Pit5 Music News Cache

Monday - July 3, 2006

— by Todd A. Thomas

Who would've thought that after Usher dropped Confessions that any male R&B singer could show their face on the scene? Yet one by one, from Chris Brown to Trey Songz, the world got repopulated with male R&B solo acts.

And then, another newcomer named Kev Samples came along to the R&B frenzy. However, this guy came on the scene with a mixtape called The Death Of R&B. And if anyone's heard it, you probably were caught off guard by Kev dissin' on your favorite R&B star. Behind the wild mixtape is a man who claims The Death of R&B is one of many pieces in his game plan. In fact, he's so sincere about his crusade that he even played his mixtape for T-Pain's A&R's. No big deal? Well, T-Pain is one of many artists he mocked on the mixtape. Ballerstatus.net sat down to find out more about Kev's guerilla warfare strategy on the R&B world to find out if he's a gimmick or the real deal.

Ballerstatus.net: You're originally from ATL, so how did you end up linking up with DJ Whoo Kidd?

Kev Samples: I hooked up with DJ Whoo Kid through my marketing firm.

Ballerstatus.net: What made you want to come out with The Death of R&B?

Kev Samples: I wanted to do this one first to challenge R&B. You know, to challenge R&B to do more. R&B just really needs more excitement, more fun, more stuff for people to grab on to. You know R&B singers, they don't own record labels, they don't have shoes, they don't have clothing lines. Rappers have clothing lines and rappers get movies. And that's because rap is fun, rap is exciting, and rap is ever evolving. It's always a new style of rap somebody's trying something different in rap. So, I basically did the mixtape first as a prelude to my album just to challenge R&B.

Ballerstatus.net: Who makes you the judge of R&B? What pisses you off so much about R&B?

Kev Samples: Well rappers turned singers. Singers are supposed to be singers. Singers aren't supposed to be rappers. Rappers can sing on hooks you know, but rappers are pretty much supposed to be rappers. I never heard of a rapper turned singer and you can hear the rap in the music. You know, it's like, "Come on dog, and you're in love with a stripper?" Sh--t like that just pisses me off. Music used to be more than that. R&B used to be about love and about feelings. Singers like Marvin Gaye, singers like Smokey Robinson, singers like R Kelly, singers like Usher, singers like John Legend...none of those guys ever thought about rapping you know.

Ballerstatus.net: Have you seen any of the R&B singers who you attacked on the mixtape since it's release?

Kev Samples: I haven't bumped into these cats. I did bump into T-Pain's A&R's and they heard the record I did against T-Pain.

Ballerstatus.net: And there reaction was?

Kev Samples: Well, they didn't really have a reaction one-way or the other. They pretty much was just shocked. They had a reaction to the two songs they heard before it got to T-Pain like, "Ooh you dissin' on Jamie Foxx," then it was "Ooh you dissin on Ne-Yo," but they was shocked when it got to T-Pain. So, I haven't heard from any of these guys, but I'm sure one of them heard it, or heard about it.

Ballerstatus.net: You know how 50 Cent came out with "How to Rob" and there was a buzz he created in the underground? Are you trying to follow the same route by creating a buzz first? Or do you genuinely feel that R&B needs a change?

Kev Samples: I genuinely feel that R&B needs a change. I'm coming in with a strategic plan. I'm coming in to challenge R&B. You know that's one of the misconceptions about Kev...that I'm just some R&B thug dissin' on kats tryin' to get some attention. I'm an intelligent person; I have a college degree. I'm coming into this with a strategic plan. This is my, "HEY EVERYBODY! Now that I have your attention, let's do more." I'm way too intelligent to not have a plan. I want to do more then just blow up as a singer. I'm 25-years-old, so the games are over. I own my label right now and I'm already have talks to Adidas to do endorsements stuff with them. I'm going to have a clothing line because I own my company.

Ballerstatus.net: What school did you go too?

Kev Samples: I went to The University of Georgia where I got my degree in Chemistry.

Ballerstatus.net: Damn Chemistry, are you serious?

Kev Samples: Yeah.

Ballerstatus.net: So what made you want to venture into music?

Kev Samples: Well, when I was in college, I used to do all the little talent shows and stuff. I won a lot of talent shows there. And then I got an opportunity to open for OutKast. One year I opened for 112. I opened for Ludacris just by winning talent shows. And then when I was with my cousin -- Dwight Howard's business manager, you know he was the number one pick in the NBA draft in 2004 -- so it kinda just showed me the whole world of entertainment. I wanted to be a part of that. So, between the music in college, and seeing the entertainment world through Dwight, that's how I got onto the music trail.

Ballerstatus.net: Tell me about this album you have coming out in September.

Kev Samples: That album is going to be incredible. I'm not just saying that because of me. I'm saying that because of it's a lot of musicians on this album. There's a lot of heart and a lot of soul that a lot of people put in this record -- a lot of high quality people. I'm working with Scott Storch, Cool & Dre, Red Spyda and Shay Taylor (the dude who produced the Ne-Yo "When You're Mad" track). There's a big feature with Lupe Fiasco. I also got a feature with Petey Pablo. There's writer's like Ryan Tobey, Pooh Bear and Rel from Def Jam, so there's a lot of music on this record. It's going to be incredible. I'm doing it real big.

Ballerstatus.net: So no catchy hooks or nothing like that?

Kev Samples: I mean, you know, there's gonna be some things that catch your attention. There's gonna be things that'll grab you, but in all of it, there'll be music. I'm a musician; I study music, so you'll be hearing that.

Ballerstatus.net: Can I call you out if I hear a bunch of catchy hooks and stuff like that?

Kev Samples: Please call me out. If you don't hear harmony, if you don't hear different lyrics, if you don't hear concept records and if you hear the same things you been hearing then please call me out.

Ballerstatus.net: You know, I really liked "So Sick," so I was surprised when you got at him for that one.

Kev Samples: Ne-Yo...I actually like Ne-Yo and I actually like that song. And I was sick of hearing it, that's why I did that song. But in challenging R&B, even though I like this guy and like his song, I can't come to him praising him if I want him to listen to me. Like, I want R&B to do more. I want Ne-Yo to get a label. I want him to do more then what he's doing. I'd rather him not like me then not respect me because then he's not going to listen to what I gotta say.

Ballerstatus.net: You got a big fan base down in ATL?

Kev Samples: Yeah. I got my peopz down there who definitely know who Kev Samples is.

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