A group of guys in the 80’s were working together at McDonalds and found out that they had great singing voices in common. So to help the time pass, they began harmonizing with each other, singing gospel songs and other songs they created and arranged. It was then they realized they were something special. These five guys became the group we know today as SILK.
The group is back with a smashing new single “Love 4 U 2 Like Me” and a forthcoming album appropriately titled Quiet Storm. These brothers crossed our ears for the first time singing lyrics like, “ Let me lick you up and down, till you say stop” and “ there’s a meeting in my bedroom” when cats weren’t singing like that on the radio. And they’re also back with the true love songs, songs that don’t get mainstream play anymore.
Check out our interview with three of Silk’s members: John John, Kimzo, and Jimmy, as they talk about their beginnings, honoring women, their new single, and the forthcoming album Quiet Storm (which you can pre-order HERE).
SR: Silk, How are you brothers doing?
Silk: We’re doing well, thank you for asking.
SR: If you guys will, Please introduce yourself
Silk: You got Kimzo…. You got John John….and you got Jimmy, and we are Silk.
SR: We appreciate you taking time out for this interview with Singersroom. You got old school fans and you got new school fans, and it’s great to hear you guys still doing what you do and putting out great songs. Remind us how Silk got started, where you’re from, and where the name came from.
Jimmy: What’s up Singersroom you got the group Silk here… Kimzo, John John, and Jimmy. Shout out to Big G and Little G and basically, we came about working in McDonalds in Atlanta, we are all from Atlanta. It’s our hometown and me and John John basically got together and started our group Silk, and that’s where we started. Singing and working, cooking burgers and mopping floors.
John John: Yea that’s basically how it happened. We were back there working and found out each other could sing, and we didn’t have a name at that particular time, all we knew was we wanted to sing and form a group. So every day after work, we would get together and sing and do acapella and try to come up with different names and so we finally settled on the name Silk because people always said our voices and harmonies were smooth and intricate, and silk is smooth, so we were like let’s try Silk. So we did a lot of talent shows around Atlanta and by the grace of God, we won a lot of them. Soon after that, we met Keith Sweat at one of our old manager’s barbeques and he heard us in the basement singing acapella and harmonies and gospel songs and other songs we came up with and arranged, and he wanted to get involved, and that’s where it all started.
SR: What brings you back to the studio in 2016?
Jimmy: It was well overdue, we definitely have a lot of fans who enjoy our style of music. We were doing a lot of touring and was blessed to stay on the road for so many years. So it was at a point in our lives to give back to the fans what they have been waiting on for so many years, and that’s a new record. We stayed in our lane and didn’t try to change up on a lot of things and give the fans what they remember especially with this new record that we have out called Quiet Storm. I think everybody’s gonna love it and the single “Love 4 U 2 Like Me.” Once they get the record, which is going to be released on March 18th, I feel that everybody will enjoy it, they’ll remember what we have done in the past, and I feel like they won’t miss a beat on the new music. Classic Silk!!
SR: I’d like to ask you, what’s different recording now than it was when you recorded starting out? The recording industry has changed so much over the years. What’s changed from then to now?
Jimmy: The difference to me is, we were able to drop a song called “Freak Me,” it then changed the game to more sexual content on the radio. It wasn’t a lot of sexual content on the radio at the time and we were saying “freak me, baby, let me lick you up and down,” that was a big deal. We kinda changed the game with artists like R. Kelly and even Keith Sweat. Our new album still a more sexual album, but it’s more mature. We are more mature in our lyrics now.
John John: For me as far as the process, the process is a little easier. Back then, you had to go in and do a lot of takes, but now I think the process is easier to record overall, but as far as the passion, it’s still there and important to maintain to get the results that you want, and for us that has never left.
SR: Working on this Quiet Storm album, what was your goal?
John John: I think one of the goals was to stay true to our craft and to give our fans that great “baby making” music and that great love music, and that true “Silk” R&B blueprint, and not stray away from that.
Kimzo: We tried to get out of this record back to the love-making, and like Little G, always says, “the set up.” A lot of music today goes straight to the hittin’ and straight to the bedroom, you know, and we try to focus on setting it up and then getting to the bedroom, you know? The foreplay! That’s what our fans expect from us, and we try to continue to give the fans what they expect when it comes to our record. We feel like our music makes families, makes relationships and makes a whole lot of babies ( laughs), and so we just got to stick to that chemistry.
SR: Ok so now the single, “Love 4 U 2 Like Me,” great recording.
Silk: Thank you, we appreciate that.
SR: Who wrote the song, and talk to us about the feedback you’ve been receiving from it.
Jimmy: As far as the song itself, it was produced by a guy named Wiley Morris who stays right here in Atlanta. He produced Charlie Wilson before us, and when we went to him, he was like, “man I’d like to see y’all do some songs like this. And he played the track and a couple more joints that he’s got on the album, and as a producer, he would stress to us as well how the love and the chivalry is gone in the music, and we gotta help bring it back, and that’s how it came about. “Love for you to like me” I would love for you to like me … you know.. and we jumped on it immediately. As far as the response, we’ve gotten great reviews, the fans are loving the song and loving the idea of it. We’re trying to take back to where it’s all about the ladies in a chivalrous way, because the women are the foundation of the world and make the world go round.
Kimzo: Yeah, and we want them [women] to like us first!
Jimmy: It’s a song on the album entitled “Billionaire” and you would think we’re talking about money, but we’re talking about the riches of love and what a woman brings to a man when she can love a man, and she makes you feel like money.
SR: Again, we appreciate you brothers taking the time for this interview. We love the single “Love 4 U 2 Like Me,” and look forward to the album Quiet Storm dropping on March 18th. On behalf of Singersroom and your fans out here, thanks for bringing the “set up” back to love-making music. Peace brothers.
Silk: Thank Singersroom and all the fans for having and supporting us.
