Jon B | Interview (2004)

Aries (T M H): First off I want to say happy birthday Jon.
Jon B: Aww thanks man I really appreciate it. I'm getting older, I'm 30 now (laughs).

Aries (T M H): How do you think your artistry has grown since your debut album Bonafide?
Jon B: Well as a human being you grow. As I go through life I apply my life to my music. It's more comfortable. I've been in some relationships, the work it takes to keep a relationship & all those things make my artistry grow as I get older. Those things add to the music lyrically. Plus times are changing, I'm learning every year. I lost my studio in a fire and I lost everything, instruments I had since I was 12 years old. So it has taken me some time to get things back together. I lost instruments and things, but I didn't lose my ideas, so I'm stronger.

Aries (T M H): Through The Fire is very personal and my favorite track from the new album, did you find it difficult to capture all that emotion in one track?
Jon B: Thanks man. Yeah I found it difficult. I mean the emotion and all of the pain I went through. You know to me the track is spooky like (laughs). Like a gray day, not a sunny day in the city at all. Like going into the city and seeing some fean and some kats with booze, that's what I see on that record. But on the flip side, like the president of a company in a hotel suite depressed. With a prostitute on the bed (laughs). I needed Scarface on that track, he rips shit. His voice and energy just fitted perfectly for that joint.

Aries (T M H): When was Part 2 recorded? And was Tupac's verse recorded specifically for that track?
Jon B: Tupac's verse is actually from a song called "Happy Home," it was released on his "R U Still Down" CD shortly after he passed. He recorded that song when he was 25 or 26 and it was produced by Johnny J who is a producer who never really got love like he should have. I actually first heard the song at Afeni's house (Tupac's Mother). I went to Tupac's memorial down in Atlanta and Afeni asked me to stop by the house after. When I got there she played me some tracks by him that he had played for her and wanted her to listen to. She played me the song and told me a story about how he wouldn't normally play tracks for her because of the content of his rhymes, but he played her this track and it made her happy. So I really felt honored to be able to use a verse from it for the track.

Aries (T M H): Which artists/producers would you like to work with in the future?
Jon B: Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, Usher, Beyonce and Destiny's Child. Some of the top names in the industry. Jadakiss and I just love Juvenile & I would like to work with him. I'm loving the music coming out of the south like the production of Jazze Pha and his work with Ciara. T.I. is also making some great music. "Are You Still Down" was really the first R&B/Hip-Hop record that had a singer and a rapper sharing verses back to back. It wasn't the regular formula of the singer doing the verses and then the rapper would come in later. It was a verse by the singer, then the rhyme by the rapper. I would love to do more songs like that. I love Hip-Hop.

Aries (T M H): What is the most frustrating aspect of being a recording artist?
Jon B: The bullshit that goes along with it. Promoting yourself to the next level. Having the light you want to be shined on you instead of the light the media wants to shine on you. Basically not to be made to look like an idiot.

Aries (T M H): What are your five favorite songs that you have recorded from you catalogue?
Jon B: This is coming off the top of my head, let's see. Through The Fire, Burning 4 You from the Bonafide album. Cool/Relax, Can't Help it and What in the world. I have a lot of favorites that I recorded with rappers that a lot of people don't know about. Like with Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg. A lot of soundtrack songs that didn't really jump off. That's some of my best work to me. It's amazing for me to work with people that I look up to and are such big fans of like Jay-Z. One of the best songs I've done was with Jay & CoKo for the Hav Plenty soundtrack.

Aries (T M H): If you could form an R&B male group with 2 other artists, who would you pick?
Jon B: I'm really feeling Carl Thomas and I would also pick Mario Winans. I would want to be in one with other male artists who play instruments as well. Like Brian McKnight, D'Angelo, Donell Jones, R. Kelly and Raphael Saadiq. I would love to open up for Alicia Keys on tour, I think that would be hot!

Aries (T M H): Any ideas of what the next single is or may be?
Jon B: The next single is What I Like About U with Babyface. It's going to be interesting to revisit that again. Hopefully we can get Babyface to be in the video (laughs). It's looking like we're going to do the remix with Jadakiss. I just saw him in NY and he said when are we going to make history JB (laughs). So hopefully we pull that together and get that out.

Aries (T M H): What are your thoughts on the current promotion and marketing of your new album, by your new label?
Jon B: Well see I'm doing the work, with the interviews and things of that nature. So I'm just hoping for the best. I mean there could be more posters or ads and things like that, so people know about the album. But at the same time things that are thrown in your face too much can hurt you also. If it's banged over your head too much. People come up to me all the time and ask what is going on with the promotion for my album. I mean I'm not going to be dropped by my label for them saying I'm egotistic or hard to work with or things like that. The thing people need to understand is the hardest part is getting the album in the stores and actually released. My album is in the stores, I've been to record stores and seen it on the shelves, so now all I can do is sit back & hope for the best and hope the music speaks for itself.

Aries (T M H): How was it producing tracks for Arissa Hill from the Real World Las Vegas?
Jon B: (laughs) Wow, how did you know about that?

Aries (T M H): (Laughs), we at T M H have our ways.
Jon B: (laughs) Man she is super cool and a dope MC. We hooked up in Vegas and she promoted a party for me. She flowed at the party and I was like, wow. She came up to me and was like she didn't know much about the industry or anything like that but she really respected my music & wanted to work with me. We went to my studio and started working on some music and recorded some records that are hot!

Aries (T M H): Any plans to work with Faith Evans again in the near future, "Overjoyed" was such a beautiful song?
Jon B: Oh man thank you so much. It was such an honor to work with Faith. She is without a doubt one of my favorite vocalist. She is such a joy and she knows what's up, anytime she wants to work together again. Her last album Faithfully is still in my CD player. It's an honor to say we even worked together. I mean she did like 13 takes for the song and it was so hard for me to pick the one to put on the track, her voice is just amazing.

Aries (T M H): What other things do you see yourself doing in the next 5 years?
Jon B: I want my own label. I want to be like people like P. Diddy. When I first came out I had a different opinion of P. Diddy. I was like he is not a producer he is more of a DJ than producer. I can't lie I was not a P. Diddy fan (laughs). We tried to work together before and that didn't work. Now he has grown and he is really making big moves and doing some great things.

Aries (T M H): Any last words for your fans?
Jon B: Just stay with me, this is just the beginning. This generation is so great. I mean we all grew up on the same shit and like the same shit. Pop, soul, rock, rap, country, jazz, you name it. I plan to do it all. I'm going to do some rock and jazz in the near future. Just keep supporting Jon B.