Malcolm Jamal Warner is the Most Musical Cosby Kid

Welcome to another episode of Cue Points podcast, dropping the needle on black music history.

I am DJ Sir Daniel, and my.

Name is J Ray, sometimes known by my government as Johnny Ray Kornigan III.

What's happening, people?

Jerry, can you guess which Cosby kid has the strongest hip hop connection?

Well, because I host this show.

Yes, I know.

But even if I didn't host cue points, I love music, so I would know the answer to this question as well.

Our good brother, Mister Warner, Malcolm Jamal.

Warner, appeared on NBC's mega, mega Hits, the Cosby show, playing everyone's favorite fictional son and brother, Theo Huxtable.

For eight years, Jay Ray, he's been on our television sets.

He was Emmy nominated for the role, and he made a permanent impact on our lives.

J ray, what did his presence on television mean to you?

Yeah, so, wow.

So, Theo at the time, just was like a mirror for being a little black boy and seeing what the possibilities are.

Being able to watch him on tv definitely gave me some inspiration.

But I would say also, Theo as a character was really.

If he felt real, he felt like he could be my neighbor and felt like it could be someone I knew, like, it wasn't over the top or too much.

It was just like, nah, this could be a boy that lived next door and that we probably wouldn't hang out because he would have been older than me.

He probably would have thought I was a dork, but he would have been like, my friend.

Brother.

Right.

I echo everything you said.

And finding out that the actor Malcolm Jamal Warner was an only child and grew up with his single parent mother kind of endeared him to me even more, because that was me.

That was my life.

And so seeing him on television was just such an inspiration, and I literally saw myself on television.

Theo's room was messy, like mine every time.

When Theo started rocking the hot top fade, I had to get the hot top fade.

He was literally the blue point.

The blue point.

He was literally the blueprint for the young black boy growing up in America at that time.

And he was definitely one of our.

One of our heroes.

And so this episode, we're going to talk about three reasons why Malcolm Jamal Warner was the coolest Cosby kid and J.

Rayen.

Although Bill Cosby and the Cosby show had a wonderful connection to music, right.

They've had everybody on there from Placido Domingo to Stevie Wonder.

We can't forget that episode, right?

Stevie Wonder, my favorite Nancy Wilson, was on that show.

I remember her coming down the stairs in the basement.

Cause, you know, the man cave was in the basement at the Cosby show.

So to that point, though, Sir Daniel, for me, and this kind of parallels Malcolm Jamarro's later career in music, the Cosby show introduced us to jazz.

Right.

So as a young kid, I didn't.

I knew of jazz, but the connection to jazz was really different because the Cosby show would actually incorporate jazz regularly into the show.

Cliff and Claire would always drop that on the record player.

So it gave us the opportunity to not just hear the music, but also see some of those folks and be able to identify with them.

That's right.

And as much as Doctor Cosby, the person was vocally, vocally against a lot of the imagery that came along with hip hop culture and rap music.

Very much so.

He was not hiding his disdain for it and stand for young people culture at the time.

We cannot dismiss the fact that on season four, episode five of the Cosby Show, Theo and his best friend cockroach, famously played by Carl Anthony Payne II, learn about Julius Caesar and Shakespeare by putting it all together in the freshest rhyme that was ever spit on primetime television.

Do you remember, friends, Romans.

Shout out to beatboxing, sir Daniel, y'all don't beatbox enough, and I'm tired of it.

I need y'all beatboxing more.

Beatbox is taking a backseat, like how breakdancing has.

We need to talk about that.

But that's another conversation.

But, yes, go ahead.

That episode.

What did that episode do for you, growing up, seeing that on television?

Wow.

So that episode actually.

So hip hop was kind of omnipresent in a lot of ways, but only in certain.

Only on certain radio stations.

So back then, you couldn't get hip hop everywhere.

It still was not the cultural phenomenon that it became.

So for me, it was just fun seeing two teenagers rapping, you know what I'm saying?

Because it did feel like what would often be happening in school at the time, lunch tables and rhyming in lunch tables in school was a total thing.

I had not fallen in love with hip hop yet, personally.

Right.

But I had.

I knew a bunch of rap songs, and I still owned rap records at the times, but seeing it on national tv and it being fresh and cool and funny was dope.

And the other thing was, you know, our parents will always say, you know them song lyrics, you need to learn them time tables.

Yes.

This was like that in practice.

Absolutely.

Another reason why for, you know, why we can't.

We can't throw away the Cosby show for the.

For.

For the art for the lessons, the reflection of real american, black american life.

And we just can't throw it away.

And so in this episode, we're also talking about how Malcolm Jamal played a role in that and his connection to music and getting ready for this episode, though.

J Rayde, I was shocked to hear that you didn't know about this one very important stint that Malcolm Jamal had on television.

I did not remember this.

So Malcolm Jamal Warner did a stint as the host for his showtime at the Apollo.

And I've seen a clip of it.

And what's really funny about the clip, he's this very, you know, Bill Cosby and whatever, and jello pudding.

I don't know.

Right.

But it was very clear that Bill Cosby did some coaching about how to be on stage.

But aside from that, it's showtime at the Aballo holds a really special place in my heart.

I closely identify it with Sunday dinner because it came on Sundays and we could watch the show while we ate a Sunday dinner because we had a tv in the kitchen and.

But I did not remember Malcolm Jamara Warner had a stint hosting that show.

And it is major that, like a 1617 year old was hosting a nationally syndicated show from the Apollo.

Stage.

Like, that is a legendary stage.

So I didn't remember it, but I'm glad that it happened.

It's so funny that you said so.

Sundays is when you caught Showtime in the Apollo in Brooklyn in New York.

Showtime at the Apollo followed Saturday Night Live.

So for me, Showtime at the Apollo was part of my, like, late night television, you know, getaway.

Since all the adults and the, you know, were having their fun in the clubs and whatnot.

I was watching SNL and I was watching Showtime at the Apollo and just getting to see Malcolm Jamal Warner on that stage, commanding that stage and being the emcee for the whole show and seeing him introduce acts like another bad creation and mc brains and probably my favorite performance of all time.

He introduced salt and Pepper in 1987 right before, like, push it really hit.

But J ray, you haven't seen that episode?

No, I have not seen that episode.

We gotta watch it together or I don't remember it.

Let me say it that way.

But we have to watch it.

We have to watch it.

So listen, coupon's viewers, listen.

If you want to see J Ray's reaction to seeing salt and pepper, I believe they perform.

Chick on the side and they also perform.

They fought, they performed.

Push it.

When push it was like starting to get hot.

So we gotta watch that together.

Subscribe make sure you know that when we, when we're watching it, you're invited to watch it along with us.

Absolutely.

And drop it.

Let drop us an inbox.

Drop it in the comments if you want to watch it.

But we should definitely check that out.

That would be super fun.

But, yeah, I had no idea or I did not remember that Malcolm Jamal Warner did a stint as a host.

But when you brought it up and it was like a little clip of him, I'm like, oh, that's, wow.

That's a thing.

And that made him, and so he's like the coolest teenager in Black Hollywood at this point.

Like, he's on a major, major, a major television show, a sitcom on NBC, and he's coming into contact with all these up and coming stars as well, specifically in the music industry.

So, of course, it just makes sense that at some point they're going to invite him to the set of their music videos and he's gonna start making cameos.

Right.

Like he was in Houdini's funky beat.

Mm hmm.

At the beginning.

At the beginning, yup.

And J Ray, do you remember he was in Michael Jackson's liberian girl?

So.

No, I didn't remember that.

But every, we have to do something around Michael Jackson's liberian girl because you want to talk about a x.

Everybody, everybody was in that music video.

Michael Jackson was the dude at that point.

We should, we should probably do a live watch on that as well.

And count the cameos.

Yes, count the cameos.

See who we can name.

Like, you know what I mean?

Right.

Because I'm sure it's like, wow, I know that face.

I do not remember that name.

Absolutely.

So I guess the progression of a young person, especially if you're intelligent and you're soaking up everything around you, the progression of somebody growing up on television is that they start directing.

Yeah.

You know, if you're, if you have that talent and you see what's going on behind the cameras.

So guess what?

Malcolm Jamal Warner becomes, like, the youngest and the hottest music video director on the scene because he starts directing a few of your favorite music videos, including new editions.

Heartbreak.

Absolutely.

That was the first time I remember realizing that Malcolm Jamal Warner had kind of moved into that direction.

What's interesting about that period of time, I think we've talked about this before on the show, is later MTV and BET started to add directors names because music video directing became, like a whole thing.

Yes.

But back then, it was like you didn't really know who directed any music video.

It was just like a job for folks.

But Malcolm Jamal Warner, I remember watching the any heartland heartbreak video, which in itself was a moment, and then he appeared on camera.

So that's what told, like, that he was behind the scenes.

So he had, like, the thing.

He was like, back there, like, directing.

And I'm like, oh, snap, they all directed.

Now, who knew, you know, growing up and he's directing music videos.

And talk about cameos.

That video was chock full of cameos, too.

You had heavy D and the boys.

JJ fad was in the video.

The boys, and I mean, very la video menta.

All those kids.

Yeah, they were in that music video.

And one of my favorite music videos directed by Malcolm Jamal Warner, is, of course, Brooklyn's own special ed, I'm the Magnificent, where he makes a cameo in that video as well.

Yes.

So did you know that he also.

Malcolm directed the five star video.

Remember five star?

They had a video for their song I love you for sentimental reasons.

He directed that video.

Listen.

And so I went back.

I did not remember that, but I went back and I watched that video.

First of all, that song still holds up today.

It's a very 1994 video, it looks like.

So it's a combination of things happening.

So you got a little bit of a hip hop bass, slow wine happening.

There's a Janet Jackson style midriff thing happening with the women.

It's sepiade.

You know, you gotta have sepia songs.

Yes.

Beautiful song still.

And a lovely, lovely video.

I did not remember that song or that video.

And y'all should go and check it out.

But I love you for sentimental I love you for sentimental I love you for sentimental reasons.

That way, it's very hard to say.

Fast is a classic standard, in particular in black music.

So Nat King Cole has done that song and many, many other folks.

So, yeah, so, you know, while we're talking about Malcolm Jamal Warner and his foray into hip hop music and hip hop music videos, we got a.

There's a sidebar here that I don't know if a lot of people know, but J Ray, did you know that Malcolm Jamal Warner introduced Mc Light to the world of voiceover work?

Oh, that's a great fact.

I did not know that.

So, you know, in crossing paths, Mc Light and Malcolm were, you know, crossing paths, and she, and she was like, hey, you know, ask him, how do you get into the voiceover work or whatever?

And he passed on his agent's information to Mc Light, which is not something that happens a lot.

He was like, oh, here.

Here's her name and number.

Well, here's the.

Here's my agent's name and number.

And they got in contact, and Mc Light was able to book, like, three major commercials back to back from that beginning.

And now she's the voice of the BET awards, among other things.

So we have Malcolm Jamal Warner to thank for introducing l y t e mc lite to the world of voice over acting.

I love that fact so much.

It shows that there is room, you know what I'm saying?

Like, we don't have to gatekeep everything.

Like, you don't have to be the only one.

So the fact that Malcolm was, like, willing, first of all, he's probably like, I'm Malcolm Jamal Warner.

It's fine.

I'm a get work, and I want you to get work, too, sis.

You know what I mean?

I love that so much.

Thanks for sharing that fact.

I had no idea.

And so, of course, as we begin to wrap up this episode of Cue Points, you know, Malcolm is just like, the quintessential Renaissance man.

Actor, host, director, dancer.

Cause he dances in the videos also.

But Malcolm also had started a new career as a full fledged musician.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Malcolm Jamal Warner is Miles Long.

So Malcolm Jamal Warner is an accomplished bass player.

Miles Long is really interesting to that point.

It's a jazz funk band with some hip hop leanings.

He is a spoken word artist, Grammy winning.

Spoke, Grammy winning.

Now.

So, the last Miles Long album, which came out in 2022, was nominated for a Grammy, but he ended up winning a Grammy in, like, 2015 for his appearance on Robert Glasper's Black Radio Two.

And so he's an absolutely accomplished musician and spoken word artist.

And I think what's interesting is Malcolm Jamal Warner is helping to carry on the legacy of spoken word.

We don't get a lot of that.

We, of course, grew up with spoken word as part of our experience.

You know, we would have it on tv.

We would have it as part of the hip hop experience.

Remember all the black people snapping in love Jones?

You know what I'm saying?

You got a snap and all of that, right?

And it's a lot of this.

I mean, I wrote poetry.

I definitely performed.

Oh, God.

I think we all had a stint in the spoken word.

Oh, my God.

You walk up onto the mic and.

And we connected through spoken words, like J Ray and I are doing here on cue points.

You know what?

You just unlocked the memory.

I met Malcolm Jamal Warner.

Shout out to Joyce Littellenhe of V 103 fame here in Atlanta.

Georgia from WvE V 103, Joyce Littell has a long running and fantastic show called passion and poetry, which combines spoken word and music, all types of music, to inspire love within the black community.

And one of the.

One of the special guests one year was Malcolm Jamal Warner.

And I got to escort him to his dressing room and to the stage.

J Ray, how could I not remember that?

That is so wild.

I got to meet Malcolm Jamal Warner, and it was just one of those.

And I was trying.

I didn't fanboy, but I did mention I was like, hey, man, of course I grew up watching you, and you meant a lot to me growing up.

And I think I kept it cool, but I just had to drop that on him and just let him know.

Wow.

That just came to me just now.

J Ray, thank you for suggesting that we do this.

Yeah.

But you know what?

What I love about you telling that story is it was clear that Malcolm was cool, and it wasn't like a bad story.

Cause, you know, we always front of mind, remember the celebrities that we've met, they'd be like, I never wanna meet them again.

And clearly, that was not the case with Malcolm Jamal Warnerhead, because when people are, you know what I'm saying?

That would have been devastating.

Never meet your heroes.

But in that instance, it was a good encounter.

Wow.

Wow.

Shout out to Malcolm Jamal Warner for.

Shout out to Malcolm Jamal Warner.

Just being and giving little black boys hope that, you know, you could do whatever it is that you want to.

Do, including these two black boys doing cue Points podcasts right here, right now.

J Ray, let the people know how they can get in contact and keep seen two black boys do their joyful work in Cue Points podcast.

Yeah, y'all, thank you so much for tuning in.

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There it is.

This is Coupoints podcast.

And what do I always say, J Ray?

In this life, you can have a choice.

You can either pick up the needle or you correct.

In this life, you have a choice.

You can either pick up the needle or you can let the record play.

I'm DJ Sir Daniel.

Name is J Ray, y'all.

And this is Cue Points podcast.

Dropping the needle on black music history.

We'll see you on the next go round.

Peace.

Peace y'all.