As a music professional, I am posed tough questions about the industry, the business, artists etc. I was recently asked this question. The following is my response.
Can R. Kelly make a comeback?
First off, did he really leave? We all know and are familiar with R. Kelly and his legal/moral troubles. The man stood trial and was found not guilty. And although most of us have saw the tape and have made our own assumptions, the laws of the land have spoken.
Did he get away with it? I don't know. Did OJ do it? I don't know. But this blog is not about whether or not R. Kelly did it. This blog is about R. Kelly the artist/songwriter/producer. We all know he is genius on the mic. His talent is undeniable.
So the question is, do we choose the music we like based on the artist's personal life? I honestly feel that the artist's personal life has nothing to do with the quality of music they put out. Does that mean I support their lifestyle? No! It means I like their music.
Many recording artist's are plagued with skeletons that include but not limited to drug abuse/addiction, sexual immorality and all kinds of weird behavior. Some of those skeletons are the reasons they are putting out music.
Most of my musical influences were drug users; doesn't mean I like their music any less. Now, I don't use drugs myself and I don't encourage others in drug use. Nor does it mean that I condone the use drugs. That is a personal issue that the artist has to deal with.
As a music lover, my only job is to love music. While I may have my opinion, I am not a judge. Each of us has our demons. Each of us has to face those demons. And all of us will answer and pay for our deeds one day. Last time I checked, I wasn't elected to committee in charge of handing out punishment.
Every time I hear someone condemn another, I can only think about what I have done. Not saying I am a bad person, but I truly take that in consideration. And I think we all should. In the immortal words of my grandmother, "people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones."
R. Kelly will continue to make music. He will continue to have fans and people that support he. So will Chris Brown and other celebrities that have made mistakes. We have all made mistakes in our lives whether we are a celebrity or not. And I know that is some of those mistakes and trespasses where brought to light; we all would be eligible for crucifixion.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
I wanna tell yall a story...
Hey! I woke up this morning and wanna tell yall a story. This is a true story about music. Check it out.
About 3 months ago, I had a friend of mine tell me about this incredible artist they had met. I, of course checked out the artist and sure enough...they were dope! I became a fan of their work. They were highly respected in my eyes as a musician.
Well, later that friend came to me and told me that we might have the opportunity of working with this artist. I was elated.
So, the day comes and we finally meet at my studio to discuss the artist and their project. I gave the artist the opportunity to tell their story and plans. The artist tells me how they are trying to get a project done and no one seems to be cooperating or willing to help. In particular, they tell me and my friend how this one producer will not return any of the artist's calls.
My friend and I decided to take the project and began planning and calling in the "troops" to get things done. We booked studio time, tracked down musicians, and even went after the producer that wouldn't return the artist's calls for FREE!
Things were going well. Then all of a sudden, the artist was not return ours calls. Everything seems to be going well and then all of sudden, we were shut out!
I tried to figure this out. Couldn't understand what could have happened.
My friend later told me that he received a text message from the artist apologizing for not getting back with us and wanting our support in their future efforts.
I found it really ironic that this artist would do us this way after they came to me and my friend almost in tears because they were getting any help. My friend and I did all we could do to help this artist and they burned us and then had the audacity to come back and ask for our support.
We NEVER asked for anything. We didn't want anything. We were enjoying helping. We have a real passion for music and was willing to offer our services and time PRO BONO.
The sad part of all this is that the artist came to us and told us about a producer that would not return their calls and we went after this producer like he was a bad guy or something and the artist turned around and did the same thing to us.
The lesson of the story is be careful! Don't turn into the thing that you have a problem with.
I hope we all got something from this. Tune in next time when our subject will be: Talking Out the Side of Your Neck: Good Song or the Language of the Music Business?
About 3 months ago, I had a friend of mine tell me about this incredible artist they had met. I, of course checked out the artist and sure enough...they were dope! I became a fan of their work. They were highly respected in my eyes as a musician.
Well, later that friend came to me and told me that we might have the opportunity of working with this artist. I was elated.
So, the day comes and we finally meet at my studio to discuss the artist and their project. I gave the artist the opportunity to tell their story and plans. The artist tells me how they are trying to get a project done and no one seems to be cooperating or willing to help. In particular, they tell me and my friend how this one producer will not return any of the artist's calls.
My friend and I decided to take the project and began planning and calling in the "troops" to get things done. We booked studio time, tracked down musicians, and even went after the producer that wouldn't return the artist's calls for FREE!
Things were going well. Then all of a sudden, the artist was not return ours calls. Everything seems to be going well and then all of sudden, we were shut out!
I tried to figure this out. Couldn't understand what could have happened.
My friend later told me that he received a text message from the artist apologizing for not getting back with us and wanting our support in their future efforts.
I found it really ironic that this artist would do us this way after they came to me and my friend almost in tears because they were getting any help. My friend and I did all we could do to help this artist and they burned us and then had the audacity to come back and ask for our support.
We NEVER asked for anything. We didn't want anything. We were enjoying helping. We have a real passion for music and was willing to offer our services and time PRO BONO.
The sad part of all this is that the artist came to us and told us about a producer that would not return their calls and we went after this producer like he was a bad guy or something and the artist turned around and did the same thing to us.
The lesson of the story is be careful! Don't turn into the thing that you have a problem with.
I hope we all got something from this. Tune in next time when our subject will be: Talking Out the Side of Your Neck: Good Song or the Language of the Music Business?
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