The War and Treaty's Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter talk with Rolling Stone’s Delisa Shannon at the 2024 GRAMMYs.
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00:00 This is a huge night for you, it's a huge night for Black American, Black folk music.
00:07 Can you talk to me a bit about the importance of showing how we are represented in this genre?
00:14 Because to me, folk music is Black music, but I don't think people all the way get that.
00:19 So tell me about y'all's experience of making this music that is a healing balm for us.
00:25 I think representation matters in all things, and I think that when you talk about country music or roots music or folk music,
00:34 it's very important to remember where it came from and where it derived from.
00:37 And I feel that as African American people, we can't forget that too.
00:42 We can't expect other people to remember if we're not remembering our own culture.
00:46 So I think it's very important for us to keep that in the forefront of what we do,
00:50 that we just don't have one genre of music that we do, we do it all, and we have to support it all so that it can sustain itself and live on and be a part of our legacy.
00:59 I had a situation with my son one time.
01:02 He was complaining because his cousins kept kicking him out of his room in his house.
01:09 And when we sat down, I said, "Son, you do understand that not only is this your room, this is your house.
01:18 It's your house. Have fun, son. Stand up. Take authority. Take it back. And remind folks why you're here."
01:31 That's what we're doing. We are reminding people this is why we're here.
01:35 Man, in America, the soul does not move or beat without us.
01:42 That's a word, and I hope they heard it. I hope they heard it.
01:47 They better heard it. It's Sunday. Hallelujah.
01:51 I was watching your performance where you paid homage and honored Patti LaBelle.
01:56 And I was really happy for that to happen on a stage like the CMT because I don't think a lot of people would think of that about Patti LaBelle.
02:05 I think the first thing they would think is pop music.
02:10 It saddens me that it's taken so long for us to get to this moment where this is what we're showing.
02:16 I was really thankful for your rendition because you had the arms flying, you were giving the growls, you were giving everything.
02:22 Tell me about the process of that performance and how you felt in that moment.
02:27 I've been singing that song my whole life.
02:29 Back when Jet Magazine and Ebony Magazine was in paper form, I would tear out paper and plaster it all over my wall.
02:36 They call them vision boards now.
02:38 I had a whole wall of Patti LaBelle and I had an opportunity when I was 19 to actually sing with her to honor her on the Soul Train Music Awards.
02:46 So it was a joy to be able to come back and do this with my husband and honor her in the way that she is supposed to be honored.
02:52 Patti LaBelle transcends time. She's an icon and she can't be forgotten and we won't forget her.
02:58 She's the best cook in the world. Sweet potato pies and they're all that.
03:03 I've never had any of her pies.
03:05 She just really helps people get fatter and fatter and I love her for that.
03:09 We are very thankful for Patti LaBelle for a lot of reasons.
03:13 You talked a little bit about an experience with your son and I want to know how being parents changes or affects the way that you make music.
03:21 Is there ever a moment where you're witnessing them going through something and then you say, "We've got to write a song about that."
03:27 We've got to channel what they're going through or maybe they did something that we were surprised by and we decided to take that as inspiration and fuel.
03:34 Being a songwriter, it requires an extreme amount of patience.
03:40 Sometimes you've got to sit and wait for it. You've got to wait for it. It's not an automatic thing. You've got to be patient.
03:47 Our children teach us how to be patient because there are so many days I just want to wring their necks.
03:56 But I must be patient with them. I've got to be very patient.
04:01 You might want to move off this question. I'm having flashbacks right now.
04:06 I'm sorry kids. I didn't mean to re-trigger. I'm so sorry.
04:09 Oh Lord. Oh Lord help me.
04:12 I want to know about being songwriters. What's your favorite lyric of his and what's your favorite lyric of hers that maybe you've been surprised by in the studio.
04:22 Like, "Wow, you did that."
04:23 There's so many of them but he has this one line in the song that we were actually nominated for.
04:27 Your blank page waiting for someone to write on. Come on. That's so clever.
04:31 It's amazing.
04:33 My favorite lyric is Tanya. She is the lyric. She is absolutely the lyric that only I can write.
04:41 Bam! I'm going to drive the mic because I can't pay for this mic in the break.
04:46 So, mic drop.
04:48 Y'all got to get it together. If y'all ain't competing with that. Exactly.
04:55 I see. I feel it. I feel it. I feel it.
05:00 So, tonight like we said, Best New Artist. Talk about the breadth of this category.
05:06 It's been very exciting for me as a music listener to see so many different pockets be represented.
05:11 And I was really excited and honored and proud to see you all stand amongst that list.
05:17 So, talk about the breadth of the nominations for Best New Artist this year.
05:20 It should represent the fabric of America. You know, you have the boldness of Ice Spice.
05:26 You have the sultriness of Coco Jones. You have the complete fearlessness of Victoria Monet.
05:34 You have the roots of a Noah Khan. You have the hype and the dance experience of a Fred again and again and again and again.
05:42 You have the sincere, straight up honesty of the redemptive story of a Jelly Roll.
05:50 And then you have the main fabric, which is love, which is Tanya and I, the war and treaty.
05:57 And if we can just abide by all those things, I think we'll start getting on the right path as a country.
06:04 Damn, that's beautiful.
06:06 Oh, not to mention you have the grace of Gracie Abrams.
06:10 Grace of Gracie Abrams. She's so beautiful.
06:13 Wow. I feel hopeful. So thank you for that. And that's what your music does. So thank you.
06:18 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're so beautiful.
06:21 Oh my God. Thank you so much. You are. Wow. Thank you.
06:24 You are so beautiful. The black alfalfa is here to me.
06:31 Thank you. I'm honored.
06:33 Before we get you all out of here, is it possible if we're doing a segment where it's like we're at the Grammys?
06:38 Of course we're blank. Is it going to be OK if you all hold these mics?
06:43 Yes. You want to do that separately? Like she does one, I do one or together?
06:48 OK.
06:53 Hi, I'm Tanya from the war and treaty.
06:55 And I'm Michael from the war and treaty. And we're here at the Grammys.
06:58 And of course, we are stunning and hungry and excited and hungry and hungry.
07:05 Of course, we're hungry. My bad. Starving.
07:08 Starving.
07:11 (whooshing)