Interview: Ginuwine - Singer and Songwriter - Page 7

Since you came out with your first release, the music industry has evolved tremendously. When you look at the current state of R&B, what are your thoughts?

The state of R&B right now I think it's on the come-up. It dropped for a long time. I think it's on the come-up. The R&B has to be delivered correctly in order for it to be received the way we, as artists, want it to be received. I feel like a lot of people haven't delivered it correctly. There are a few that have but the ones that haven't outweigh the ones that have easily. For me, I think R&B needs a pick-me-up and I'm a part of that. I love Ne-Yo. I love Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, Alicia Keys – all of them. But there's so much more garbage than good R&B that it weighs on people's thoughts and ways that they can listen and feel like that's good R&B when it's really not. If radio is playing crap like that, then it's hard to decipher the bull. I just feel like I'm a major piece of puzzle that's going to put back R&B.

What do you think you're bringing to the table that other male vocalists aren't?

I think as far as R&B, man, I've always brought all elements of R&B to R&B. I bring the swag to it. I bring the act into it. It's best described when you come to my show because when you leave my show, you know that you got your money's worth. I'm so tired of people just walking back and forth, everybody looking the same. I'm just so tired of that, man. That's why Andre 3000 was so refreshing, you know what I mean? Even though he's wild or whatever, he feels like refreshment because it's not the norm. That's what I think I bring. I'm bringing back again what I started. I'm not scared to dance. I'm not scared to do what people have stopped doing – they haven't really stopped doing it now – but I was a major piece in bringing that back because when I came in the game, nobody was dancing. Everybody was scared to dance. I'm a leader. I'm going to do what I want to do. Regardless of how you feel or what you say about me, I'm going to do it because I want to do it. I've always brought that to R&B and that's what I intend to bring that back to R&B again.

Article Author: Clayton Perry

Clayton Perry's mission parallels that of John Hope Franklin, Marcus Garvey and Carter G. Woodson. As the founder of the NUBIANO Project, Perry facilitates the design of projects that give voice to the Black diaspora, empower the Black community, …

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