It’s funny how two women who used to play against each other on the basketball court in high school now are credited with making some of the most soulful music together. As different as Floetry members Marsha Ambrosius (the Songstress) and Natalie Stewart (the Floacist) seem to be, the better their music gets. The two splashed upon the U.S. coast from Britain with a spoken word/soul combination that lead to their 2000 debut Floetic. They garnered critical acclaim with six Grammy nods, six Soul Train awards and a NAACP nomination for Outstanding New Artist. A heavy tour schedule that has included at least 160 shows per year since the release of Floetic gave birth to a live album in 2003, Floacism, and fans have been eagerly awaiting new music from the duo. Anyone who reads the duo’s album liner notes would know that they have not been spending all of their time on the road. An accomplished songwriting and production team, Floetry has penned songs for Jill Scott, Bilal, Glenn Lewis, as well as the chorus on the Styles P hit, “I’m Black”. Michael Jackson’s “Butterflies” was a Floetry creation, and you can hear Marsha in the background of both Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River” and The Game’s “Start From Scratch”. It has been a busy time between albums for Floetry, but they are back with a new single, “SupaStar”, which features Common. Armed with more confidence and a deeper understanding of their femininity, the Floacist and the Songstress spoke with AllHipHop.com Alternatives about their upcoming album Flo’Ology, and the process of becoming better with time. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: I just saw you two at the Sugar Water Festival Tour. I wanted you to perform longer though. Natalie: I know, so did we. It was a festival, and it was a lot of people to be on that one bill. All of us could have done that entire show by ourselves, material wise. It was great to get on that. Unless you make your festival start at two o’clock in the afternoon there’s no way to give people a long amount of time. It’s difficult to please audiences though. It was a great show all together for the timeline we had to work within. AHHA: How was it touring Sugar Water Festival Tour with Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, and Jill Scott, and the Kool Philosophy Tour with the Roots? Natalie: We stay on the road; we do like 10 months every year. Marsha: The Roots tour for me was fantastic, with the live band. It was amazing just to be on the road with them. It was a very diverse crowd of people there to appreciate the music. The Sugar Water tour, even with the time that we had, was a great learning experience to be around so many powerful women on the stage at one time. I thought it was great. AHHA: Let’s talk a little bit about the new single, “SupaStar”. How did the song come about, and how did you hook up with Common? Natalie: Adding Common was the very last part. Our label though it would be good to do a collaboration, and Common is someone we definitely admire. We chose to ask Common to add a piece of the male perspective. In terms of putting the song together, as always Marsha and I hear a beat and there’s something to talk about… the subject matter, the music speaks, the moment speaks. If there’s nothing to say at that time then we don’t do it. If it’s a song for someone else obviously it’s different, but this song was for us. We worked with producer Scott Storch on it. We went into his lab and went through his index of beats, some of his beats were crazy. We went through a whole bunch of stuff until we found two pieces that spoke to us. [The song] is about enjoying the energy and the divine femininity of the mother. It’s speaking about the recognition of potential. Everybody wants to be at the finishing line right now. Nobody wants to put in the time and the effort. People don’t like to commune and come together and support, whether it be masculinity or femininity. And we just had that piece in us at that point. AHHA: Since one of you is a singer and one of you is a poet/emcee, how do you combine those two different elements and write a song? Natalie: The funny thing is, we’re both singers and we’re both poets and we’re both emcees. We just kinda do whatever comes to us with the record. Don’t sleep – Marsha can spit a couple of bars real quick, and I’m a bit of a Reggae crooner, deep down inside. Creating with Marsha is one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. I can’t remember doing a song and being like, ‘Don’t say that,’ or ‘Say something else.’ Marsha: As far as the collaborations go, we kind of stay in our lanes and play our positions to the point where no one is stepping on each other’s toes. If there ever came a situation where Natalie thought she had to sing and I thought I had to emcee that’s what would happen. It wouldn’t be an issue. It would just be how the song dictated itself. AHHA: So are we going to hear you emceeing on the new album? Marsha: To me I already do, just the patterns and the melodies… Natalie: It’s a melodic version of an emcee. Marsha: “Mr. Messed Up” was emceeing pretty much. Nat’s voice and the Reggae tone she added to that was so melodic to me, it makes my job easier to write because I can already hear the tones in what she writes, and vice versa. AHHA: With so many people doing spoken word poetry, how do you keep that element fresh in the music that you make? Natalie: The art of being a poet is a God-given gift. Like […]

Dubbed “The Natural” for his well-rounded talents and abilities, superstar basketball pro Jalen Rose has made an undeniable impact on the game. From his early days with the Fab 5 at Michigan to his stints with the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls, Jalen continues to dominate the court with his Toronto Raptors team. We ran into Jalen at the Las Vegas MAGIC Convention in August, where he spoke to us at the Mad Soul booth about his passion for all things Hip-Hop. Now, the 6’8” trend setter shares his thoughts with AllHipHop.com Alternatives about music, philanthropy, and his amazing career thus far in basketball. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: Let’s start with your early years and work our way up. How do you feel about the games at Michigan during your tenure being forfeited because of alleged NCAA violations? Jalen Rose: Being a fan of sports, in particular college sports and pro sports, I’ve seen a lot of scandals go on, and in that I’ve never seen that happen to any other team, whether what was alleged actually happened or not. To make that more personal, for the allegations to come about 10 years later after we had already gotten out of school, but yet nothing still to this day has technically been proven. I just think it was unwarranted. I think if you want to punish certain individuals who you think have wrong doings, that probably is more just than to try and punish the fans who rooted for the Fab 5, the coaching staff, the team, the University of Michigan, and the Fab 5 legacy. I just think it was unfair and I just think that a lot of people is waiting to pile on the Fab 5 because a lot of people [were] p##### off at us about our swagger and what we brought to the game anyway. AHHA: The Fab 5 took the look of a basketball team to the next level with the baggy shorts, black socks, bald heads etc. When all of this was going down, did you think you were making such a long lasting impact on the look and the feel of the game? Jalen: What a lot of people don’t know is, growing up a fan of the game I was a Syracuse Orangemen fan. Derrick Coleman went to Syracuse, he’s from my home town, that’s my big homie. UNLV Running Rebel player Anderson Hunt went to my high school Detroit Southwestern. I was individually plugged into those situations. I took visits to both of those schools before I signed with Michigan. I was already tied into what they had done. For us to take it to another level meant something to me to try to emulate what those guys had done for me personally. I did know at the time that we were laying down and establishing a legacy because it hadn’t been done. No team had the fortitude and the opportunity to have five brothers out there on national TV being what everybody considered in the early ‘90s, and still to this day, brash and cocky. We were being rebels with a cause – or without a cause, depending on who you ask. A lot of times when you’re a pioneer you gotta take the brunt to kick down the door and lay it down for everybody else. We allowed players to have their own personality, their own swagger, the attitude that, ‘No I don’t have to wait for success, I want success now’. That came with out look, our big shorts, our black shoes, our black socks that nobody had done. Whether you’re on a streetball court, whether you’re in a NBA arena, or whether you’re at a football game, when you look down and you see somebody with the black shoes and the black socks, that’s a direct influence. That’s something that means just as much as anything, because everybody wanna have an impact on the game. That’s why you train, that’s why you play, that’s why you love it. For us to have a impact that will never go away, that’s going to continue to grow stronger means that much more. AHHA: How was it for you handling the enormous hype of the Fab 5? Jalen: I loved it, I embraced it and I wanted more. I was excited about it, I felt like we deserved it and since it was all happening for the first time nobody could really prepare. It wasn’t anything scripted, everything we said and did was raw. It was live and uncut, it was just like Hip-Hop. That’s why I was sitting at the Final Four forum with a Naughty By Nature hoodie on that I got from them, or a EPMD hat that I got from them, because Hip-Hop was in me just like it was in the Fab 5. We listened to all of that. Our motto was “Gotta let your nuts hang” because we got that from Geto Boys, or NWA whoever was crankin’ at that time. I got lucky because right after our freshman year I got a chance to KMEL Summer Jam in San Francisco, back in the day it was legends out there. I named a couple of people I saw to Hammer, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Too Short, up in a freestyle session with 2Pac and Redman, Treach, Latifah, Digital Underground. For me going from being on that college stage, to being backstage with them and recognizing, ‘Damn they know who I am’ is really large. That was amazing to me being a kid from Detroit. I follow and love Hip-Hop just like basketball, so when I see somebody like Scarface or NWA or EPMD I’m admiring them, I ain’t giving a damn about basketball. It ain’t because I wanna rap – it’s because I’m a big time fan. AHHA: How do you feel about the old Fab 5 jerseys being worn by current players? Jalen: A lot of people that follow college basketball will know […]

AHHA: What’s the funniest thing that a heckler has ever said to you? Jalen: ‘Who’s your daddy?’ – because my daddy, for NBA fans, was the number-one pick in the 1967 draft, a guy named Jimmy Walker. Anybody that knows that also knows that I’ve never met him still to this day. Hopefully we’ll meet. I guess if I go knock on his door and I’m standing there when the doorbell rings I’ll meet him. I guess I’m willing to do that because I don’t have any hard feelings. It’s not like I’m unhappy with my life or I’m living under a freeway. He did give me this direct seed and talent, I give him credit for that. That’s probably one of the craziest things fans say when they try to get personal. AHHA: What do you think of And 1 basketball players? Jalen: I think they work hard. Basketball is just like rap, everybody has their element. It’s kinda like I don’t buy Will Smith CDs, but I go see his movies – but when I talk about great rappers he’ll never come up. Them brothers got a talent at not only playing streetball, but it’s hard doing them damn tricks. For anybody that plays ball, you think that because you’re Clyde Frazier you can be on the Harlem Globetrotters, that ain’t true. [And] just because you on the Harlem Globetrotters, that don’t mean you could be Clyde Frazier. They put it down, I support them and watch it on TV. I actually play with a streetball legend in Rafer Alston. My favorite streetball player right now is probably Hot Sauce. AHHA: Does the NBA allow you guys to discuss the failure of the WNBA? Jalen: You could say anything you wanna say, at least I can. I’m a basketball fan so I root for the WNBA. I don’t know if [it’s] because of marketing or if the masses haven’t gravitated totally to professional women’s sports. AHHA: Do you think that there’s anything they could do as far as changing the schedule that would be beneficial? Jalen: I think it would be more beneficial to the WNBA if they find a way to tie in literally to the NBA and not keep it so totally separate. I ain’t sayin’ they should be a JV team, and then we come out there and play, but I think they should try to tie it in a little more. AHHA: You do a lot of charity work. What’s been the best part of participating in the Raptors All-Star Reading Team, and then your efforts with your Jalen Rose Foundation? Jalen: The best part of charity to me is it’s genuine. A lot of people come up to me and they say they wish more people did what I do charity-wise, or they tell me how much they appreciate what I do. I tell them charity comes from the heart. Just because you got a big contract, you had a good game last night and you got a famous face, don’t make you charitable. Charity to me is always to lend a helping hand. I’d like to use the term, ‘Everybody needs somebody to put ‘em in the game’. Wherever you work you needed somebody to hire you. Whenever you play you need the coach to put you in the game, you need a teammate to pass you the ball. It all ties in together, so the best part for me is to do what I’m supposed to do which is to lend a helping hand. I’m a God fearing man – that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m just blessed, so I try to do what I can to bless others, because I know what it’s like not to have. Me not having doesn’t make me charitable either. For example, the disaster with Hurricane Katrina… let me give you an analogy. You could help more than just giving money. You could give clothes, time and energy – you could help carry the supplies to the people in need. It’s always ways to help. AHHA: You DJ in pretty much every city you play for. What’s your favorite city to spin in? Jalen: Toronto is my favorite city to spin in, ‘cause really when you a DJ it’s all about the club. It ain’t really all about where it’s at or who’s saying what or who’s there. It’s about the atmosphere, the day, the sound, the lights. It’s all on the crowd, but the first thing that comes to my mind when I say music is New York. Straight up, that’s the only place I’m getting off the airplane and I’m jumping in a towncar:‘Yo, put on the radio. Lemme see what [Funkmaster] Flex and Wendy [Williams] talking bout’. That’s the only place that’s like that. I must give it up, New York is the mecca for me when it comes to that music. AHHA: Are you a record collector? Do you crate dig? Jalen: I’m a big time record collector. The great thing about my record collection is that technology rules now. As much as I’m old school, I still kinda warm up to the scratching on the CDs and the big computer monitor where you can type in and get the songs. I’m warming up to that, but it ain’t nothin like that wax. AHHA: What would you say is your favorite record that you’ve found or discovered? Jalen: They got big breakbeat type records, it depends on the crowd. We can go anywhere from Debarge to “Rapper’s Delight”, from Run DMC to Jadakiss. The music don’t stop. The great thing I love about actually being from Detroit is we had Motown, which is a soul feeling in music – but I grew up in the Hip-Hop generation. Just as much as I know about Young Jeezy, I know about Jill Scott. Just as much as I know about Cassidy, I know about Alicia Keys and can appreciate it. AHHA: Have […]

Every part of the music industry is a hustle—from starting a group to managing an artist, to being put on as a hair stylist. And what about poppin’, twisting and “one-two” steppin’ to the hottest southern anthems coming out of the South? Devyne Stephens knows the all-around hustle better than most. His road to success was initially filled with huge obstacles, but as he began to learn the business, he carved and shaped his talents according to what artists needed. Devyne is responsible for the choreography in videos for various artists including Usher, Ciara, Mary J. Blige, Sean “Diddy” Combs, TLC and countless others. Devyne grew up like most artists, with music in his blood. His first career aspiration was to become a singer/songwriter, but when that route didn’t prove to be rewarding, he opted for his own brand of storytelling. With every step comes a story – the depiction or illustration of lyrics being put into motion like an Alvin Ailey ensemble. It’s a thread that together builds emotion, takes viewers on a journey and at the end forces us say, “Damn, I wish I could do that”. AllHipHop.com Alternatives sits down with one of the most sought-after choreographers of our time to discuss the universal language of dance, the various aspects of his career, and his position as CEO of the Upfront Entertainment record label, home to R&B sensation Akon. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: You [recorded] a song called “Uh-Huh”. I believe the song was done in 2000. Are you still singing, or are you just purely focusing on choreographing? Devyne: Well, it’s hard to completely stay away from the thing you love must. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love to dance, but singing is what I started to do from the get-go. AHHA: In actuality you’re more than a triple threat, since you choreograph, sing, write, develop artists and mange a record label. How do you fit all that into a daily schedule? Devyne: It’s nice having people work for you. [Laughing] No, but seriously, it took a lot of time to get to where I am. I mean each step I took was a baby one. As soon as I felt like I had one area under control, I branched out into another. Aside from all that, everything just kind of came together. I know it sounds like a cliché but it’s true. I was truly gung-ho about singing but when that didn’t really pan out the way I wanted, I was lucky enough to have people notice my other gifts and what I could do on the dance floor. AHHA: How and when did this whole dancing thing start for you? Devyne: It started when I was growing up in a housing project called Red Oak. I remember being dead broke at the time. The buzz back then was about a group called Outkast. Here in Atlanta word spreads fast. I was trying to get this singing thing off the ground, so I began to meet people, very important individuals who later were responsible for many of today’s superstars. I met Teddy Riley, Rodney Jerkins and LA Reid. My group and I, Devyne featuring 90 Miles Per Hour, really hit the studio hard, but we weren’t getting the exposure we needed. We had a deal and lost it. Also at the time I would go to clubs and become the center of attention as I use to be a “circle-maker” – you know those people that create circles in the middle of the dance floor and just shake their a#### off until the place shuts down. Well, people knew that I could dance so LA [Reid] introduced me to Usher, and I worked with him on one of his first videos, “Call Me the Mack”. Plus, choreographing proved to be more lucrative so I was like, “Hey, this is nice!” I ran with it. AHHA: Whom did you work with after that gig with Usher? Devyne: It’s weird because things snowballed from there. I worked with Boys II Men, Pebbles, Toni Braxton and TLC. Back then the music scene was all about LaFace Records. AHHA: What do you pull from to come up with new and innovative dance moves? Devyne: I pull from many different sources past and present. When I’m on the road with artists, I usually go to that city’s most popular club as well as that city’s most rundown ones…the hole-in-the-walls. You’ll be surprised what you can see and learn in those places. I lean against the wall and observe what people are doing. Some stuff I already know or have been exposed to, and other moves are new and fresh. Sometimes I pick up on them and combine them with routines I already have in my repertoire. AHHA: You know what’s amazing to me, is how we call ourselves African-American but really don’t have a connection to the African part of that self-proclaimed identity, but when it comes to dancing we tap into our ancestral roots as if we’ve grown up in a tribe all of our lives. Do you see the connection between the ways we dance here in America and the way different tribes dance in Africa? What baffles me is that most of our youths haven’t traveled beyond the walls of South Central or the Bronx, but some how, some way they come up with dances that mimic those of our African peoples. Do you notice this? Devyne: This is one of the reasons why I like the movie Rize so much. It brilliantly made that correlation…and [dancers] weren’t even aware that we were, or are, in some way synchronizing our moves with that of our fellow Africans. AHHA: Do you think this happens subconsciously? I remember when some of the cast members of Rize were on 106 & Park, AJ and Free asked about the similarities, and they all said that they were in awe when they saw the footage. Devyne: It could just very well be […]

It was apparent from the 2003 release of his official debut album Subject that pure harmony pumped through the veins of Detroit’s own Dwele. Whether blessing cameos through singing or production, or engaging in his own recordings, he is proof that soul wasn’t left in the ‘70s. Born Andwele Gardner [Swahili for “God has brought me”], he independently recorded and released The Rize as a demo project in 1998. Since then, Dwele has instilled his charm on collaborations with fellow Detroit natives Slum Village, Philadelphia’s Bahamadia, and the now-defunct super group Lucy Pearl. Known for his lively, jazzy vocals, Dwele is ready to make his grand solo return in October with Some Kinda, an album that will spark the love movement – and quite possibly a baby boom! AllHipHop.com Alternatives recently spent some quality time with Dwele as he shared his thoughts on the Detroit scene, the movement of mainstream sounds, and the ways his own music has grown. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: You wear many hats as an artist. Which is your favorite? Dwele: My favorite right now? It would have to be songwriter. It might change tomorrow though. [laughs] AHHA: [laughs] Why? Dwele: Right now that’s really what I have time to do. That’s something I can do pretty much wherever I am. If I’m on the plane, in a hotel, at home, that’s really what I can do, so that’s where I’m focusing my attention right now. As opposed to production, I really like being a producer when I’m at home in Detroit. AHHA: You started out as an emcee. What made you make the transition [to R&B singer]? Dwele: Well that’s just where I was at the time when I made The Rize album. People were loving it, so I just kept doing it. Plus, everybody in Detroit in the scene I was in were known for their Hip-Hop. Slum Village, D12, Eminem and them cats weren’t really doing the vocals, so I decided to try something different. AHHA: So is it a permanent transition? Will you ever go back to emceeing? Dwele: Who says I stopped! AHHA: Ha! Ok. Dwele: Nah I still do it a little bit. I cut tracks and stuff for fun just to keep the tabs up. I don’t think Virgin’s gonna put any of my Hip-Hop stuff out, so it’s just something I do for fun. AHHA: You have a long history working with Slum Village. How did you first link up with them? Dwele: I met Slum Village at Café Mahogany. T3 and Baatin used to come in all the time, and one time they brought in Jay Dee and we all connected. At the time I was doing hip hop so we were kinda in the same vein with everything. That’s pretty much how we started working together. AHHA: Was it weird working with Slum Village again on the new album now that the lineup’s different? Dwele: Not really; Slum is fam. I’ve known T3 and Baatin and El[zhi] forever so whether it was T3 and Baatin, or El and T3 it’s all fam. So by one member or a couple members not being there, there’s still a connection…still a chemistry. AHHA: Let’s talk about the album. How do you think you’ve grown from Subject to Some Kinda? Dwele: I think it’s a little different in how on [Some Kinda] I’m actually playing a lot more horns than on the last album. That’s something that I really wanted to touch on but you know I felt like right now was a good time. I took this album more towards a Soul-Jazz feel. I try to line myself up on the fence, so that if I need to or wanted to do Hip-Hop I could lean in the direction; if I wanted to do Jazz I could lean in that direction. So this time around, Jazz was really where I was at – with the Soul-Jazz type feel. Next album might be a little more Hip-Hop oriented. AHHA: You have other producers on the album [besides you] like Jay Dilla, Mike City, and G-1. Mike City has a lot of production work with more pop-R&B artists. How were you able to creatively reach your sound from producers who have done work for Usher and R.Kelly… to stray away from that – for lack of a better word – pop/R&B sound? Dwele: That’s just actually something that [Mike City] came with. I think that was more or less of a marriage of sound – him taking what he does and me taking what I do – and kinda putting them together and seeing what we come up with. I think that is the beauty of collaborations as far as artists and producers. You never know what you’re gonna come up with, and the end result is always something a little bit different but similar. AHHA: Which song on the new album do you hold closest to you? Dwele: Oh, most definitely it’s “Some Kinda.” I got a chance to talk about my family struggle and my father with my mother and my brother. It’s just telling our story, and I’ve always wanted to do that. So I took the opportunity to do it on this album. AHHA: What’s your opinion of your R&B peers out today? Dwele: I think they’re good. I feel that the R&B world wears a lot of hats right now. You have your Soul-R&B and your more poppish-R&B. I think each genre kinda holds its own and each genre kinda has its place. Some is made more for radio, some is made more for the club, and some is made more for baby making. [laughs] I think each genre is really doing its thing. I’m not mad at them. AHHA: Where does Dwele fit? Dwele: I think I fit more in the baby making side of things. [laughs] But like I said, I like to ride the fence. I love the Soul-R&B. I love being soulful; that’s what […]

When you think of Brooklyn, New York, you think of the raw and gritty streets that reared emcees like the Notorious B.I.G, Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown and Jay-Z. Although she is from the streets, Deemi is not an emcee – and she’s definitely not your usual R&B diva. Born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, the 24-year-old songstress definitely has a story to tell. Deemi was drawn to the freedom of music as a child, and dominated talent competitions by the time she was seven-years-old. As a teenager, she was a part of the most prestigious high school choir in New York. Regardless of her early recognition, it hasn’t all been roses for the Brooklyn beauty. By the time she was 21, Deemi was already a single mother of two. Working hard to make ends meet, she had countless dead-end jobs, and was forced to get on welfare to survive. She struggled for years trying to raise a family and simultaneously pursue her dreams, until a chance meeting with producer Chris Styles solidified her musical aspirations. She signed to Family Ties/Dangerous LLC, helping secure her a deal with Atlantic Records and linking her with Midi Mafia to produce her debut album. Yet another bump came into Deemi’s path when her estranged baby’s father was tragically murdered, leaving a void in her life. After overcoming years of abuse at the hands of her ex, as well as the struggles that plague every hood in America, Deemi knew just what it was that would make her stand out in a glamorized industry. With the pain and the struggle she has endured, it’s no secret why the Hood’s Princess’ songs serve as not only a soundtrack for her life, but also to the streets. AllHipHop.com Alternatives connected with Deemi to talk about her journey, her mission and what we can expect from her debut. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: How exactly did you get started in music? Deemi: I started singing when I was young. My parents used to make stages out of plywood and we would sing on those. Once my mom saw that I was serious about singing she entered me in competitions, and from then on I went on to sing in choirs. AHHA: I know this question seems cliché, but how would you describe your style? You are classified as R&B, but your sound has more of a Hip-Hop feel to it. Deemi: It’s really hard when someone asks me to describe my style, because to me my music is not a style, it’s my life. When I write or listen to my music, I see things that I have been through, things that I am going through and it’s those things that keep me hungry. AHHA: Who are some of your influences? Deemi: Around the house my mom always used to play the greats like Aretha Franklin, the Chi-Lites and the Delphonics, definitely Whitney [Houston]. The first talent show I won, I was singing Whitney Houston’s song “The Greatest Love of All”, so she definitely was a big influence. But honestly I listen to everybody, from Lauren Hill to Mary [J. Blige] because they opened doors for me. I also look at everybody different now that I’m doing [my thing in music] because I know it’s hard. So just to be here and do what you do, says a lot. So I listen to and respect everyone. AHHA: Your life hasn’t been an easy journey, I know that you are a mother of two and you baby’s father was recently killed. Being a new artist, how did you cope with the pressure of your professional life, as well as the trauma that was going on in your personal? Deemi: Growing up where I am, you don’t want to be limited to what you see… and plus I look back to when I was 12 and 13 years old, telling my friends where I was going to be when I was 25. Seeing where I am at now, it’s totally different, because it’s bigger than I ever dreamed. The main thing that kept me going and kept me sane was my kids; I look at them and know that I can’t stay in the hood forever. I deserve better and my kids damn sure do, so it was that drive to get out the hood that kept me going, because no one deserves to stay at the bottom. AHHA: What can you say is your biggest goal to accomplish in the industry? Deemi: I want to make a lot of money so I can help other people get out of [the hood]; because I go to my kids’ school and I see the other kids and I feel bad. I mean the situation in the hood is real crazy, there are so many people are there with a feeling of hopelessness. It’s like they have settled with the fact that they can’t go anywhere, and it affects their kids to the point where they can’t see themselves going anywhere. So I just want to help as many people out of that as I can, I want to maintain so that others can see a better way of life. AHHA: What is the hardest thing for you about being an entertainer and a mom, because I know leaving [your kids] is hard? Deemi: Yes! Definitely. It’s one thing when they are small and can’t voice their opinion, but when they are six and seven they start with the, ‘I miss you’ and, ‘You’re always gone’ – it gets real tough. I am glad that they are getting older, because they can understand that I am a singer and see the benefits of me being away all the time. But no matter what, it’s still hard. AHHA: You’re first single, “Hoodz Princess”, was actually on Wendy Williams’ compilation album. How was it to be tapped by Wendy to do the compilation, and how was it working with Styles P? Deemi: When Wendy chose “Hoodz Princess” […]

Prior to her U.S. relocation, 17-year-old Rihanna was enjoying the mild comforts of island life in her native Barbados. Then, the green-eyed soulstress met a record producer, landed a deal on the spot after auditioning for Jay-Z, and created one of the hottest singles of the summer, “Pon de Replay”. Now she’s prepared to keep feeding the masses with her sexy blend of Reggae, Hip-Hop, and R&B on her new album, Music Of The Sun. Rihanna spoke with AllHipHop.com Alternatives recently about her regional and musical moves. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: How has the transition been so far for you, having moved to the States just this year? Rihanna: It’s been really good. I love it all ‘cause I used to just live a very normal, simple life in Barbados, going to school. And now I’m here pursuing a career and living a dream, so it’s changed for the better. AHHA: What’s the biggest thing you’ve had to adjust to so far? Rihanna: Living away from family and leaving all my friends. And the schools are different. AHHA: What does your family in Barbados think of all your success? Rihanna: They are so excited, so proud of me, and very supportive. My mom [and] all my family is from Guyana. Only up to my generation and down was born in Barbados, but everybody above me is Guyanese. I only moved here a week after I got my deal. So I was still living in Barbados after I met Jay-Z. AHHA: How did that work out, how’d the deal come about? Rihanna: A producer was vacationing in Barbados. His wife is from Barbados. So my friend who knew them wanted me to meet with them. I met with them. I sang for them, they were impressed, so they invited me to the studio to record. We recorded a demo and sent it to some labels. Def Jam happened to be the first label to call back, and they were the most enthusiastic for everything. So the meeting with Jay-Z—I had to call in and meet with him, and he was very impressed by the audition. AHHA: Yeah, I heard he was really excited to sign you. What did he say immediately after you auditioned? Rihanna: He started clapping and smiling. Then he was like, “Okay!” He said, “You know, we don’t sign songs here; we sign artists.” [Then] he said, “We’re interested.” AHHA: What was the first thing you did after you got signed? Rihanna: Not sleep for three days. [Laughs] AHHA: Why do you think a legend like Jay-Z would react like that? What do you think sets you apart from other R&B acts that auditioned for him before? Rihanna: I think it’s my whole musical style. I brought something different to the industry. There’s no other 17-year-old girl doing Reggae fused with Hip-Hop and R&B. So I think he saw that, and he saw that I’m a real artist, and that’s what made him want to sign me. AHHA: Do you see yourself in competition with any other young singers out right now? Rihanna: There’s nobody really in my league, but there’s competition everywhere. The whole industry is competition. There are people who like other artists, and there are people who like me, and there are people who like both. AHHA: I spoke to Teairra Mari a few weeks ago and she was saying how close you guys are. Do you think the industry needs more of that with young artists? Rihanna: We met each other at a showcase – we had to perform at together, and we just connected from then. We exchanged emails, we mail each other every now and then, give each other a call now and then, but she’s a sweetheart. As far as conflict and jealousy and being envious, that should be cut out, you know. It doesn’t make sense, not at all. AHHA: It seems like the summer is a great time to release a single like “Pon de Replay”. The song sounds kind of similar to the Nina Sky and Lumidee hits. Rihanna: Nina Sky and Lumidee are far from what I’m doing. They sing to Reggae riddims. I sing to beats that are actually produced and are fused with Hip-Hop and R&B. That’s not what they’re doing. Nina Sky, they’re Reggaeton artists. It’s totally different. AHHA: Right, but the hardest part about having such a great debut hit is following it up with something better. Is your next single gonna be along the same lines? Rihanna: Not the exact same feel, but this second single [“If It’s Lovin’ That You Want”] is a smash, and I’m projecting it from now. We just shot the video in L.A. Crazy video, baby! Beautiful. AHHA: On your album, you’ve got tracks featuring Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel, and Damian Marley’s song [“Welcome to Jamrock”] has been really hot. How do you feel about the impact of Reggae music right now? Rihanna: I love that song! And I feel so proud to see the Caribbean just getting put on the map, and people really accepting and respecting our music. AHHA: What about dancing, that seems to be a major part of your performance. Rihanna: I don’t need to incorporate it. I don’t need dancing to make a performance ‘cause I’m a vocalist. Dancing is a bonus to a performance. You shouldn’t have to depend on dancing. You should be able to stand up at a mic stand and perform a ballad and keep people wrapped up in your performance.

When Eric Roberson is recording, even his family has a hard time reaching him. The singer/songwriter has been spending weeks at a time burrowed in his New Jersey in-house studio, putting together what may be one of the most anticipated independent R&B albums of 2006. While some still scratch their heads when they hear his name, any music lover has surely heard one of his songs, if not through his own tenor, then through some of R&B’s hottest artists. Although he released the successful single “The Moon” in 1994 while he was still a student at Howard University, he chose to continue his studies before pursuing the music career. He graduated with a B.A. in Musical Theater, and went on to pen songs for the likes of 112, Case, Musiq, Carl Thomas, Jill Scott, Floetry, Will Downing, Dwele, and most recently Charlie Wilson, to name a few. It was not until 2001 when he released his debut album The Esoteric Movement that Eric was recognized as an equally talented singer. His follow-up projects, The Vault, Volumes 1 and 1.5, and his rigorous tour schedule introduced many to his potent lyrics infused with House, Hip-Hop and classic Soul. AllHipHop.com Alternatives got some rare time with Eric during one of his binge recording sessions to find out about the man behind the honest music. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: Some people are in the studio for weeks at a time, and other people can only steal away time for record. Do you have certain flow when you’re in the studio? Eric: There’s definitely a rhythm, but there’s so much outside of the studio I have to take care of. I appreciate my time in the studio – when I get in the zone, the world is like a blur. I reach a point when I’m no longer tired. Now, there are too many things that pull me away from the studio, but the last couple weeks I’ve been like a madman in that room. AHHA: Do you ever resent being an independent artist and having to take so much time out to do things outside of the studio? Eric: No, because the advantage of being an independent artist is that you really don’t have someone telling you what to do. When you’re with a major label, you have to conform to so many parties and nothing is guaranteed. With independent stuff, you have an idea, or a vision or an opportunity to carry out your own thing and be you’re own boss. The hard part is that kind of freedom takes a lot of work. It is very profitable, but it’s a lot to maintain. In the beginning, it’s hard to get people to commit, because it wasn’t financially rewarding. But if you order a CD from my website, I’m the one who wrote the address on the envelope and took it to the post office. I’m driving the van to pick the band up. The Hollywood part doesn’t exist. But you can make a living for the rest of your life off of this, but not the quick way. AHHA: Your fans are very personal with you through your message board on your website [www.ericrobersonmusic.com] and at your shows. Why it so important to you to establish a close relationship with you fans? Eric: I think the fans are beautiful. When people bring good energy, it helps me give good energy. It’s crazy because I am an artist because of them. I’ll do a record on the side or somebody will read the credits on a CD and ask, ‘Who’s that guy?’ When people share those kind of stories, it inspires me to be an artist. It’s also part of what I try to change about the music business. This business doesn’t care about music. I know the fans are starving for something different. I try to make it a family…after the shows I’m signing CDs, and when people share stories, I always appreciate it. AHHA: It seems like you’re always doing a show, how many do you do in a course of a year? Eric: I have no idea – I would say 9 to 10 shows a month. Some months are really heavy and some are quiet. That’s my radio, for me to do what I do, I have to stay on the road. AHHA: On your first album, you have a skit that talks about you having to choose between singing and songwriting. Is it still tough choosing between the two? Eric: I wasn’t happy with doing just songwriting. I still wrestle with it, because there’s an entire world familiar with me as an artist. But the people who’ve worked with me in the business so long had no idea I was a singer. I was introduced to so many people as a songwriter. When I first started out, I started writing songs for people. Now, I write because a song is on my heart, and if you like it, holla at me. I’m at the point now where I don’t shop my songs around. I have a song on Charlie Wilson’s new album, and I’m honored because he found out about me. Somehow, I’ve been blessed to maintain my career as a songwriter. AHHA: Are there any songs you wish you wouldn’t have sold? Eric: I wish certain songs would have been handled differently. For example, “Previous Cats” was one of the biggest disappointments because it wasn’t a single. I felt strong about that song because it’s such a conversation piece. The message is still important and the song means so much. I was very fortunate and blessed Musiq chose that song, but the label didn’t see it for what is was. When I perform it now, people still sing along and are moved by it. If that many people still react to the song like that to this day, I know it could’ve been a big hit. AHHA: Do you think people still want Soul music? If you look […]

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is a soft-spoken man. You have to press your ear into the receiver to hear his whisper, yet when he’s belting out his hits on stage he seems to be a completely different person. While being timid is part of his persona, being a smooth operator on stage is part of his alter ego—and we all know the ladies like to see a little of both. Babyface began his musical journey writing songs, playing gigs with the likes of Bootsy Collins while he was still a teenager, and eventually joined with the funk group Manchild. He went on to join R&B group The Deele, teaming him with Antonio “L.A.” Reid [now the President of Island Def Jam]. Together Babyface and L.A. wrote and produced hits for the group like “Two Occasions” and “Shoot Em Up Movies”. They also wrote great songs for other artists, including Pebbles {“Girlfriend] and the Whispers [“Rock Steady”]. As the popularity of The Deele began to quiet, Babyface signed a solo deal and released his debut album Lovers in 1987. With a growing reputation as a top notch production team, L.A. and Babyface founded LaFace Records in 1989. Over the years, Babyface had his hand in penning and producing hits for the likes of Bobby Brown, Sheen Easton, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, TLC, Toni Braxton, Usher, and Outkast – just to name a few. He was responsible for one of the longest-running number one songs in pop history – “End of the Road” performed by Boyz II Men. With a career spanning two decades, Babyface is a man of few words, but he still seems to have that whip appeal on his new album Grown & Sexy. Allhiphop.com Alternatives caught up with him recently to discuss music, the new album, and a bit of industry politics. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: A question that everyone seems to be wondering about is: Do you still have an investment in LaFace Records even though it’s pretty much defunct? Babyface: We sold LaFace to BMG in its totality. AHHA: So that means you don’t see any residuals for the projects you put out in the past like TLC, Usher, Toni Braxton … projects you produced or executive produced? Babyface: No, everything was sold. AHHA: I noticed L.A. Reid wasn’t at your recent listening event at the W Hotel in New York. There was news that after you were released from Arista, your relationship with L.A. had turned sour due to creative differences. How is your relationship with him now? Babyface: Well, L.A. wasn’t at the W because he was on vacation, but our friendship is cool. AHHA: I’ve been talking to a few people and we’ve been discussing how R&B music is somewhat disappointing primarily because there is a war going on, massive hunger and genocide, and all R&B artists seem to do is sing about love. How many different ways can one sing about love? I think the topic has been so overly exhausted. No even the artists you’d expect like Alicia Keys and Musiq are tackling these issues. Where is the Marvin Gaye of our time, or better yet, do you think artists should sing about these things as they undoubtedly have the public’s ear? Babyface: I don’t think people want another “We Are the World” song. I think Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” a hit because it had a catchy melody. AHHA: So you’re saying the message was irrelevant? Babyface: No, of course not. I’m just saying that the lyrics complimented the music really well. I mean, let’s face it, music is an escape and people just don’t want to be preached to. They don’t want to be schooled. They want to forget about the pain that life brings. AHHA: Well, love is painful, and how many times do we hear songs about break-ups and heartache? Babyface: This is true, but for some reason they don’t seem to carry the same weight. An artist that can really pull something like that off, singing about politics and really getting the people’s attention is D’Angelo. AHHA: Obviously, you’ve had a long career. What do you attribute your longevity to? Babyface: Luck and being blessed to have the opportunity to do songs with new artists like The Neptunes [“There She Goes”]. AHHA: What challenges do you face as an older R&B singer in a market filled with young blood … Do you feel like you have to go after a certain demographic now? Babyface: Fortunately, I have an audience that has grown with me. I sing to the baby boomers and adults who grew up with R&B of the ‘80s. The people that listen to me still remember Jodeci and Johnny Gill, people who listen to classic R&B. AHHA: Who would you like to collaborate with now whom you’ve never worked with before? Babyface: I’ve hit all my dream-come-true artists. I’d like to work with Sting, as well as do some acoustic Soul stuff, Country and some Jazz. AHHA: I know you’ve also been heavily into television production. What’s next for you on that end? Babyface: Well, we’re going into the third season of College Hill on BET. AHHA: So what’s the major difference between Babyface now, and say, the Babyface of five years ago? Babyface: I’m grown and sexier.

From http://www.cia.gov The definition of a refugee according to a United Nations Convention is “a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.” More: http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/refugee.htm Born in war-torn poverty stricken Sri Lanka, an island situated off the coast of India, Maya Arulpragasam moved to London when she was only ten. Her dad had had joined a militant guerrilla group in Sri Lanka, and her mother was seeking refugee status after most of her siblings and friends were killed in crossfire. In Britain they were safe, but the racism of the suburbs caught her off guard, and people began to call her ‘P###’ – a derogatory word for Pakistani. She quickly became an outcast – much like the rest of the poor minority folks in her area – but Maya was always in a world of her own. If she was going to be different, it was going to be on her own terms, and to her school mates she became even more peculiar. She soon became the ‘P###’ girl who listened to ‘Hip-Hop’. Changing the spelling of her name to MIA, the acronym for Missing In Action, as a tribute to her cousins in Sri Lanka who are actually ‘missing in action’, MIA’s path to music was an obvious one, although recognition for UK artists remains a slow process. Here in the States, MIA has become some what of a phenomenon, particularly on the East coast, and it’s rather difficult to point out why. Much like the labels of her early days, MIA’s music admittedly takes some time getting used to. Her sound is an eclectic funk mixed with Hip-Hop, Ragga, dancehall and Pop – her lingo a mish mash of political slogans, violent images from her past and jumbled nonsense that is sometimes even lost on her: “Semi 9 and snipered him / on that wall they posted him / they cornered him / and then just murdered him”. As Nas says ‘her sound is the future’. It is, however, undoubtedly good timing. In this climate of political uncertainty MIA represents an obvious public need for artists who are not scared to make music with opinions – and, more importantly, use their voice to serve a greater purpose. In this respect, the 28-year-old British sensation has been compared to early Hip-Hop acts like Public Enemy and NWA. At one time, their music was also an outlet for their opinions, groundbreaking in a world of Pop and Rock & Roll. MIA’s debut album Arular is currently out on Interscope, and it’s still uncertain whether the mainstream audience will embrace it. She kindly took some time out of her heavy tour schedule, which included the recent ‘Who’s Next?’ Hot 97 showcase in NYC, to talk to Allhiphop.com Alternatives about her music, her appearance on Missy’s The Cookbook album and saying no to Kanye West! AllHipHop.com Alternatives: Hip-Hop seems to be a big influence for you. Why did you drift so much towards it rather than the other genres? MIA: I don’t know. I think I’ve always been really beat driven. Tamil people are [beat driven], because culturally the dance that we have is like dancing to beats. You make create the rhythm with your feet, and I think that’s it. With a combination of feeling really hard too – by that point in my life I had already experienced stuff that made me really hard. I wasn’t a tough kid, but just the way I felt and how far my emotions had been pushed. I was an outsider because I was supposed to be ‘Pakistani’ to society. Then I became an outsider because I started listening to Hip-Hop. I was like, ‘Oh my God, if people are going to have prejudice with me because of music as opposed to my skin color, then that’s a piece of p### to deal with!’ AHHA: You said in an interview that terrorists are being dehumanized. If they are using terror and violence why should they deserve anything less? MIA: Well the thing is, I don’t condone violence or terrorism, but at the same time I really want to be a fair human being, and I want to listen to both sides of the story. Every time there is a war on terror there are civilians caught in the middle who are used as bait, and that is who I want to represent and talk about, because that’s the closest thing to my experience. Hip-Hop thrived on the thinking that if you start feeling like an outsider, then turn your back to the world and start your own sh*t. If you apply that to what’s going on politically, that’s quite dangerous. I think it’s more dangerous to let that happen then to actually confront it and talk about it. AHHA: You’ve been compared to Public Enemy and NWA, in terms of how you are using your music. Have you heard of those comparisons? MIA: No. People talk about P#### Enemy in relevance to me because it was one the first Hip-Hop groups I had ever heard. I’m not as organized as Public Enemy, but I’m doing it to open up people’s minds and to bring different opinions into the world. I just feel like why are we so desperate to gentrify the whole planet and make it all safe and sterile and sweep all the troubles under the carpet? I mean like what’s the point? If you got some issues, let’s talk about it and let’s work it out. AHHA: How did the Missy Elliott appearance come together? MIA: She just called me up. AHHA: What was that conversation like? MIA: It was mad! I couldn’t really say anything for about two minutes. I was like, ‘Missy? Is this […]

Damian Marley has been making beautiful music for awhile now, but lately that music has become a thunderous roar. With the release of his searing single, “Welcome to Jamrock”, Jr. Gong has rekindled the mainstream Reggae movement and stirred hearts with his vivid depictions of a ravaged Jamaica much different than the turquoise waters and posh hotels portrayed in vacation packages. Inheriting the torch of arguably the most eminent reggae artist of all time, Bob Marley, Damian’s musical voyage started at a young age and continued as he joined The Shepherds, comprised of several other reggae offspring. After the group’s exodus, Damian released Mr. Marley in 1996 and the Grammy-nominated Halfway Tree five years later. Here, he speaks with AllHipHop.com Alternatives about his hugely popular single and album of the same name, and gets more in-depth about political affairs in Jamaica and the U.S. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: Everybody knows this song “Welcome to Jamrock”. It’s been big in the clubs, radio, everywhere throughout the summer – but some people might be so addicted to the beat that they don’t hear the lyrics. It’s really about the poor conditions and the political environment of Jamaica, right? Damian Marley: Yeah, it’s about the struggle that the people of Jamaica face as opposed to what is really advertised to the public in the international marketplace of Jamaica. AHHA: Let’s talk about a couple of the verses some people might not understand. You say: “To see the sufferation sicken me/Them suit no fit me/To win election they trick we/And them don’t do nuttin at all.” What does that mean? Damian: Well, to see how people suffer is upsetting, so that’s why the suits don’t fit me. In other words, the agenda of what the politicians deal with doesn’t fit my ideology. And to win elections, they trick us. To win elections, they promise a lot of things, and then when they win, they don’t deliver. AHHA: Another line is: “Police come inna jeep and them can’t stop it/Some say them a playboy, a playboy rabbit/Funnyman a get dropped like a bad habit.” Damian: A lot of times, police who have a problem in Jamaica can turn to violence. And then, there’s no room for nonsense, is what the rest of [the phrase] is saying. Your lickle gimmicks and ya lickle ego, there’s no room for that. If you’re not the real thing then don’t come around here. Those topics are relevant and affect all of us living in Jamaica now, and citizens of Jamaica and people [in America] have loved ones there. AHHA: What about politics here in America; what are your thoughts on the war in Iraq—are you for it or against it? Damian: I’m not for any war. War only bring more war. If you hit somebody then you go to war, they hit you back. And when they hit you back, what you gonna wanna do? You’re gonna wanna hit them back again. So war only bring more war. I don’t think there’s justification for any war. There’s no justification for people fighting on behalf of leaders. If leaders have a discrepancy—you guys went to the highest colleges and schools and all a this thing—you tellin’ me that they can’t find an educated way to work out their problems without having us kill each other? It’s a joke. AHHA: Is your album more of the same political vibe as the single? Damian: Well, it’s mixed. It’s life, so you have one or two tracks that kind of have that overtone, still. But you have tracks that [are] nothing at all like it. AHHA: How long did the album take to make? Damian: It took about two years, with doing some tours and stuff in-between. We’d work for a few months and then go on the road and come back. AHHA: When you go back to Jamaica, what’s the first thing you do? Damian: Roll one up. [Laughs] AHHA: [Laughs]. So what’s the second thing you do? Damian: Light it! [Laughs] Nah, when we reach Jamaica, we stay at Bob Marley museum, so basically that’s where we are. But the first thing when we reach there is to link up with all the people, our brethren and stuff. AHHA: What kind of feeling do you get when you go back, do you sense that things have changed since you actually lived there? Damian: Well I live there still, ya know. It’s just that I’ve been spending a lot of time in America recently. But, I mean, the more things change, it’s like the more they remain the same in a way. Things change—we have a few new highways now, cars are more available to the public than maybe ten years ago, things like that—but at the same time, the basics and a far amount of things haven’t changed. You still have a few war, on top of the masses suffering. AHHA: Do you think there are a lot of misconceptions about Jamaica? Damian: No, I wouldn’t say a lot of misconceptions. It’s just half the story hasn’t been told. Cause there’s, very much, places in Jamaica that you can go and enjoy yourself, and it’s beautiful. It’s not all negative, but there’s a side of it that—the thing about it, there’s a side of it that the majority of citizens face in Jamaica. It’s a struggle right now. AHHA: What are some positive things about Jamaica that you shed light on with your album or you wish more people would talk about? Damian: It’s the people, really. The people of Jamaica have a great heart. It’s very intense—it’s either love or hate, as they say. There’s no in-between. So there’s a vibe to Jamaica itself, it’s a very roots place, a very free place in that sense. AHHA: It’s interesting to see the contrast in your video for “Welcome to Jamrock”, with you as basically Reggae royalty along with the rough conditions in Kingston. Damian: It’s a real contrast because, you know, those […]

There are vixens and there are hustlers. Tiara, the epitome of the internet dream girl, happens to be a little of both. She has appeared in multiple videos for the likes of G-Unit, Kanye West, and The Terror Squad, and has been raking in dough from websites featuring her own images as the main attraction. She launched her own lucrative site four years ago, and has utilized her business acumen to stay competitive in the online market. No matter what she is doing, Tiara has always called her own shots. AllHipHop.com Alternatives has the exclusive photo shoot and interview with the Richmond, California native, and she’s confident that we’ll be seeing a lot more from her! AllHipHop.com Alternatives: What was your background before you became a web goddess? Tiara: I was a financial analyst and a marketing analyst, so I knew about the correlation between image and money. Once I figured it out, I was like, “I may as well try this on my own.” I’m making these people rich and not sharing in the profit that my knowledge and hard work was generating. AHHA: There are lots of sites like yours with beautiful woman in provocative poses. How do you distinguish yourself from these sites? Tiara: You know what? I didn’t even consider other sites. The people choose who’s best and they’ll pay for whatever they like. I don’t compare myself with others ‘cause they ain’t me. I don’t care about other sites AHHA: Are you down with anyone else in the industry? Tiara: Me and Lyric are cool. I like her, but at the end of the day, we’re two different people with two different audiences. I make money and I love my people, but they aren’t the ones paying for what I do. I’m focused on my business. My marketing is targeted and I am trained in that field. I didn’t just up and decide to take my clothes off and get money. After I left my job, I put together a 16-page marketing plan before I started this s###. I draw a fine line between my site and reality. I sell fantasy. It still amazes me how people react to me. I didn’t like dealing with the shadiness of the industry. Everyone started from the bottom, from Hugh Heffner to Puff. I’m not a model – I don’t have a portfolio. I’m real. My career is focused. I don’t even do magazines unless they mention my site. I consider myself a pioneer. This Internet thing will be the biggest media in the future – bigger than television. AHHA: What is your main focus in making connections with your fans? Tiara: Interaction – allowing them into my world. Everything they see is different from who I am. I bring them in and let them share in Tiara’s world, showing my appreciation for their love. I don’t believe my own hype. I live on Earth, not in the clouds. AHHA: Do you ride with anyone in the biz? Tiara: Yeah a couple. Love from XXL magazine. She’s a hustler. I respect her hustle, [also] Margarita and Dika. They are cool people and about their biz AHHA: Do you have trouble separating yourself from the role you play? Tiara: Not at all. It’s real easy to differentiate. I don’t walk the street in things and 8-inch heels. That’s all image. AHHA: So being objectified doesn’t bother you? Tiara: I make my living as a sex object. It comes with the territory AHHA: How do you feel about little girls wanting to follow your path? Tiara: I think little girls should have something to fall back on besides their a####. AHHA: What videos have you been in? Tiara: “Karma” [Lloyd Banks], “Candy Shop” [50 Cent], “Take Me Home” [Terror Squad], and “Workout Plan” [Kanye West] AHHA: Did you have any issues with rappers trying to get “extra”? Tiara: Nah, it was all love. G-Unit was pretty cool. 50 [Cent] always teases me ‘cause we have the same birthday. He told me I could be a star – I could borrow it. [laughs] AHHA: What do you feel about magazines like Essence condemning rap videos as negative to women? Tiara: To some degree the have points, but it’s entertainment and sex sells. I can see making a few changes, but I don’t know about a boycott. I’m a woman, and I don’t want to see an all-boy video. AHHA: If you could be anywhere doing anything right now, where would you be? Tiara: I’m not impressed with too much. I guess Jamaica. I liked it there. AHHA: Do you watch p###? Tiara: Once in a while AHHA: What kind? Tiara: Black P### sucks. White p### they get the flyest chicks they can find. Black p### you see all the stretch mark heifers. It’s like having a bad weave is in the contract. You can find 20 of them on the track right now. Sh*t, if they having a problem finding beautiful women, I know plenty of them AHHA: You’re about your business. I like that. What’s in the future for your growing empire? Tiara: DVD production, create my own product lines. Real Estate in Florida and California. Nothing lasts forever – you gotta be able to change. AHHA: Good Date or Good Book? Tiara: Good Book. I don’t date a lot. Guys come at me all the time but really they are not serious. I’m not a persona in real life. I’m a person! I don’t judge what I do or think I’m better than nobody because I got clothes on and [p### stars] don’t. AHHA: You like roller coasters? Tiara: Yes, I love them. AHHA: Your favorite? Tiara: Kansas City. The highest dip ever! I almost had a heart attack. The thrill of it… the anticipation – oh my God I love it! I’m like a big kid. AHHA: What do you think about all these girls being bisexual? Tiara: I read a study. Most human beings are bisexual, and […]

You don’t have to just grind – you can skate out of the hood too. North Philadelphia’s skateboard dynamo Stevie Williams has been doing just that since turning pro as an adolescent. Fine tuning his trade in Philly’s infamous Love Park [where skating is now banned], Williams quickly ascended to be one of street skating’s premier athletes, regardless of his race. His career has seen him run the gamut from being homeless to amassing a long list of sponsors that enabled him to keep a crib in Los Angeles-and purchase one for his mother-where he now spends most of his time. Stevie’s latest coup is becoming the first pro skater on Reebok’s roster, which includes Allen Iverson, Jay-Z and 50 Cent. The deal entails Reebok distributing Williams’ DGK line of kicks and clothing. Surely the haters will come out of the woodwork to throw salt in his game, but the laid back brother plans on steamrolling right over them. AllHipHop.com Alternatives brings you the exclusive on Stevie’s rise to the top of a game that few expected him to win. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: What made you start skateboarding and not some other sport? Stevie: Since I was young everybody loved running around, recess and all that. [I] played basketball, I ran track for school. I moved to West Philly [and] kept getting into fights cause I was from North or whatever, the projects. So instead of going down to play ball one day and rumbling, I went up the other way. I saw these three kids on a porch. Two of the kids were skaters [and] they were trying to teach the other dude to skate. As I’m walking past they’re like, “I bet you he can learn before you.” AHHA: Are these white kids or Black kids? Stevie: These are Black kids from my hood. I learned how to ollie right there. It wasn’t the biggest ollie but I got off the ground. AHHA: How many tries before you got it? Stevie: About four or five. That’s equivalent to somebody showing you how to shoot a three pointer, you like ten, wanting possibly to be a basketball player, you make it, you hooked on basketball. I learned how to ollie I was hooked on skateboarding. I’ve been skating ever since. I left basketball. I left running track. I left homework. I was just in it to skate. By 8th grade summer I was already sponsored. AHHA: Damn, that was pretty quick wasn’t it? Stevie: I didn’t know about sponsorship really. The kids that taught me how to ollie, they were always talking about they went downtown, this place called Love Park. So I skated down there one day by myself, from 40th Street all the way down to 15th Street. It was like 50 skaters; Black, white, Asian, Puerto Rican, Indian and it wasn’t even Black no more. Ya know, you from the hood it’s all Black, when I went down there it was different and everybody was just skating, drinking from the same cup and all crazy kind of stuff. I was like, “Yeah, this is where I wanna be at.” AHHA: Who was your first sponsor and how did you get down with them? Stevie: Element. Some skaters from New York came down to Philly, cause everybody heard of Love Park, and they saw me skating. Dude asked me who’s giving me stuff. I’m like, “Nobody.” He was like, “Well, let me get your address.” He gave me a board right there. I didn’t think nothing of it; you want to send me some free stuff, then hook it up. I remember like three days later I’m coming home, I go straight to the kitchen to go cook something to eat, I’m going back to the room and I just see this big UPS box on the couch. I open it up and it was just…five boards, ten shirts, everything. [So] I broke bread with all my peoples. If I had something free, we all pretty much got free stuff. AHHA: You’re getting all this stuff because of your talent, but was it all good in the ‘hood skating? Stevie: I got laughed at for skating. We all three got laughed at, called “White”, ya know, “Y’all corny”. To the point where I used to start hiding my board before I came back home. By 9th grade I was just over. I tried to wear some cool sh*t to skate in at school…man, I got laughed at 3rd period! It was crazy. So I dropped out, I ran away to California. I hitchhiked from Philly to California to turn pro and to be in a more skateboard environment. To be accepted and let people know that I got skills in this. AHHA: Did your mom know about this plan? Stevie: She found out when I got to Cali. AHHA: Straight up, thumb up walking on the highway? Stevie: Nah. [laughing] I got down to Washington, DC on Greyhound for Winter Break. Then me and my man was hitching rides, like asking dudes if they was going to California. Here comes one dude that just wanted to go. He was down to drive the whole way, and his name was John Wayne. We used his credit card and all that, I only had like 20 dollars. I only had one tape the whole way, Method Man’s Tical. I been coming back and forth ever since. AHHA: Where were you staying out in Cali? Stevie: I was homeless. I would stay on people’s couches, stayed up all night, slept in cars, hotel lobbies. It wasn’t “Alright I’m homeless and all day everyday asking for change and smelling like a wino.” It was [being] homeless with a goal. I’d go skate all day, but then I wasn’t the only dude that was homeless. Everybody pretty much kind of did that. It was just the whole skateboard community at that time, in San Francisco, was just large. But I had to fend […]

AHHA: So how did you get back into the game? Stevie: I went back to Cali and filmed the best stuff I could possible think of, being as creative as I can. I apologized to a lot of people, started praying, started focusing and I took my tape down to LA. I went to the two best companies that I thought I’d fit at. One company, it was an urban company, I was trying to show him my tape, another Black skater. I was like, “Yo, I fit on this team, I got some hot footage…” and he just ignored me. So I took it over to the other team. I had to humble my self to be like “Yo, can I go grab some boards, instead of being like I want this I want that.” The dude was like “Yeah, go around and see what’s up, I’ma watch your tape.” I grabbed two [or] three boards, nothing big – something that wasn’t going to make it look like I was all greedy [laughs]. I come back, dude’s eyes is dumb big, mouth to the floor…I’m like “Yo, what’s good?” He’s like, “That’s all you grabbed? I think we got a spot on the team for you.” I’m like man look, I ain’t trying to be on flow. They put you on flow, then they ask everybody else what you think of Stevie. But see my rep was like, “Nah man, that ni**a too wild.” I was real ignorant. I was punking everbody like “Gimme that”. Knocked a couple of people out. I had to drop all that. That was in my past and I let him know that ain’t me no more. He was like “We throwing you on the team right now”. I was like alright cool, “Call my mom.” Cause she was trying to talk me into getting a job. He called my mom like “Yeah, we going to take care of your son,” and right there I was on, Chocolate. AHHA: What was next? Stevie: I got on a shoe company called DC Shoes. I started building up my sponsors, gaining more knowledge of the game. Being in the streets and being aware and conscious of what’s going on, I automatically picked up on the business like board sales, and how the game is being ran while other skaters are just happy to be on the team and skate. I was like, “Yo how many boards did I sell in a month?” AHHA: So you knew how much of an asset you were? Stevie: By the time I knew how much of an asset I was I was already like top dude, so I quit and started my own company, that’s DGK; Dirty Ghetto Kids. I knew I needed somebody big to back what I was trying to do, and they [DC Shoes] wasn’t trying to do it, and now I’m at Reebok. AHHA: Oh, so you have actually tried to get DC shoes to back you? Stevie: I tried to tell them. “Yo, advertise me in The Source, gimme XXL.” Let the community I came from know what type of dude I am. Don’t try to portray me out here like one of these other dudes, that’s corny, tap dancing [and] cooning. Put me out there man. They was like, “Well, ya know Stevie…” But AI [Allen Iverson], Jay-Z, 50 Cent and these dudes paved the way for the kid. I seen it, I went after it, knocked it out and now I got everything that I ever wanted to come out, coming out by a brand that’s worth 3.8 billion dollars. AHHA: What does it include? Stevie: Sneakers, jeans, hoodies, du rags, sweatpants, sweatshirts, fitted’s, everything-no button ups. Just my culture on a silver platter, boom. You going to go in the skate shop and you going to see DGK on the wall, DGK on the shoes, DGK on the clothes, all around. It’s something that identifies who you are or who you want to be as a skater. You don’t have to resort to being Black, in the hood, going to skateshops and listening to punk rock and all that. Coming back home with spiked hair, crazy belts and all that. AHHA: How did the DGK name originate? Stevie: That’s my squad from Philly – from being laughed at everyday, being called ‘dirty ghetto kids’ by older people from the suburbs trying to claim Philly. When the photographers and the filmers came into town to check out Love Park, they’d be like, “Don’t skate with them, don’t take pictures, don’t film them, they just nothing but dirty ghetto kids”. And that’s what we came to be. Yeah we is dirty ghetto kids, that’s who we is. I made it into a culture and there is dirty ghetto kids cliques everywhere. Fairfield, PA to Houston, Texas, they’re all there. They need somebody to stand up for them like a leader, like a leading clique that everyone can follow. They got somebody to reference back to when people are laughing at them. AHHA: Where there any Black skaters you looked to when you were coming up at all? Stevie: Yeah, there been Black skaters for a long time, but they been coons. I ain’t knocking them, but there’s been a lot of skaters that fell off because they were just not feeling they were accepted anymore. It’s like if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. But I was never really that type of dude. I wasn’t chillin’ with my white dudes and acting all white. I never lost my identity. I still felt like somebody before me or somebody before this person before me could have at least stood up. I feel like I’m the Martin Luther King of this sh*t. I’m here first, I’m taking these shots. I’m going to get assassinated if this don’t work. AHHA: You mentioned banging Tical all the way to Cali, is it safe to say you’re a Hip-Hop […]

Alfonzo Hunter is ready to give the masses another chance to head to the club, party and drink some Bacardi, but he is no new kid on the block when it comes to the music industry. Under the helm of Eric Sermon’s Def Squad Records, Hunter released his nearly gold 1996 debut Blacka Da Berry with the single “Just The Way (Players Play)”. After Def Squad and Alfonzo were bounced between several labels, the budding artist broke free and decided to do his own thing. At 28-years-old, armed with a new label and the new single “Don’t Stop” featuring Fabolous, Alfonzo Hunter is looking to color the world of R&B with unique songs depicting Chicago life. He shares some insight on his new album with AllHipHop.com Alternatives, and breaks down his thoughts on Chi-Town love and drama. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: Tell us about your new single and how you ended up at Romeo Entertainment? Alfonzo: I was hired by Romeo to produce a single for one of their artists, and from that I met with people within the label. The relationship just grew from there. It was around last year, and I was about to be out of my Universal Records deal with Eric Sermon. His album didn’t reach the potential Universal expected, and it was rumored that he was about to be dropped. They gave me and a couple others the option to roll with Eric or branch out, and I branched out. I still got love for the Def Squad and Eric Sermon taking the time with me, but it was time for me to do my own thing. When I signed with Romeo, they were 100 percent behind me. They asked me for a wish list of collaborations – Fabolous came up, and they made it happen. AHHA: Do you feel that R&B artists now have to do club songs to soften fans to their music? Alfonzo: I don’t think as an R&B singer I have to do a club song, I have to have good music. It is important as an artist to do songs that expose who you are. “Don’t Stop” is a natural story for me to tell. Of course, the style is similar to the stuff that’s out now. Being current gives me a good look, but there are no certain themes that an artist should have. Alicia Keys has sold millions of albums, and she hasn’t had any club songs. I think it’s simple; you have to have good music. AHHA: How did you hook up with Eric Sermon? Alfonzo: I had been sending him stuff, so he flew me out to Atlanta; he was cool. By that time I had developed into a decent writer, I had a quick ear and could grab music right away. In the car from the airport, I started freestyling [singing] over the beats. He’s a rapper, and I grew up in the projects, so he liked that my lyrics were kind of grimy. From there, we clicked. AHHA: You used to sing background for R. Kelly? Alfonzo: Yeah, as a young’n [R. Kelly’s then music director] Keith Henderson told me that R. Kelly had auditions for background singers, and Keith was the one that hired me. He’s always looked out for me like that. That was my first opportunity to sing professionally in the music business. AHHA: You two kind of sound alike. Do you ever get any comparisons? Alfonzo: Yeah, because I started out with him we probably sound similar and have similar…what’s the word, can you help me out? AHHA: An accent, slang, twang? Alfonzo: Yeah, an accent. We sound similar, because my grooming as a performing singer was with him. I’ve done everything to try to change that. I’ve listened to Joe, Faith [Evans], and all other kinds of artists. So I have to be really careful of that. AHHA: So how do you come out of Chicago and not be typecast as ‘another R. Kelly’? Alfonzo: Well, it’s just that I’m not trying to sound like anybody. Some people say I have this East Coast thing about me, because I spent so much time out there. I don’t bite. I’m an artist and open to new things introduced to me. Lately, I’ve been learning all this Spanish. I’ve been hanging out with this Spanish girl, doing some songs with her, and now I’m kickin’ Spanish. AHHA: So you’re like a sponge? Alfonzo: Maybe it’s for me to be an actor. I’m being primed for my big role everyday, because when it comes to creating things, I’m inspired by so many different things. So maybe I am like a sponge. AHHA: What is it about Chicago that [incites] songs about drama? Is it really that much more drama there? Alfonzo: It’s such a rat race here, because we have been shut out of the industry so long. As soon as somebody gets something popping, that artist is blown away and forgets all about the city. We’re not groomed here for the industry. Here, we grind and grind and people say it’s Chicago b#######. To say that is terrible. There will always be New York and LA, now it’s Atlanta, St. Louis, even Texas. Chicago does well, but nobody sets up shop here. People complain that artists don’t support each other. If artists stayed here and support each other, we’d have a place in the game. People come here, get talent and roll out. My manager told me that this single is going to be way bigger than my other situation, and he wants me to get out of here. Now I’m so comfortable, I’m too comfortable. In my neighborhood, there are five Hunter households, and it’s a comfort zone. But I know Twista had a concert here and some guys rushed the stage with guns because they wanted to do a song with him and he didn’t. I heard Kanye West has had the same problem. AHHA: So are there any Chicago artists […]

The debut single from Trey Songz, “Just Gotta Make It”, has been in heavy rotation since it hit radio and BET video shows, but the Petersburg, Virginia native has been around for a while now. By the time he was only 15, Trey Songz had won over 20 talent contests in his hometown area. It was ultimately an acapella version of an original song that caught the ear of veteran producer Troy Taylor. After completing high school, Trey dove into his dreams of making music. He moved to New Jersey to pursue his career, and was making noise on the generally rap-oriented mixtape circuit. Never one to follow the standards, his choice to put out dozens of Hip-Hop influenced R&B mixtapes gave him the voice that he needed to establish his sound and work up a buzz in the streets. After gaining the attention of Atlantic Records, Trey Songz has not only put together a highly-acclaimed debut album, Gotta Make It, he has put together a journal for fans to hear. The young “prince” recently took some time out of his hectic schedule talk with AllHipHop.com Alternatives about his path from small town musings to nationwide recognition. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: What made you start doing mixtapes? That’s not the traditional route of an R&B singer. Trey Songz: I did it because it gave me a lot of freedom to say what I can’t say on mainstream records. It gave me a chance to really showcase my skills and [it gave me a chance] to put out what the type of music I want to put out. AHHA: How was it getting into a mini confrontation with R. Kelly, because he had some words for you after you made a song with a similar title to his beat for “In The Closet”? Trey: I mean, really for my song that I created for my mixtape, yeah his song [“In The Closet” pt1] had a major influence, because he is one of my influences. So when I heard his song, I was like, “Man that’s hot. I got something to go with that.” And I took the beat and created my own song, because really that’s what we do on mixtapes – take people’s beats and do our own thing. But I think his beef was that people said I sounded like him, because honestly if I made a song that was as big as “In The Closet”, I would have been mad too. To him, I am some kid coming in and remaking his song, so with me there was no beef because I understood where he was coming from. AHHA: Since you are in the process of shooting your new video for “Gotta Go”, can you give us a taste of what we will see when it debuts? Trey: Well, all I can really say is it will feature me with a mic in front of an all white background, the rest you guys will have to wait and see. [laughs] AHHA: You are also about to embark on your first tour. What are you most and least looking forward to? Trey: I am most looking forward to connecting with my fans, for them to get to really feel me and what I am really saying in my music. The least thing I am looking forward to is being away from home even longer than I am now. I have been away now for a while, but I don’t want it to be abnormal to see me hanging out in my hometown. AHHA: Being thrust into the limelight so fast, what is the one thing that you miss about just being a normal person? Trey: I miss people just acting normal, because with fame comes people expecting things from you. So I really wish that people would just approach me like a normal person and try to get to know me, not who I know or what I can do. AHHA: What is your ideal woman? What would a woman experience as an ideal date with Trey Songz? Trey: I love a woman who can cook, and one who is pretty and takes care of herself. I love a woman who is sexy and knows it, because she’s confident. As far as on a date, I love to have fun and just chill. If any woman is down to have fun, whether it’s watching a movie or whatever as long as we are having fun it’s all good. But the most important thing is that she is getting to know me, not like an interview but really interested in who I am. AHHA: You seem pretty laid back and “cool”. Looking back, what would you say is the craziest thing you have ever done to get a females attention? Trey: I am always cool [laughs], but I would say that the craziest thing I did was chase a girl five blocks after I tried to play it cool and let her walk away. I sat there for like one minute contemplating on whether I should holla at her or not, then next thing you know I just took off running, and I don’t run. [laughs] But I got her though. AHHA: I hear you love to bowl. Are you any good? Trey: Yeah, I bowl an average of 271 and the top is 290 so you be the judge. [laughs] Naw, but I love it. That’s only thing I like to do besides chill with my boys. AHHA: Do you think being from such a small area was a hindrance to a career in music? Trey: No, not really because I never really thought that I was going to be doing music professionally. I always performed and competed in shows locally for fun, so it never bothered me being from Petersburg. AHHA: What changed your mind to make you want to actively pursue music and put out mixtapes? Trey: The mixtapes actually came about when I lived in New Jersey. We […]

When you first hear Raheem DeVaughn, you can easily imagine a man beyond his years singing the songs. Whether the topic is love or his feelings about issues of the world, Raheem’s voice has the power to make you believe him. The son of noted jazz musician Abdul Wadud, Raheem has been a fan of music since the tender age of three, although he didn’t always want to journey into the world of music himself. It wasn’t until he attended school at Coppin State University in Baltimore that he truly realized his calling. After entering and winning several talent contests in the Maryland area, and investing his winnings toward his career, he finally grabbed the attention of record executives who gave an honest listen. After signing to Jive Records in 2003, he collaborated with Nivea on the very successful single “Strangers and Friends”, and is now preparing to release of his debut solo album The Love Experience. AllHopHop.com Alternatives got a chance to speak with the young singer to discuss inspiration, the state of the world and his ideal woman. Relax as Raheem DeVaughn explains the true definition of a love experience. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: You have a surprisingly mature sound to be so young. Who are some of the artists that influence your classic sound? Raheem: I love all of the classic artists like Stevie [Wonder], Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware, Berry Gordy, but I am big fan of Prince. So I just use all of their influence to channel my creativity that helps to create my music. AHHA: When you created your album, what made you title it The Love Experience? Raheem: Well, the album is basically a self preservation album. This album reaches out an expresses love for one another, your children and your spouse. It touches on everything from making love to your lady to politics, with everything that’s affecting us, I really just wanted to all of my feelings on the table. AHHA: Your song “Until” is pretty deep. Did that stem from personal experience? Raheem: Yeah, that is definitely one of my songs that came from personal experience. I think that song is important because it happens to a lot of men, so I feel that all men will relate in one way or another. AHHA: You have a tribute to Prince on your album. What made you decide to do a tribute, and are you planning on collaborating with him? Raheem: Well it’s not really a tribute to him, but it is definitely a song that he influenced. I would love to collaborate with him one day, because I feel that the music I make is timeless and I am really down to collaborate with anyone who wants to make good music, and we know Prince makes good music, so hopefully down the pipeline we can link up for a project. AHHA: How did you get started in music? Raheem: Getting into music was a decision that I made on my own. I was really reluctant about doing it when I was younger because I was so shy. But as I got older music actually became a part of my life, because I started performing in the grassroots circuit and doing live performances, putting out my own music by any means necessary. So it was like It was an obsession and that’s all I wanted to do. AHHA: I hear that if you had a choice, The Love Experience would be completely conscious. Although it’s a great album, what deterred you from making it a conscious album? Raheem: At the end of the day, I think it is conscious. Because if it’s from the heart ultimately it is conscious, I had the opportunity of putting out a completely conscious album for my entire body of work. The fact that it was independent or on a major [label] doesn’t make a difference because I can never stray away fro the whole reason I started to make music in the first place, which was to create and express how I feel. AHHA: If you had your choice of discussing anything, what would you discuss? Raheem: I really think I have done it, I mean I have talked about things that needed to be changed and what I felt would be proper solutions. My whole goal with that is just to create sound track music to help people speak out against different issues instead of sitting back complaining, that’s what I set out to do and in my own way I am doing it. I mean I touch on everything from homelessness, to the war or whatever, but it’s all about how people are listening to the lyrical content and how it hits them. AHHA: You have a single out with Nivea. Why doesn’t it appear on your album? Raheem: That was something that I wrote early on in the project, then parts of my album got leaked out and people were bootlegging it in certain areas, so I had to create new songs to put on the finished version of my album. But Nivea is a great artist and she is really good at knocking out songs in the studio. AHHA: A lot of critics are comparing you to Marvin Gaye and Donnie Hathaway. Does it feel a little overwhelming to have such big shoes to fill? Raheem: I take it as a blessing and a compliment. I am not really trying to fill anyone’s shoes; I am just trying to keep the torch going. When I go into the studio, my goal is to create timeless music with a message and I think that is why I am compared to great legends, because that’s what they did. AHHA: Now you have out three mixtapes and I hear you are working on a fourth, as an R&B singer, what made you go the mixtape route? Raheem: I did it because no one else had ever done it and even if they are doing it now, they aren’t […]

The controversy surrounding R. Kelly is still a sensitive issue for many people. With a very public arrest haunting him, most people wondered whether such an influential musical icon would be able to shake off the stigma to win back fans and return to the top where his slow, sexual grooves once dominated. Like him, love him or loathe him, R. Kelly’s musical genius is undeniable, and his fans are loyal to him. His latest album TP3 Reloaded is his fifth #1 album to date, and has catapulted the urban soap series “Trapped in the Closet” to critical acclaim. His ability to continue making a range of music from Gospel to sex-driven tunes, and his daring musical evolution to try new sounds such as Dancehall and Reggaeton, prove R. Kelly is not bothered by public conviction. Instead, he is musically invincible. AllHipHop.com Alternatives recently participated in a roundtable discussion with the Grammy-winner, who has made quite a comeback from a negative situation that could have potentially destroyed his career. Building on a musical legacy that includes classics such as “I Believe I Can Fly”, “Bump ‘n Grind” and “Feelin’ on Yo Booty”, R.Kelly has continued to create music which is just as juicy as his real life drama – and the new album is no exception. [Questions asked by AHHA are noted, while questions asked by other journalists in the roundtable are marked as Q] Q: Did you every worry that doing “Trapped in the Closet” like that – that it would take away from the rest of the album? R. Kelly: After I completed “Trapped in the Closet” – well, the first five chapters, anyway – that question came to mind but then the answer to it was that I felt really confident in the TP3 Reloaded album. All of the songs that were there felt really good to me. And I thought people would see them both sort of separated, and “Trapped In The Closet” would be a hell of a bonus to everybody, something for them to see, whereas the album would be something for them to hear. Q: Being that the “Trapped in the Closet” series was so dramatic and cinematic; do you have any plans to maybe spin it off into a feature-length film or a stage play? R. Kelly: Well that’s exactly what we’re in the process of doing right now. We’re auditioning and casting people for a major play, and also “Trapped in the Closet” has definitely been scripted out for a movie. So, that’s what we’re working on right now as we speak. Q: What can fans expect from chapters six through to twelve? R. Kelly: We just shot the movie to chapters six through to twelve, and we’re editing it right now. It will be up to the company pretty much when it will come out, but it’s another level up from five, I can tell you that! Q: You have quite a work ethic. Are you finally at a point in your career where you feel like you’ve made it? R. Kelly: I feel really good right now, for the first time more than ever, with my music and with my writing. I’m really comfortable with my writing. I think I’ve found my niche in the way I want to write, which are real stories and real songs. But I don’t think I’ve arrived yet. I think there are other places that I want to go with this music, with writing and everything. Q: Your last album focused a lot more on spirituality and family. What made you return to bolder and more sexually charged material on this album? Did you feel more comfortable making this type of album? R. Kelly: Well first of all, I wouldn’t say I returned to the sexual songs, because it’s something I’ve never left. A real, true writer is going to write from everyday life experiences. It’s no different than a director making movies. They aren’t going to make the same movie every time they make a movie. They’re going to branch out and do other types of movies, and that’s the way I want people to see me. I want them to see me as a different writer, a guy that will write a gospel album, something for the world to feel good about or whatever, but then he’s going to write a party record or a sexual record. I’m very versatile so there’s no reason to limit myself by just writing one type of music. Q: What was the motivation behind R. Kelly doing Reggaeton? R. Kelly: Well, first of all, I never do my music depending on how many fans I can get or anything like that. I just love doing music. I’m very versatile when it comes to music. I go to clubs, so I’m very close to the streets, and when music starts to change in the club and it’s something that I like, I say, “Wow, I want to do a song like this!”. I love, love Reggaeton and I love dancing to it. Q: Are there any other types of genres that you would like to record a full album in? R. Kelly: Yes. I just did a whole African album, a whole Jamaican album, and I just did a whole Brazilian album. I plan to put those albums out in those countries and let them go at the same time. It’s called the musical virus, and it’s designed to come out in those countries, and then the music is supposed to spread. And the reason I chose those three countries is because of the fact there’s a lot of rhythm coming out of those three countries. And spiritually, I just thought that it would work. It’s three feel-good albums and it’s very authentic. It sounds just like their music. AHHA: Are you planning to tour for this album, and also the three albums that you were talking about, Jamaica, Brazil, Africa? Will you ever go to […]

Wendy Williams has forged her own path in radio show entertainment by dishing the latest dirt on celebrities, including herself. From battling a weight issue to a drug addiction, she has seen and been through it all. Since her first appearance on the radio nearly 20 years ago, Wendy’s main focus is to bring her favorite thing to listeners everywhere: the talk. During her afternoon drive-time show, The Wendy Williams Experience on New York City’s WBLS-FM, she’s on the loose. In a rapid-fire voice that’s all brass and sass, she bounces from gossip to advice, to in-your-face commentary, to interviews. Sometimes she even spins a song or two. No matter what the topic, you can bet it will be blunt and entertaining. Wendy’s creative media savvy landed her a series of specials on VH-1, Wendy Williams Is on Fire and the syndicated radio show Wendy Williams Down Low. She wrote two top selling books, a 2003 memoir titled Wendy’s Got the Heat, and The Wendy Williams Experience, a compilation of her interviews. She also recently dropped her own compilation album, Wendy Williams Brings The Heat Vol. 1, which features songs from some of the freshest talent in urban music. AllHipHop.com Alternatives got a chance to sit down with the Queen of Dish to discuss her role in the making of her cd, her career, and run-ins with celebrity guests such as Whitney Houston and Terry McMillan. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: With so many accomplishments in radio and a show on VH-1, what made you want to release a compilation cd? Wendy: Well I just decided one day that it would be cool of I just created a cd full of artists that I listen to. I love MOP, I love Black Rob, I have always been a fan of just the gritty and grimy Hip-Hop as well as Marques Houston and Amerie, so I just decided to create a cd compiled with artists that I listen to. AHHA: Given your reputation of “tell all”, was it hard for you to get artists to agree to do the compilation? Wendy: Actually it wasn’t, I just called everyone I knew and they were all excited and very helpful. I love the song “Naked” by Marques Houston, and I don’t feel that it received the spins it deserved when it first came out, so I think that it was cool that Marques [Houston] gave me the song. I was actually flattered that the other artists actually created songs just for me, for them to take time out to go into the studio and record for my cd says a lot to me. AHHA: You have been upfront with a lot of celebrities, but the wildest of all had to be Whitney Houston. Although it was a call in interview, how did you feel hearing the responses and threats she said to you? Wendy: I never felt at all that Whitney would do anything to me, not once. But when I asked her what I did, it was said out of concern. I know that people wanted to know, but really we all knew. AHHA: Have you ever been afraid that anyone would hurt you physically or try to get at you in a public way over some of your comments? Wendy: No, not really. I mean I really don’t enjoy making people upset and it really is hard for me to ask the questions that I ask, but we are on a talk show and people want to know about people. So at first it was hard for people to understand what I was doing, but now celebrities come on with the expectation. As far as someone saying something about to try and humiliate me, my question is, “What can they say?” I mean I have put all of my business out there for my listeners, as well as told a lot of my deepest feelings and tragedies in my book, so really I have already put it out there. There’s really nothing anyone can say about me that I won’t say first. AHHA: You look phenomenal. What is your secret to your new look? Wendy: Plastic surgery, diet and exercise. I am not ashamed to say that I have had a little work done, but I also dieted and worked my butt off, so I still earned it and I feel good. AHHA: Now I have to ask you, what is your take on the Terry McMillan situation? Wendy: Oh my gosh, Terry [McMillan] should be ashamed of herself for acting the way she is. I mean when she wrote her books, we [as Black females] went out and snatched those books off the shelves, when they were turned into movies, we were going in droves to see them, because she was an inspiration. She told us how to let go of that man and form a solidarity with our girlfriends, so for her to act like this [over her man who is younger and gay] is crazy. I mean, keeping it real, she is a few years older than I am, and her man was what, 22? There is no way a young man is pulling anything over on me sexually, so if she didn’t know that’s on her. But making a scene like this, throwing fits and calling names, she really needs to grow up. AHHA: You have interviewed everyone from Queen Latifah to Suge Knight and were always upfront with all of them. Are there any celebs that you wouldn’t talk about? Wendy: No, because that is what a talk show is for, to talk and for people to feel like they are talking to a best friend and to help people see that they are not alone. I mean obviously if a celebrity has had a miscarriage or was recently divorced, I won’t just dive in like, “So are you giving the pregnancy another try?” You know, I have tact. Also I won’t ask questions about break-ups if their kids […]

In the ‘hood and abroad, John Singleton is a legend—the man responsible for bringing such classic characters as Ice Cube’s Doughboy from Boyz n the Hood and Tupac’s Lucky in Poetic Justice to the big screen, while placing much-needed emphasis on the poignant tales the inner city has to offer. While some Hollywood heads might scorn the rapper-to-actor conversion, Singleton continues to guide untested Hip-Hop stars in their first leading movie roles, with many of the artists being critically praised for their smooth acting transitions. Lately, the 37-year-old acclaimed director/producer has been supervising the summer blockbusters Hustle & Flow and Four Brothers, co-starring Ludacris and Andre 3000, respectively. When studios were not willing to take on Hustle & Flow, which was written and directed by Memphis native Craig Brewer, Singleton stepped in to put up his own money to produce the film. After seeing the critics reactions to Brewer’s story, major studios started a bidding war for the film – proving that John Singleton knew exactly what he was doing. John Singleton took a short break from his promotion trail to chat with AllHipHop.com Alternatives about life in the director’s chair. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: Before we discuss your upcoming films, I want to talk about the movies that have been so influential in the film world and in Black cinema. What is it like to have people say that movies like Boyz n the Hood and Higher Learning are classics? John Singleton: It feels great. It’s like it’s everything that I set it up to be. I don’t make flash-in-the-pan movies. I try to make movies that endure and that are classics. AHHA: Right. But in a previous interview, you mentioned that you don’t like to go back to those films when people bring it up. Why is that? John: Because once I do a film, I’m in the moment of making that film. I don’t dwell on it and want to talk about it years later. I just want to go on, move on to the next movies. It’s like an old man talking about his past. You don’t do that. You just go on to a new adventure. AHHA: What do you think of the quality of today’s Black film genre? John: There is no quality of today’s Black films. There is none. There really isn’t. The films that are being made now are not necessarily films that speak to what’s going on in Black America, what that means, and what we’re going through. A lot of them are comedies. None of them are really topical. AHHA: Do you think directors should get back into doing thematic Black movies? John: I think people should [make] whatever movies they want. I mean, I always try to make films that have some type of meat to it. I don’t have to say anything—it’s so funny, because for many years I always got the rub that every time I tried to make a movie, I was trying to get some type of message with a picture. I never even tried to do that with my first movie Boyz n the Hood. I was trying to make something that was interesting and topical. It’s not [always] about trying to give people a message. People come to be entertained, but you gotta have movies with some meat to it. I mean, white people make movies with meat to it—the good filmmakers do. Some don’t, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to make films that have something to say. Even Hustle & Flow has something to say. The bottom line is that everybody has a dream. Not everybody has a way to get there to express it, but everybody’s got something in them that they want to get out. Even if they’re a pimp. [Laughs] AHHA: Getting into that movie Hustle & Flow, the plot—a pimp who wants to be a rapper—seems like it would be cheesy. John: Well, no, it’s about a guy who’s basically at a point in his life where he realizes that he hasn’t progressed. He hasn’t moved forward. He’s just been inching along, and he just happens to be [a pimp]. That’s what he does. AHHA: What made you want to get involved in that project? John: The script. The script was really good. And I just knew if it was made, it would be something people would want to see. AHHA: And with the difficulty trying to get the movie in motion as far as distribution, how rewarding is it now that people are supporting the movie? John: It was [difficult] at first because I went through traditional channels, studios to try to get it made. But then once I told myself that I could do it on my own, and I could put up the money and green light it myself and be my own studio, then it was much easier. It’s so rewarding—for everybody in town to tell me that I was crazy for doing this and to do it, and now I go from being the crazy person to being the smartest person in the business. But I mean, I’m one of those kind of people that—I believe in betting on myself. I can’t lose by betting on myself. AHHA: In this movie, you worked with some of the same actors you’ve worked with previously, like Elise Neal and Paula Jai Parker. Why is it that you like to stay with the same faces? John: It’s not necessarily the same thing. It’s just that they’re really professional people and they’re really good actors. Working with people who are really on top of their game, there’s nothing wrong with that. AHHA: There’s been heavy controversy about placing rappers into movie roles. What are your feelings on that? John: I’ve made a career doing it, so there’s no controversy with me. But the difference between me and everyone else is every rapper who has ever worked with me had a career making movies. It hasn’t […]