Barry Michael Cooper - Jan 2006
Why do music critics still poo-poo New Jack Swing?
That's a really good question. I don't think critics really understand New Jack Swing, and I think because of the incredible success of the movie New Jack City, and Teddy Riley. Bobby Brown's, Al B. Sure!'s, Heavy D's, and Jodeci's domination of the music, they almost took it for granted. They thought it was a phase, a one time thing, so to speak. What they fail to realize is that Puffy carried the torch for New Jack Swing, and lit the next phase of it with Mary J. Blige, and even Biggie and The Lox. Take a listen to Biggie's "Warning," or Mary's first two albums, and the swing beats Dave Hall created. Even listen to producers like Swizz Beats with somebody as far away from NJS as you can get...DMX, and that's all Teddy Riley. Listen to Kanye's "Golddigger" - that's Teddy Riley, man! That's New Jack Swing! So the critics are listening to NJS right now...they just don't realize it.
Do you like modern R&B?
I like some of it: I love Pharrell/Chad from the Neptunes, and Kanye. I know that sounds like a weird answer, but the music they are doing is retrofitted R&B, and I think it is really creative. With Kanye's sped-up samples and slowed down swing beats, I call that "munchkin-funk," because of the falsetto-on-helium sound. With the Neptunes, they have some really inspired chord changes, like Marvin Gaye and Al Green, that airy, almost gothic sounding, 'otherness' of R&B from the '70s. I also like some of John Legend, I think he is really talented. Anthony Hamilton, though, is the king of this modern R&B: he is The Man! He reminds me a bit of Bill Withers and Bobby Womack, but he is definitely his own man, as he has a great heart and mind for singing and really poetic and moving songwriting. I also like a guy from London named Omar - I really like him. Omar is bananas.
Who do you think Teddy's main influences were in the late '80s and early '90s?
I know he liked Kraftwerk and Roger Troutman and Weather Report, and Herbie Hancock. Those are some of the people he mentioned to me when I interviewed him. And he loved Michael Jackson and the producer who worked with him on the great Off The Wall and Thriller albums, Rod Temperton. But I think Teddy is a real genius, and his music is just a gift from God.
Since NJS was all about fun and was very danceable stuff as well, do you see the current contemporary urban scene ever returning to something similar as opposed to the slow jams and in my opinion, quite formularized releases today?
Yeah, and I think this fantastic NJS website is going to be the catalyst. The more parties and tours Andrew and Vijay create, the music will come back, and the movement will live on.
What do you think was the main reason for R&B artists completely abandoning uptempo music in the mid-90s?
The West Coast Sound: Dr. Dre, Dr. Dre, Dr. Dre! The guy is brilliant, hands down. His sound is almost like classical music, and it is so wild how when that music died down, he really got a hit again with Teddy and Blackstreet on "No Diggity." And I think they have a mutual respect for each other. The West Coast
Funk was laid back, it was funky, and it was dark. But it wasn't so much the music, as it was the outlaw (the Crip/Blood movement) lifestyle that came with it, and the access it created -- believe it or not -- to usher in Southern rap, which had been happening for years. But (Southern rap) really got an all-access pass with the phenomenal success of Dre, Snoop, and Death Row.
What are your views of the indie label R&B scene today?
I think that's the only way to go -- independant -- for great R&B to thrive. Someone to look out for is the singer-musician-producer Jeff Redd -- who blew up on Andre Harrell's label Uptown, went on to re-ignite the careers of K-Ci and JoJo with the 9 million plus Love Always, which Redd exec produced -- who has his own label, Sol Real. He has a roster of acts getting ready to take the world by storm, including Forever and Black Rose. This is the beginning of the beginnng. And I think Sol Real is going to lead the way.
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