Knowing listeners will be quick to compare him to his older brother John Legend, crooner Vaughn Anthony has taken the time to perfect his skills, grow his resume and differentiate himself from his kin. As Anthony gears up for the release of his debut album, he will support the project by first releasing a mixtape entitled ‘Life of a Player.’
Becoming Full Time Singer… I started to go into singing around 2004/2005. I was working in a factory at that time and my brother happen to make it to stardom. That inspired and lit a fire under me to also try and pursue something and use my talents. So I decided to sing and that is when I started pursuing music as a career.
Life’s Mentorship… A lot of things that I have learned are because I actually lived it. Me singing background for my brother; I was able to go out and actually be on the road physically and learn that way. As far as advice, he would give me advice, managers would give me advice and so on and so forth. I would say most of my experience came from living it. Living the life.
Ready Now… I just feel like me finding my niche and finding who I am as an artist and sticking with it. Not worrying about other people’s opinion and just really doing me. That and also life, as you grow older the wiser you get. That also played a part in mainly believing who I am, not really caring about other people’s opinions about how I sound or how I write or how I do a melody or how I do my backgrounds.
Feedback Holding You Back… Of course me and my brother sounding alike, also it was the way I approached things. Like I would approach each song with different characters as far as voices. If it was an upbeat joint, I would do what is my upbeat voice or if it was a soft song I would be soft. Some people were like you have to pick a lane, I’m like every lane is there to jump in. I jump in everywhere. The whole thing about it is if people stop sitting around worrying about how I sound or what lane I’m in and just respect the music as good music then we won’t have no problems (laughter).
Theme of Mixtape… The theme of it is the life of a player. The ups and downs, the fortunes and misfortunes, the playing of the hearts with women and being totally honest of hearts being touched to a certain extent…every aspect of being a player from my view.
Player vs. Pimp… A pimp has his shorties and he get that paper and do what he do. I feel like that is a little more abuse than a player. Me for instance, [I] just play game, play with hearts, say things you don’t mean just to get what you want.
Win vs. Loss Player Stats… I got a nice roster. Life is full of wins and losses but I won most of the time because I’m a winner but I also lost as well.
Unafraid to Show Falls… Songs like “In Your Shoes” with Olivia is like a lost. What would I do in your shoes? The lost is you got your feelings wrapped up in somebody and you ain’t suppose to but that happens though.
Albums vs Mixtape… The album is more sensual. I set you up with the ‘Life of the Player.’ [The album] is more catered to the women, [with] true love songs, songs that are heartfelt. I am trying to change the world day by day, one day at a time. I just want to put out pure love songs, pure songs so that way we can start changing some minds around here. I think our thought process is mixed up with chain this or b-tch this, my whip is icy, my chain is icy. I just feel like we missing meat in the music.
‘Life of Player’ Mimic Negativity… It does, it is life. Everybody has experienced something. Some crack heads that are now not crack heads when they talk about their life they have to talk about the crack. So when I talk about my life I got to talk about being a player, cause who I was and sometimes I still do play. In my heart I want to do something totally different but you act out certain things.
Defining a True Love Song… It has to be the right words. For instance I wrote this song called “Last Forever” the words are “sweet pie you bend to me/And I can’t get enough of you baby/Pot of gold you are to me/finest wine in loving you is easy so easy/running wild and I couldn’t see all the while you’re in front of me/season came and we see them go/weather storms like the wind it blows/not the same this time will be I will do things differently/I am showing words that I would not say/ I am satisfied in loving you” Basically it is pure words that mean something, words to move forward not backward. Not know let me lick you up and down, let’s have hot sex. All that is going to come but you have to say those loving words and words that mean something. So that is what I would call a pure love song.
Love Don’t Mean What It Use To… What we call love now a days ain’t really love. Love last forever, infatuation or lust are temporary cause once you hit the booty and the booty get old and sloppy and got extra dimples in it or whatever then things start to change and it begins to test you. Most cats who fall into that end up leaving their shortie. When it is love it is there regardless of how a person looks, how a person smells in the morning, how bad their breath [smells], how bad their hair look it don’t matter. It is just going through the trenches cause it is love.
—— By: Interview By Adeniyi Omisore
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