Teedra Moses talks music, favorite Cognac, and Donald Trump
Photo credit: @teedramoses — Instagram
The Loft hosted DJ Tabone’s All Soul’d Out 10-year anniversary concert bringing out Atlanta’s new and old soul crowds. Featured guests included Alex Isley (daughter of the legendary Ernie Isley), BOSCO, and other surprise guests. The DJs, DJ HourglassT and DJ Boston Cherry, kept the crowd rocking with classic throwbacks and even paid homage to the late Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest.
Headlining the event was the talented and unfiltered Teedra Moses. Her performance was nothing short of amazing and her interaction with the crowd showed she genuinely appreciates her fans. She performed singles off of her newest album, Cognac and Conversation, and also took it back to her debut album, Complex Simplicity. The crowd was hopeful for an encore, which Moses graciously delivered.
We got the chance to sit down with Moses and ask her more about her music and even found out her favorite Netlfix series. Check it out below. –kira demund
What was the inspiration to get you back into music?
I was always there. I never left. It just wasn’t put out into any mainstream platform. Mixtapes came out every other year, you know. I always put out singles throughout the year and was featured on other people’s stuff. I never stopped, it’s just I didn’t have a label. So the motivation was: I never did stop.
You’ve collaborated with Rick Ross, Anthony Hamilton and Raphael Saadiq — which do you prefer, writing or recording?
Writing. Recording is like going to the corporate job. You know writing is just free and I’m normally smoking some type of marijuana, drinking on some cognac and just vibing out. But then when I go to sing, I can’t smoke because my voice has to sound a certain way and I can’t drink because I have to remember the damn words. So it’s just not fun. But you know, you try to make it fun in the music but the writing part to me is fun.
Your last album, Cognac and Conversation, what was the inspiration behind the title?
The vibe! I just wanted an album you can press play on If you’re sitting with your man or if you and your homegirls are chilling or if you’re cleaning your house. Cognac and Conversation is first of all grown — ain’t no little girl talking about no cognac and conversation. Second of all, it’s gangsta because ain’t too many women drinking cognac and I drink it straight. So it’s like a statement. Grown, gangsta, sexy woman but you know, still vulnerable, still in a position where you want love — stuff like that; but this is how I’m dealing with it. It was just a statement of a grown woman.
You seem so down-to-earth. On a typical Saturday night, what can you be found doing?
Netflixing.
What do you like to watch?
I like “House of Lies.” I like the documentaries that are on [Netflix]. I watch “Viceland,” too. I watch it over and over because they do a lot of [documentaries] about weed. No! Not because I like to smoke it. I think that it’s a plant that helps people and the government doesn’t want people to be helped by this plant because they haven’t figured out how to make a lot of money off it like they do pharmaceuticals. So, I just think it’s very interesting to watch it. So “Viceland,” Netflix, and Revolt.
So given the last title of your album, I have to ask, what is your favorite cognac?
Ummm … It varies. Depends on who’s buying. You know, if somebody is all willy and trying to ball out, then I’m like OK, well then give me that Louis, bro.” But then if somebody is just like, “Yo, I don’t really have it,” then I’m like, “OK, you can give me the Remy Martin.” But I think that my favorite is Hennessy because I drink it all the time.
All right, so, if Donald Trump becomes president, and you had to move to a country, which country would it be?
I’m not going no f—ing where. Donald Trump is going to see me! I live here in America and I’ve traveled a lot and I love other places. But would I choose to go live somewhere else? I’m going to go up to Donald Trump and his little minions. And if anybody else is smart, they wouldn’t [move] either. Because if [we’re] not going to let Obama do what he wants, we’re going to let Donald Trump do what he wants? [Obama] was met with opposition each time he tried to do his thing, So y’all are going to let Trump do [what he wants]? That’s some p—- s—, if you ask me. So I’m not going to be a p—- and go anywhere.
That’s a great point. I love your transparency and rawness. Any upcoming projects or singles?
We’re shooting a video for “Skin Diver” and also a video for a record from my Clairvoyant mixtape that I put out in December, “You’re so Different.”