dope. That's dope. Love

Uptown Royalty (46:08)
And some of the most beautiful venues in New York City too, because home is where the heart is. Like for us, making it here. When we did Lincoln Center, like that stage, that for us. When we Brian Park with Talia, ⁓ Talia Castro. Talia is one of our amazing friends who has been in Ron's life. Big salsa promoter. Yep, Latin Mondays. She's a ⁓ wonderful person who has also got us on stage for Brian Park.

And it was like five over five thousand people. So we've had really good New York moments, too. And I think the Brooklyn Museum, mean, we've got a museum, you know, there's always the New York moments mean never ending tale of stories of just every day is something. Yeah. So.

Led Black (46:47)
You know, you know, I I'm blown

away by the f the way y'all doing it though, because y'all really doing it, right? Like, ⁓ it it it's what will you tell, you know, someone trying to get into the music business, trying to put out music? Like, what are your words of wisdom? Because y'all doing it without a label, just making it happen, working artists traveling the world. That's like the and you're happy too, right? This what you want to do. Like, what what what what would you tell, you know, a burgeoning artist?

Uptown Royalty (47:15)
It's just, it's not easy. You really have to do this. You really got to be about this life. Like, no, there's no half step and there's no, you know, you have to learn as much as possible. Learn everything. You know, like I knew I was going to be a composer. ⁓ So in high school, I wasn't really the best student, but I would steal the, the ⁓

the charts from the orchestra room, because I went to LaGuardia High School, right? We were in music program. So I would go into the orchestra room, steal or borrow for the weekend a Bach symphony or Beethoven symphony or whatever, and study it. You know, and really legitimately study it and see all this ⁓ counter, you know, just everything that has to do with classical music and classical theory and classical composition and all the rules that have in that world.

Led Black (47:53)
Mm-hmm.

Uptown Royalty (48:13)
⁓ You talk about that level of dedication that that's the reason why I can implement that into the salsa arrangements and really find a sound that if you took off her vocals, it sounds like a salsa tune because of the way it's written. But she has that New York soul and that sauce that only she can do. And that's what creates the sound. So for the people out here, like you're the comp. This is New York, first of all, right? Everyone is great.

You know what I mean? Like everyone comes here, they're already great. The level of thing, it's like nowhere else in the world. So if you're trying to make it here, stop playing games and get serious about your craft. You know, I also learned studio and stuff because I didn't want to wait for nobody. So I learned how to produce and record and mix and master my own.

just for myself. And then when she came along in my life, I was like, my God, here we go. You know, this next single that we're about to put out, Butterfly Dream, I came home and she sang it for me. I was like, my God. And she was like, I'm hearing strings on it. I'm like, I got you. Let's go. wait, wait till we put this out. That's going to be right before volume two of the salsa thing. And that's just a fabulous, incredible song. think what I would say to anybody who wants to get into this industry is

Led Black (49:23)
That's dope.

Uptown Royalty (49:34)
to explore all genres. Like don't stay stuck to one thing. Just try to play around, know, ⁓ explore. Go to open mics. That's how I started. I started going to open mics in the Bronx, in Harlem, Harlem nights, Sylvanas. Like I would go to these places where they already had bands curated. And I would just be like, can I sing? I would sign up. I would sing everywhere and anywhere. ⁓ Just go for it and know that ⁓ we're ever evolving. Don't be scared. Like nobody's perfect. And also, ⁓

You know, if you love it, try to write, try to listen to different artists, inspire yourself, and just, because you get infused by all the things you're exposed to. So just get out there, listen to everything, write as much as possible. You're not going to be amazing at first. You're going to continue to grow and evolve. ⁓ And just go for it. just- You'll find your voice. You'll find your voice through it. You'll find your sound through the journey.

But not everybody is a singer too. know, like there's, there's, you know, everybody's play is a big puzzle and everybody plays their own part. And you also have to understand what your capabilities are, what your strengths, what your weaknesses are. And really, if you really want to work on that weakness, you got to break it down. You got to compartmentalize like, okay, this is how I'm going to figure out how to get to the end result of what I want to sound like, write like, or perform. You know what I mean? You got to have a vision, a goal.

Octavio Blanco (50:30)
Jody

Led Black (50:31)
So

Uptown Royalty (50:58)
and a plan to execute it. I mean, I don't really know what else to

Octavio Blanco (51:01)
Yeah. This is such a this is such an No, this is such an education.

Led Black (51:05)
No, it's great.

Octavio Blanco (51:06)
It's such an education to hear

what you're saying and also your seriousness and your devotion and it it comes through both of you. ⁓ Jody, you're saying, you know, you want to be a ⁓ example for younger people, but I really think as a mom, you can be an example for other moms and other other people of our own generation and show them like it's not over. It's not over. You could you can always be reinventing yourself. You can always you can always become what you want to be. It's just just but finding how to do that is is the challenge. And speaking of

Uptown Royalty (51:23)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Octavio Blanco (51:38)
challenges Ron. I don't know if you really want to get into this, but I mean it's not you know I know you've had challenges in the past. You've had challenges in the more more recently that you've had to really overcome. And ⁓ and I want to know if you want to talk about it. Like how's that how's that like impacted your your world your your ticker your ticker your world how's your worldview changed? How's your view of your career, view of your family? How does that affect everything and your art too?

Uptown Royalty (51:54)
The tick, my ticker?

Yeah, you know-

Yeah, I mean, I've always had this seriousness about music and just about trying to, I guess, making it or whatever. And then having my kids was another kind of, it gave me a whole other gear of like, my God, I really got to get it now because I have kids. But I had a heart surgery, open heart surgery.

Octavio Blanco (52:10)
And then tell us what yeah, tell us what tell us what it

Uptown Royalty (52:37)
had two clog arteries that they found that was just crazy. I felt my energy just keep dipping and it just wasn't right. 38 years old. Yeah, so to make a long story short, you know, it was just a little hiccup. Just a little hiccup. We got through it. We got through it. But the sense of urgency now, because, you know, you really get to contemplate life and like what you're doing with your time.

Led Black (52:40)
No.

Octavio Blanco (52:54)
Yeah.

Uptown Royalty (53:06)
Yeah, the sense of urgency is something I've never felt because it's like I have no time for nonsense. It's just about family and getting this music and the song and our careers because these are the things, these are our legacies. These are the things that are going to live on forever. ⁓ Ow. They say one of the worst things that can happen is you leave this earth with art still in you.

Led Black (53:28)
Yeah.

Uptown Royalty (53:35)
you know, with music still in you, because you don't know who needs these songs. You don't know who, you know, or whatever, you know, there's just, I have too much in me to be playing games. But we back, you know, after a month, we did our first gig at the Copacabana. I was like, no, no, no, I was like, no, we got to do this gig. Doc, come on, I got a month. I got to be healed.

Led Black (53:35)
That's beautiful.

Octavio Blanco (53:48)
Mm.

Led Black (53:49)
Love that.

Octavio Blanco (53:55)
Sam.

Led Black (53:56)
The

cob ⁓

Uptown Royalty (54:04)
And he gave me the green light to work out. I was like, all right, that's the green light. You keep us off the stage. Because I performed all the way to nine months pregnant with my second. I did like in center pregnant. Slaying it. So you can't keep us off the stage. It's just what we love. And it's our drug. Yeah. It really is our

Led Black (54:05)
Wow.

Octavio Blanco (54:16)
I love that.

Led Black (54:17)
That's amazing. That's amazing.

Octavio Blanco (54:23)
And Jody, if

Jodi also, you have your you've had your challenges and I want you to talk about how that's sh how that's shaped your worldview and your art. You know, is it similar to Ron or was it something different that that kinda

Uptown Royalty (54:28)
Yeah.

Hmm.

Definitely.

think, well, I've been singing my whole life. The first time I got on stage, I was four years old. It was at a place called the Center in the Bronx for like under, know, families who didn't like have it like that. And they did like Christmas parties, holiday parties. My mom said I went on that stage, I grabbed the mic and I was like, whoa. I was just singing my heart out. I was like, okay. So I just have always been bubbly, outgoing like that. ⁓ When I was nine years old, my dad died. And that was like a really big.

Led Black (54:53)
Ha ha.

Uptown Royalty (55:05)
you know, impact on my life, because that was my best friend. And so that was really hard. And then when...

When I was in junior high school, my mom, she went through a lot of struggles in her life. She didn't have an easy life. She had her daughters, four girls. She started having kids when she was 16. She was a single mom and she had a real rough life. So I don't hold anything against her. I love my mom. But I was a kid that was kind of like in the street. Sorry.

Led Black (55:41)
There you go.

Octavio Blanco (55:41)
No,

it's you're good. With just take your time. Breathe.

Uptown Royalty (55:45)
Again, we don't really get to This is our first podcast, I would just sleep over at friends' houses. And that's how my teacher realized that I wasn't really being taken care of. Because every time after a rehearsal or show, she would drop me off at a different friend's house. So I didn't want my mom to get in trouble. So I asked everybody, please don't tell. So I just kind of was just kind of living. I would sing on the train.

Led Black (55:49)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no worries. Take your time.

Uptown Royalty (56:13)
I would get money like that. I would buy myself some pizza, me and my friends. would sing in the street. I was just always singing. It was literally survival. So ⁓ I got through that, thankfully. And then when I eighth grade, they found my aunt and my uncle in Florida. So I only did high school in Florida. And then I came back right away to my grandparents, who were my art teacher, my math teacher. And I got through it. wasn't easy. ⁓

I think music has always been there and it has been my strength and I feel so blessed that God gave me something to like put, know, because I could have been, you know, just like any other, you know, the situations that I grew up around, you know, I don't hold any judgment on anyone or anything or anything they chose for their lives, but I definitely could have had a very different life than I have now. And I think singing definitely saved me.

So, you know, I just kept singing. I just never stopped. was like, listen, I'm just going to keep singing. And I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm just going to sing. So anytime people are like, you sing, I'm like, yes, I sing. I'm going to sing. Where you want me to sing? So I just kept going and that's it.

Led Black (57:17)
Yep.

This is such a beautiful story. You know what I mean? It's inspiring. I cannot wait to see y'all perform. I cannot wait to see the music. And I foresee that your children is gonna make beautiful music at some point as well. Because like when you have two parents like y'all, I think I think they're gonna they're gonna be stars themselves, you know what I mean? so just j before we go, 'cause I know you got the studio, you gotta go up. So give us again, where can where's the URLs, the social media, give us all that stuff.

Uptown Royalty (57:40)
yeah.

Yes, at Uptown Royalty NYC. You can check us out. Google us UptownRoyalty.nyc is our website. We do all types of events, all parties, English, Spanish. We're there. We bring the energy. We bring the fuego. We bring the love. We bring the family. And that's what it's all about.

Led Black (58:05)
So dope.

Great another great episode, my brother. Thank you so much, everyone. Spread love is the uptown way. Thank you guys.

Octavio Blanco (58:07)
So incredible. I love you guys. Spread love is the uptime way.

Uptown Royalty (58:08)
Yes, thank you so much for us. appreciate you. Thank