Rosie Watson introduces herself by saying her son inherited "the gift of the gab" from her. And she comes correct; within moments, a stream of stories, pearls of wisdom, life lessons, and mottos flow freely, with a cadence and rhythm that's almost song-like. Born in Louisiana, raised in LA, she's the devoted mother of Frank's good friend Jonathan. Rosie refers to Frank (aka "Lonny") as her nephew, and is also called "Auntie" by the likes of Syd the Kid and Tyler the Creator.
"With Lonny," Rosie recalls, "he had that drive towards being successful. And certainly, they spent enough time in Sydney's studio to make a lot good music together, and they did. I was a lot more worried about Tyler. I remember chasing him around the house saying 'Tyler, I think you're crazy, I think there's something seriously wrong with you.' And I remember Lonny was there and said, 'Auntie Rosie, let me get this clip!' I said, 'You better not!'" She laughs. "I had curlers all in my hair. And he wanted to get this on film!"
With a big heart and warm personality, Rosie's quick to take others on as her own, and give Frank the same maternal care and advice that Jonathan reaps, as heard on "Not Just Money," an interlude on channel ORANGE. She also has a particular flair for voicemails: She makes another guest appearance on the new album, with a voicemail that warns of flesh-eating bacteria that's roaming rampant on college campuses.
Sat in an IHOP where the waitress knows how she takes her coffee (extra hot for the first cup), Rosie comes here often to study, currently in graduate school for Psychology and Therapy. Though she can chat for days, she's an equally good listener, and an acute observer, the result of 27 years working as a probation/parole officer in Los Angeles. Dressed superfly, with a sharp sense of style (due to her daily routine she calls "prep before you primp") Rosie brings us into her world and tells it how it is.
Interviewer: How did Frank and Jonathan meet?
Rosie: They met through Eddie and Raymond, they are also my nephews. And then Jonathan introduced Lonny to Sydney. That's how they came together, musically and creatively. They would meet at Sydney's house in high school, and they would compose music. And they just loved it; they just had a wonderful time. And I stayed on Lonny: "Lonny, get my son home by curfew!" I made him give me his cell phone number, and I would fuss at him. I kept him running for sure.
Interviewer: Your voicemails are stuff of legends. What do you love about leaving people messages?
Rosie: I think when you call someone, you should leave a voicemail for them. But with my son, I do leave voicemails for him, I'll often leave inspirational voicemails. Sometimes I leave nasty voicemails too! And I'll leave nasty voicemails for Lonny too, when the timing is right! I want them to always remember to just be themselves, they don't have to be the type of man described in a rap song. They don't have to be balling, they don't have to be ballers, they don't have to be shot callers. I leave voicemails for my son in particular because I want my son to remain optimistic. I want him to know that his mother has his back, no matter what. I want Lonny to also know that Auntie Rosie is here for him.
Interviewer: What's the last advice you gave to Frank?
Rosie: When I last saw him, he came by the house, and he was in this beautiful… Porsche I think it was? Sedan? It was gorgeous. And I said, 'Remember in life, you have to have both swagger and sway. With swagger alone, you're convincing yourself that you have something that you really may not have, and that others don't see in you. sway is knowing what to do with that swagger. Sway is influence. It's persuasion, and I shortened it to sway. You have to believe in yourself, but you also have to impart that confidence in such a way that you convince other people to believe in you, and take a chance on you. In life, you've got to have both swagger and sway. Remember that.' He laughed and said, 'Okay Auntie, I'll remember that.' And I said, 'By the way I am going to trademark that statement! It's a Rosie original.'
Interviewer: Are you into cars as well?
Rosie: I really do love cars. I drive a 2006 Chevy HHR, and I love that little care. That's the longest I've ever kept a car. Normally I would keep a car for only two years, because I love different cars. Although now I have a KIA Optima, which I'd bought for my son to drive when he was in college. KIA and Hyundai are sister companies, and I find they make very good vehicles. As a matter of fact, the car that Rodney King, black in 1992, outran the police in was a Hyundai. Imagine—this funny-looking black man, in this this funny sounding car, outruns the police. You know that made them angry! So even then in 92, the Hyundai was a very good car. It was very fast. I love cars. I have to wash and vacuum my car every week, because somehow I see the car as an extension of me. They seem to drive better when they're clean! There was a commercial—I believe it was for Cadillac—and it said "when you turn your car on it should do the same for you." I also owned a Cadillac, an Escalade, several years ago. And my motto was: "When you in a Cadillac, you know where you in a Cadillac, you know where you're at." They're wonderful cars.
Interviewer: What was your favorite ever car?
"With Lonny," Rosie recalls, "he had that drive towards being successful. And certainly, they spent enough time in Sydney's studio to make a lot good music together, and they did. I was a lot more worried about Tyler. I remember chasing him around the house saying 'Tyler, I think you're crazy, I think there's something seriously wrong with you.' And I remember Lonny was there and said, 'Auntie Rosie, let me get this clip!' I said, 'You better not!'" She laughs. "I had curlers all in my hair. And he wanted to get this on film!"
With a big heart and warm personality, Rosie's quick to take others on as her own, and give Frank the same maternal care and advice that Jonathan reaps, as heard on "Not Just Money," an interlude on channel ORANGE. She also has a particular flair for voicemails: She makes another guest appearance on the new album, with a voicemail that warns of flesh-eating bacteria that's roaming rampant on college campuses.
Sat in an IHOP where the waitress knows how she takes her coffee (extra hot for the first cup), Rosie comes here often to study, currently in graduate school for Psychology and Therapy. Though she can chat for days, she's an equally good listener, and an acute observer, the result of 27 years working as a probation/parole officer in Los Angeles. Dressed superfly, with a sharp sense of style (due to her daily routine she calls "prep before you primp") Rosie brings us into her world and tells it how it is.
Interviewer: How did Frank and Jonathan meet?
Rosie: They met through Eddie and Raymond, they are also my nephews. And then Jonathan introduced Lonny to Sydney. That's how they came together, musically and creatively. They would meet at Sydney's house in high school, and they would compose music. And they just loved it; they just had a wonderful time. And I stayed on Lonny: "Lonny, get my son home by curfew!" I made him give me his cell phone number, and I would fuss at him. I kept him running for sure.
Interviewer: Your voicemails are stuff of legends. What do you love about leaving people messages?
Rosie: I think when you call someone, you should leave a voicemail for them. But with my son, I do leave voicemails for him, I'll often leave inspirational voicemails. Sometimes I leave nasty voicemails too! And I'll leave nasty voicemails for Lonny too, when the timing is right! I want them to always remember to just be themselves, they don't have to be the type of man described in a rap song. They don't have to be balling, they don't have to be ballers, they don't have to be shot callers. I leave voicemails for my son in particular because I want my son to remain optimistic. I want him to know that his mother has his back, no matter what. I want Lonny to also know that Auntie Rosie is here for him.
Interviewer: What's the last advice you gave to Frank?
Rosie: When I last saw him, he came by the house, and he was in this beautiful… Porsche I think it was? Sedan? It was gorgeous. And I said, 'Remember in life, you have to have both swagger and sway. With swagger alone, you're convincing yourself that you have something that you really may not have, and that others don't see in you. sway is knowing what to do with that swagger. Sway is influence. It's persuasion, and I shortened it to sway. You have to believe in yourself, but you also have to impart that confidence in such a way that you convince other people to believe in you, and take a chance on you. In life, you've got to have both swagger and sway. Remember that.' He laughed and said, 'Okay Auntie, I'll remember that.' And I said, 'By the way I am going to trademark that statement! It's a Rosie original.'
Interviewer: Are you into cars as well?
Rosie: I really do love cars. I drive a 2006 Chevy HHR, and I love that little care. That's the longest I've ever kept a car. Normally I would keep a car for only two years, because I love different cars. Although now I have a KIA Optima, which I'd bought for my son to drive when he was in college. KIA and Hyundai are sister companies, and I find they make very good vehicles. As a matter of fact, the car that Rodney King, black in 1992, outran the police in was a Hyundai. Imagine—this funny-looking black man, in this this funny sounding car, outruns the police. You know that made them angry! So even then in 92, the Hyundai was a very good car. It was very fast. I love cars. I have to wash and vacuum my car every week, because somehow I see the car as an extension of me. They seem to drive better when they're clean! There was a commercial—I believe it was for Cadillac—and it said "when you turn your car on it should do the same for you." I also owned a Cadillac, an Escalade, several years ago. And my motto was: "When you in a Cadillac, you know where you in a Cadillac, you know where you're at." They're wonderful cars.
Interviewer: What was your favorite ever car?
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