RL has been able to maintain his sound and sexy from the time he hit the scene with Next until now. The ladies love him and he knows it. However, RL has come up working hard at writing and performing. He is a seasoned artist that has been trained and developed for success. We had the opportunity to chop it up with this artist that has maintained longevity and the ability to speak to a broad audience with his music. Check it out.
Making Music For The Masses … My target audience is so vast. You can’t really put an age on my demographic. The music I make and Next made was timeless. I want to focus on my company and writing. If you really think about it, the game is changing but is it really changing for the better?
I'm Like Kobe In This Music Game … I think the quality of music has changed. There is no artist development. These new artists are not put in the position where they can get better. They have a bunch of great songs but they don’t have a direction. Comparing me to these young artists is like comparing Kobe Bryant to these new cats. He came up the hard way and I came up the hard way. He could baby sit these new cats and that’s how I feel when they compare me to these new artists. My fade away is crazy!
Dream Team … If I had to pick a dream team in regards to music it would have to be the guys I came in with. It wasn’t me who made us great it was the combination and the chemistry. I can’t even imagine being in a group without those guys. Right now I’m focusing on my career but I can never say never to another album with Next.
The Stage Is My Home … I feel more comfortable on stage then anywhere else. I feel that the stage is where I am supposed to be. People are expecting me to sound different or look different. I feel like I’m better then when I started. People say I look the same when they see me. I love when people look at me and are surprised that I look the same. Some people that came in with me do not look the same.
Healthy Tips … For me it’s all about what you put in. I haven’t had beef or pork for years. I work out five days a week. I get the proper rest my body needs. I am not out there doing things I am not supposed to do.
Me, Myself & I … I listen to me! I study myself to see how I can improve and what I need to work on. The music I am listening to now is Kevin McCall’s mixtape. But I listen to everything that comes out to see how things are changing. I want to know the new trends and styles.
Twin City Sound … I can’t describe our style of music because I was part of it. We had to work extra hard coming from the Minnesota. I tell people that I would even sing happy birthday at a funeral if I had to. In Minnesota, we do not have a lot of outlets and platforms so you have to compete with all types of music. You have to be the best at what you do. I do not play an instrument but my voice is my instrument. I can do a lot of different things with my voice. We focus on the art and craft of the music.
I Love Seeing People Happy … Right now I am working on putting out some of my other artists on my label. I want to be a positive influence on other people around me. I want to help my core circle. I love seeing other people happy.
Defining R&B … A lot of R&B out here I don’t really consider R&B. But that is up to me to change. I have to make that real R&B that the people love. We had one of the biggest songs out but were not nominated. I’m not sure about the year but Usher was nominated for "My Way" but he had better songs on his album. When you go to court they say that you should be judged by your peers. However, when your “peers” look nothing like you and have nothing in common with you they may not understand where you’re coming from. If the Grammy board is not made up of people that understand the music the music will not be well represented. That’s why I put in my ballot to make that change. You can't complain if you are not putting your ballot in.
Rappers Or Singers … You have a lot of R&B artists that want to be rappers. They listen to a lot of the rap music in the studio and feel that they have to be hard like the rappers. They are trying to be something that they are not. It’s cool to talk about ladies, relationships and sex without being hard. I know I am not trying to be a gangster.
Being Real To The Fans … Cats are trying to be what they are not. You might have a couple of hits but at the end of the day you have to be yourself or eventually people will see through it all. You have to be authentic and organic. The fans want to be able to relate to you.
Collaborations … For collaboration I am probably going to get Royce The 5'9 from Slaughter House. I worked with an artist called Tayler J. But I don't like to do a lot of features because I never liked people to use a features as a crutch.
Favorites
Sport – Football & Basketball
Video game – Call of Duty
Place to travel – Australia … I love the weather and it’s like NYC.
Dish – Mitzvah Ball Soup
Sneaker – Lebron’s even though it’s hard to say since I’m a Kobe fan.
“There is nothing like a black woman. The same thing I like when I look in the mirror is the same thing I like when I see my black women. I like how strong black women are.”
