Glenn Lewis appeared on Scoop B Radio Overtime with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Courtesy of: PT Cruiser USA

Man, I remember during my time in college in the Philadelphia-area at Eastern University. My Windows Media Player on my laptop was stuck on everything neo-soul. Jill Scott, Allen Anthony, Floetry,  Musiq Soulchild.

Yup, that was the early 2000s! Cool as the other side of the pillow, it was.

I also missed one name: Glenn Lewis. He repped Philly to the fullest EXCEPT he wasn’t from Philly!

Dude is Canadian! A Juno award winning and Grammy nominated singer, Lewis had some hits!

Beautiful Eyes, Lonely, Closer, This Love and Better With Time easily come to mind. BUT, his coup de gras will always be: Don’t You Forget It.

But wait, back to this from Philly thing! Glenn Lewis how the heck do we have folks like you and Floetry confused with Philadelphia neo soul singers? “It’s kinda hard to put it into words, but I think it’s just one of them things,” Glenn Lewis told me on a recent episode of Scoop B Radio.

Check out Glenn Lewis and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson via Scoop B Radio Overtime

“I personally grew up loving the Philly international sound from my parents playing certain music around the house, like a lot of classic R&B. So I think just sorta having that influence and the same thing with like Marsha Ambrosius, Natalie Stewart, and Floetry I think we all just grew up with great R&B music being played around the house. And even developing our own taste and coming up in like high school listening to like Guy, Boyz 2 Men and Joe. I think you  just, just kind of getting into the whole energy, synergy of Philly.”

Glenn Lewis speaks more on the jawn that is Philadelphia:

“It was natural and you know everybody out there, just the vibe that was bubbling, you know. Everybody just embraced us. It was really family oriented, man it was a great time for music and all the artists that was coming out of, they were still competitive. We all pushed each other.”

Glenn Lewis fondly remembers why R&B as a whole was so dope coming out of Philly. He also speaks reverently of a time working in the same studio as Musiq Soulchild:

“I remember nights being in the studio with Musiq being in the other room,” Glenn Lewis said. “Matter of fact, even when I was recording “Don’t You Forget It,” him coming in the next room and looking into the booth, And I’m like standing there like: ‘dude I’m tryna get in my zone, I’m trynna you know cut this record.’ You know, he’s standing there just looking into the booth, it was cool though. It was a good thing. It was kinda like that reminder like: ‘Yo you gotta come with it.’  So it was always a good energy like down in touch of jazz. It was a really momentous time for me, I feel like just in music, just the impact you know; D’Angelo and Erykah [Badu] and everybody that was coming through Philly. It was a great time for music.”

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The post Scoop B: Glenn Lewis Reminisces About Philly Neo-Soul Era With Musiq Soulchild, Erykah Badu & Marsha Ambrosius appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In a transient, media driven world it’s nice to take time and reflect. On this day, April 2, 76 years ago, the birth of Marvin Gaye would forever change the face of music for generations to come. Gaye’s gift includes some of Motown’s greatest hits like “How Sweet It Is,” “Let’s Get It On,” “I heard It Through The Grapevine” etc. and while Gaye (and the music world as a whole) was dealt an untimely departure, his legacy will remain and thrive though not just his words, but as an inspiration to some of the greats and newcomers alike. With his timeless work echoing through the halls of places like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Marvin Gaye has truly been a musical innovator and his rhythmic contribution is something that will last for eternity. R.I.P Marvin.

The post Remembering Marvin Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

There were a lot of happy fans when D’Angelo announced his new album “Black Messiah“(2015) recently. D’Angelo has been on a roll with many performances around the world. From hitting the stage this past summer at the 2014 AfroPunk Festival in Brooklyn, NYC and even stages in London, UK. Sugah Daddy still has that famous neo-soul sound we all love about D’Angelo. The track is being released as part of the Red Bull‘s 20Before15 series. D’Angelo is set to release the album this weekend at a listening party in NYC. Stay tuned for more information and releases in regards to “Black Messiah“, in the meantime check out “Sugah Daddy“:

The post NEW MUSIC: D’ANGELO MAKES STRONG COMEBACK “SUGAH DADDY” SHORTLY AFTER ANNOUNCING NEW ALBUM! appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

This isn’t an introduction in the sense that Meshell Ndegeocello’s career is just beginning. It’s more of an in media res introduction to a career that you might have had the misfortune of missing. Meshell recently sat down with us (at her computer) to tell us how her career developed and where it’s going, among other things. Here’s your chance to catch up.

First, it is important to note the “musician” in Meshell Ndgeocello’s title. Though she’s frequently associated with the genre “neo-soul,” Meshell eschews that category and all musical categories in general. For Meshell, neo-soul is nothing but the vapid result of record labels trying to comprehend an unfamiliar sound. Accordingly, she doesn’t identify as a neo-soul artist. She is simply a musician.

Typically, artists who shun categories in order to play up their creative licenses are either delusional, dishonest, or both. Meshell isn’t affiliated with any of those groups. As indicated by multiple Grammy nominations, several genre-defying albums and an openness regarding her personal views, her career has been characterized by experimentation, honesty and acclaim.

Though Meshell has enjoyed this freedom and the opportunities it has brought her, she acknowledges its costs. In fact, she openly admits, “I have had to compromise commercial success… I chose music over money.” Some might consider this compromise a poor decision, but Meshell views it as enabling: “Music is a creative, meandering, soul-searching experience and pop music is dilution and mass and broad. It’s great too, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t what I do and I guess I was just lucky enough to know that from the get.” Without the compromises she made at the beginning of her career, Meshell wouldn’t have had that career in the first place.

In a word, openness has certainly characterized Meshell’s career. But as she’s gotten older, this openness has changed just as much as her music. For instance, while sex and relationships are still common themes of her works, her newer songs approach these themes very differently than her older ones. “I wish I never had to play an old song,” she says, acknowledging her changing outlook. There’s one particular song that she’ll never, ever play: “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night).  Meshell attributes both her distaste for old songs and her mercy (up to a certain point!) towards the fans who love them, as a product of change. The Meshell of 2012 is different from the Meshell of 1993. To consider them one entity would be limiting and we all know how she feels about limits.

That being said, the Meshell of 2012 and the Meshell of 1993 are not distant relatives. They are more like estranged cousins. Though she feels uncomfortable when she sings it, Meshell’s song “Fool of Me,” a track from her third LP, Bitter, continues to make her setlists because she loves to perform it. Another thing that the estranged Meshells have in common is a continued drive to make music. In fact, Meshell says that they both make music with the same frequency. Some things never change.

In the end, Meshell Ndgeocello is an artist that you definitely want to get to know. While many artists continue to make music because of a desire to “stay relevant,” Meshell makes music because she wants to. In her words, “the prize is in the process.” Once musicians and the music industry process those words of wisdom, Meshell predicts we’ll see some changes. In fact, she already sees those changes manifesting in artists like The Quakers. Wow, look at yourself. You met one artist and you’re already meeting more. This introduction is over. You can take it from here.

The post Introducing Meshell Ndgeocello, Musician appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

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