When I came to LaFace it was right when Kenny and L.A. became official songwriters and producers. They started working together in that respect. I came in right in the middle of that flip. It's crazy but at the same time, when L.A. and I started working together, that's when Kenny started developing Jon B. It's funny. Each one of them had their new young protégés they're working on.
Well, it goes without saying that you're one of R&B's few living legends. What personal traits do you think allowed you to effectively navigate the ever-changing musical landscape?
I think the key to my longevity was simple: I just kept making records. I've had a couple of business deals that were not good and did not provide the proper funding and system/structure to get the record through to the mainstream audience. But when I figured out what that was, I kept making music. I still have fans out there. I may not be reaching the numbers like my first record, but it's still out there. I had what you call promotional success on my first record with an even blend of critical acclaim. When my next record came out, it wasn't a commercial success like my first record but it had the critical acclaim. Then my third record had some serious critical acclaim. So, the one thing that I had was my integrity about my music. It gave me longevity.
When I found the right business structure, the right label to really, really push and put serious effort behind putting a record, I always knew that I never made crap music. As long as I keep making quality products, the business structure will bring it all about. It happened with Stevie Wonder years ago. Songs In The Key Of Life – people thought that was a weird record, and now it's considered a classic. My job being an artist is to make great art that expresses who I am. Be true to that, not following trends, not pressured to do this because this is what's going on. I've always felt confident that when I listen to my records, I wouldn't expect to hear this on the radio. It is my job as an artist to make quality products.
In 2006, you collaborated on a gospel recording entitled A New Understanding of Peace, which was released by your aunt, Sheila Evans. The intention, as mentioned in the introduction, was to bring peace to listeners through the Word of God. What life events led you to work on the project?
It's a really interesting project. One of our older aunts was in the hospital and Aunt Sheila went to visit her in her last days. In the room, they had the TV on and it was set to a soap opera. After that, she said, "Wouldn't it be interesting if hospital patients had a feed that they can listen to that's peaceful and tranquil and allows them to relax at the same time? I can speak some good words to hear in your final hours." She asked me to do the score. I said, "Sure, you're my aunt. Yes, I'll do the score." So I did the score for her.
Article comments