To put it bluntly, Ty &
Kory are exactly whats lacking in R&B music today. With radio
stations across the country bogged down with studio-engineered vocals
and slapped-together dance routines, good soul music has become all
too rare. Label execs everywhere try and try to manufacture success,
but youve either got the instincts or you dont. Luckily for lovers
of R&B everywhere, Ty & Kory have the instincts. Hailing from South Central,
LA and Queens, New York respectively, the duo of 23-year-olds are bringing
a much-needed change to the game with vocals reminiscent
of Stevie Wonder and Babyface poured over Hip-Hop beats. In 2005, the
first volume of their Raw & Bangin Mixtape
made the rounds and became an underground smash. Featuring tracks from
heavyweights J-Dilla and Madlib in addition to their own production
crew (Jack Sample Pros), the duo’s work earned them appearances on
the soundtracks to The Cookout and Biker Boyz. Due to the mixtapes success,
Ty & Kory linked up with Buddah Brown Entertainment, who has worked with top notch artists such as Timbaland and the Black Eyed
Peas. The two are poised to make a big splash with their first album Junior Radio – due in early ’08 – and another mixtape this fall.
Ty & Kory arent content to just make R&B; theyre changing
the face of the genre from rhythm and blues to Raw & Bangin.”AllHipHop.com Alternatives:
How did Ty & Kory meet up and start working together? Ty: We met each other in New
York a few years back through a mutual acquaintance, and then again randomly
in Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. We recorded two joints while
we were out in Utah that came out crazy, and we met up again and recorded
the Raw & Bangin Vol. 1 mixtape. AHHA: Who were some of
your influences coming up on different coasts? Ty: I really felt DJ Quik,
Dr. Dre and Babyfaces production. Getting older in high school, I
got into the RZA and that whole Wu-Tang vibe, then I found out about
Dilla, because I used to like that Janet Jackson song with Q-Tip Got
’til Its Gone. After that, I became a Dilla-head and now, Im getting
into other types of music. Kory: Michael Jackson, Sam
Cooke, R. Kelly, Stevie Wonder, Nas, all the QB artists from Cormega
to Mobb Deep. AHHA: Do you guys rhyme
also or just sing? Ty: Weve always been singing,
but we rhyme a bit too. Hip-Hop is what we live, so we have to rhyme.
I was a straight Hip-Hop head when I met Kory and he was too, but we
both sung and liked other music. We were like, Lets take these Hip-Hop
beats, sing over them and make a whole new genre of music, and thats
where we came up with Raw & Bangin.
AHHA: How did you first
meet up with Buddah Brown?
Ty: Venus Brown [Head of Buddah Brown] found us. We just got a phone call one day from Venus & Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, so we went over to their office and
it was official. They flew Kory out from New York, and we just decided
to roll with Buddah. They had heard about us through the Raw &
Bangin mixtape, which really got around the globe.
AHHA: How do you feel about
the current state of music, and who are you checking for now?
Ty: Basically f*ck R&B
and f*ck Hip-Hop; this is Raw & Bangin! Right now, Im feelin
the new Bone Thugs, Mos Def, Nas and that Amy Winehouse album is incredible.
Sa-Ras album, Hollywood Recordings; Im on two joints on
there (And If and Do Me Gurl).
AHHA: Being that its
summertime, give us your classic joint for the summer season.
Kory: Has to be Banned from
TV, that Noreaga record from his first album with Pun and Nature.
Thats the summer anthem.
Ty: You know me; Im rolling
with that Players from Slum Village.
AHHA: How do yall kick
it during the sunny days in Cali and NY?
Ty: You know sit outside,
holler at the girls, blow some trees, play a little ball.
AHHA: Do you think that
club music is taking over R&B and Hip-Hop?
Ty: Good music is what makes
the majority of people move. Whoever has the masses moving is whats
popping; you cant down them. If everyones feelin that sh*t,
then thats what good music is. The people who really love music,
people like us, they go out and look for it. Other people just hear
what they hear; theyre trained like clones.
AHHA: Tell us about the
new album, Junior Radio
Ty: Raw and Bangin is
the answer. Ty & Korys new sh*t is incredible. Weve got something
for the masses, but its still the same vibe with the vocals. Some
of the beats are a bit more poppy, but youre still going to hear
all the chopped up samples and Hip-Hop sh*t; just with the drums of
today. Weve done about 100 songs so far, and now were just trying
to get a hot 12. We want Junior Radio to be like Dr. Dres
2001 or Ushers Confessions, where every joint was crazy.
AHHA: Are there any artists
that you will be bringing up with you?
Ty: Our production team, the
Jack Sample Pros. Thats Chordz, B Mo Jack, Snowman, and myself, Fly
Ty. Thats what it is.
AHHA: Will
Junior Radio be similar to the style of the
Raw & Bangin Vol. 1 mixtape?
Ty: Were stepping it up
to a different level, but still keeping it gangsta. Weve got Snoop
on the record, some crazy production from the Jack Sample Pros and plenty
more coming. Theres going to be crazy club joints, real soulful live
joints and worldly music. Junior Radio is about
everything thats going on around the world. Its for the people
from the streets all over. Im from South Central, Korys from Queens;
its not just like were city boys, this is street sh*t. Were
recording everywhere from Los Angeles to London and Jamaica. We just
want to get a feel for the streets everywhere and whats happening
in every city.