SOHH SOULFUL
Your daily guide to hip-hop soul.
SOHH Exclusive: Soul Rebel Q&A With Bobby Valentino + Rebirth Giveaway!
Posted on February 10, 2009 3:25 PM
After being ditched by Def Jam, it's been a hard climb uphill for newly independent artist Bobby Valentino but with his new album The Rebirth in stores today his future is looking bright. Check out the latest Soul Rebel Q&A where Bobby discusses leaving DTP, working with Raphael Saadiq and why he'll never use Autotune.
Soul Rebel: I have to ask you about you single "Beep," because I've been hearing the record for awhile, but once it took off it really blew up.
Bobby V: Fruit is a Blu Kolla producer, I heard the track from him and the hook was already on there when I heard it. I was in awe because that's what I was looking for, because the beat is so ghetto but the music was so hot. I wrote some verses and I played it for a couple people and they were blown away with the record so I leaked it out and it caught and now its doing real good with the radio.
I'm just blessed. I feel like hip hop is way bigger than R&B right now. R&B is a slow grind, it's like the difference between cooking food in the microwave and cooking it in the stove. You can't really play R&B in the clubs, you can't play R&B at 5 o clock on those mixshows. When you're working you really don't want to go to work to begin with so you don't want to hear ballads all day. We have to work extra hard to get our music played, unless they're like top ten artists like a Beyonce, T-pain or Lil Wayne, their music is on the radio most of the time but a lot of artists like myself have to work a little harder to get to that level and when I get to that level then it will be my turn to shine.
SR: So you don't feel like you are a star yet?
BV: I'm just scratching the surface, people know who I am but I have a long way to go. I feel like there are other artists out there that have really had their run. Right now is T-Pain's time and ain't nobody stopping him. Beyonce, she's had her time . I feel like I haven't really had my time. I've weathered the storm and stayed consistent but I haven't had Bobby Valentino mania.
SR: I'm glad you brought Pain up because I wanted to ask you how you feel about Autotune.
BV: It's cool, I wouldn't use it because God blessed me with a great voice and I don't want to abandon my voice to fit in. Autotune is a fad, it's popular now but is it gonna be popular next year? I'm gonna stay true to who I am.
SR: Tell me about putting this album out independently on Blu Kolla/EMI?
BV: I was just stepping out on faith. I got dropped from Def Jam. It was crazy, it happened the day after my birthday. My birthday party last year was at the Luckie Lounge on February 27th and the next morning I woke up and my manager called me like 'Man we got dropped.' I told him to call me back and I went back to sleep. I called him when I woke up like 'I had a crazy dream that you called and said I got dropped.' He was like, 'That wasn't a dream, that was for real'.
This was a tough time in my life because that was my job, it was like getting fired from your job. So I went from being Bobby Valentino to being Bobby Wilson again. I'm a strong believer in God and I believe it was a test of my faith. I could have leaned on other things, drugs and drinking but I leaned on God and "Ms. Officer" came out of nowhere, "Beep" came out of nowhere and I bounced back.
When I went to DTP and told Luda and Chaka I wanted to do my own thing, they fully respected it. I kicked it 100 with them and they let me go. It hurt to read the blogs and see people saying I was stupid and done for leaving DTP. It hurt a little bit. But everything started to happen for me after that. When you are down folks will kick you but when you are up they want to be by your side. I tell everybody keep faith in God, if Obama did it you can do it too.
SR: The Rebirth is in stores today. What can you tell us about the album, who did you work with?
BV: I worked with Raphael Saadiq, it was real cool working with him. When I start my albums I always put a wish list of producers who I want to work with. Last album, the person on my wish list that was granted was Timbaland, he did "Anonymous" and working with him was good. My first album was Tim & Bob, they did the majority of my first album. This time it was Raphael Saadiq and going in the studio I didn't know what to expect but he is one of the coolest and down to earth people. I grew up on Tony! Toni! Tone!. I came up on that 90's R&B, that Jodeci, Boyz II Men and Tony!Toni!Tone! so I didn't know what to expect because he was a legend. I was worried he might be hard to work with or not into the music, just looking at it like a check because that's how some producers are when they get to that level.
I worked with a lot of new producers this time because new producers are hungry. You know how folks get when they get fame and that money. It's almost like you can't be touched, but working with Raphael Saadiq, when I say he was cool and really embraced me, he was like 'Man your writing is dope." I talk to him on a regular basis now because we really got a good relationship now. When I go in with producers I'm a real vocal person I tell them what I want. I played him some of my music like this is the direction I'm going in. I redid "Just Me and You" that was one of my favorite songs coming up, that was like the hood classic. So I redid that and it's featuring Raphael Saadiq, he did this crazy guitar solo, it's the same hook but I put new verses.
SR: Who else did you work with?
BV:L.O.S. he produced "Bed" for J.Holiday and "Trading Places" for Usher. I'm one to not do a lot of features because a lot of artists do a lot of features and the album sounds more like a mixtape, or the artist doesn't really get to shine, so I like to feature producer that are outstanding instead of featuring artists. I worked with Tim & Bob, they're really like the soul of Bobby V. Every producer I work with knows how to play live instruments. No disrespect to the dudes with the beat machines though.
When you pop in this album it really flows from beginning to end. A lot of people don't put interludes on the albums anymore. Back in the day them Jodeci albums, I used to buy the albums just for the interludes. I got interludes and all that stuff. I know I'm not the biggest artist, but I try to really stay true to myself and what my fans want and if I keep doing that, one day I'll be at the top of the totem pole.
The Rebirth in stores today!
Tracklisting:
1. The Rebirth featuring Dottie Peoples
2. Make You The Only One
3. Hands on Me
4. My Girl
5. Butterfly Tattoo
6. Just Me & You featuring Raphael Saadiq
7. Beep featuring Yung Joc
8. 3 is the New 2
9. Make You Say
10. Be My Love
11. Dance The Night Away Interlude
12. On The Edge
13. You're Not Alone
14. Stay With Me
15. Another Life
16. Give Me Your Heart
I'm giving away 5 copies of Bobby Valentino's new album. The first five people to email me at sohh.soulrebel@gmail.com with their address and the name of the group that Bobby Valentino was in will each win a copy.
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Someone saw his profile with some photos on ****sugarmingle. c om*** , where celebrities and singles hook up. He feels lonely, and wants to find a matural lady, doesn't he?