"The Fresh Prince?
Why JC Chasez is doing things differently than Justin. And how the artist formerly known as JC from 'N Sync went about serving up a CD that'll have you seeing Purple by Tom Sinclair"
http://www.ew.com/ew/repo...0_,00.html

In the last few years, alot of up and coming artists have been giving nods towards MJ, but now we are getting a turn towards Prince by people like Alicia Keys and Andre 3000 (who are now getting Grammy awards for their work), so it's not surprising that we are seeing JC to follow suit.

Stasha said:

Here ya go!

The Fresh Prince?
Why JC Chasez isdoing things differently than Justin. And how the artist formerly known as JC from 'N Sync went about serving up a CD that'll have you seeing Purple

by Tom Sinclair

Sexual energy, it has been said, is a key ingredient in the creative process. On this chill December evening in New York City, 'N Sync's JC Chasez seems hell-bent on convincing the crowd at Irving Plaza that he's as horny as he is talented. Or is it the other way around?
''All day long I dream about sex!'' he sings repeatedly, hammering home his message with single-minded intensity as six female dancers, built like high-end strippers and done up like dominatrices, bump and grind around his madly gyrating figure in a performance that's just a pelvis pump shy of an R rating. ''Y'all are makin' me feel like a stud tonight,'' a grinning Chasez pants. As if to underline the point, the singer and his band launch into a bludgeoning hard-rock take on Prince's ''Let's Go Crazy.''
One suspects it's not a totally random cover. With his bandmate Justin Timberlake being hailed as the Michael Jackson of the new millennium, Chasez (pronounced sha-ZAY, as in par-TAY) seems to be positioning himself as this era's answer to Prince, the '80s' most erotically minded pop genius and Jacko's erstwhile rival. After all, Chasez's eclectic first solo CD, ''Schizophrenic'' (due Jan. 27), showcases an unexpectedly risky -- and risqué -- musical adventurousness that Prince would likely admire. And ''Schizophrenic'''s first single, ''Some Girls (Dance With Women),'' is just the type of ''hey, wouldn't a threesome be a gas?'' meditation that used to be the Purple One's specialty.
The afternoon prior to the show, Chasez is getting his hair ironed straight for a photo shoot and talking about his new incarnation. Sure, he admits, in the wake of Timberlake's breakout success it seemed all but inevitable that Chasez -- 'N Sync's other hottie, according to sources -- would bust a solo move. Yet by Chasez's account, the decision came about almost by accident. '''N Sync was on hold, and I was on vacation,'' he says. ''I just wanted to get back to a normal life, going grocery shopping and being with my family and friends.'' Chasez, 23, was thus ''chillin''' at home in L.A. last year when he got a call from Atlanta-based producer Dallas Austin, inviting him to ''hang out in his studio and goof off and have some fun,'' maybe even record a song if the mood was right. The result was the propulsive ''Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love),'' which wound up on the soundtrack to the movie ''Drumline'' and became a modest hit. That, says Chasez, started the creative wheels turning. ''After that experience with Dallas, I was like, 'I don't have a problem making a record if I'm doing it on my terms.'''
Intriguingly, the singer chose to forgo big-gun producers such as Timbaland and the Neptunes who worked on Timberlake's "justified" -- in favor ofleft-field critics' darlings like dance-music whiz BT and Prince-inspired electronica duo Basement Jaxx. Chasez struck up an unlikely friendship with the latter group when he dropped in on one of their London recording sessions last year and wound up singing on ''Plug It In,'' a highlight of the band's current CD, ''Kish Kash.'' ''I didn't know much about 'N Sync when I met JC, so I didn't have any prejudices,'' says Simon Ratcliffe of the Jaxx. ''But the boundaries between what's cool and what's not cool have kind of blurred, haven't they? And the fact is, he is a terrific, soulful singer who understands groove and funk. He's able to bring that X factor to music.'' Chasez says he intentionally cast a wide stylistic net with ''Schizophrenic,'' which includes dance-floor jams, new-wave homages, gooey ballads, and cheese-whiz rockers. ''I wasn't going for any sound except what inspired me that day,'' he says. ''I go into my CD collection every morning when I wake up, and one day I'll choose an acid-jazz CD, the next day it'll be Busta Rhymes, and then Led Zeppelin. I'm submerged in every kind of musical culture. It depends which side of the bed I wake up on.'' Following his muse rather than the Timberlake template is a surprising (and commercially perilous) move, but it's one Chasez feels is, well, justified. ''All the cats that worked on my record were friends,'' he says. ''I didn't want to rely on a producer's name to catapult me into the spotlight. J[ustin]'s my best friend, and he's doing what works for him. And the record company understands that it's stupid to have two of the same thing. They're not interested in making carbon copies.'' But don't throw away your 'N Sync Fan Club card yet. Chasez points out that the band intends to record again, probably late this spring. ''My plan is to give everything I've got to promoting ['Schizophrenic'], and when it's had its run I'll go back and work on the next 'N Sync album,'' he says. ''Right now, I've just gotta go out there and do what I do to the best of my ability.'' Okay, stud. We'll B rooting 4 U. (Posted:01/07/04)

JC still seems like a total loser to me. I'll check out the album though, but he never struck me as particularly talented... at least Justin knows how to hire "good" (well, popular) producers and get the image right... which at least makes him entertaining, if not especially talented.

Practically every review of justin's CD or tour mentions Prince as much as it does Jackson anyway. And it is prodiced by two big Prince fans too - so not surprising.

The Neptues should do a whole Prince CD with him as co producer..
Hell why not?
Prince doesn't have anything to loose.
My opinion is he's cooking something new. It's been WAY TOO LONG and FAR TOO STILL.. in the Prince camp.
Let's HOPE he's doing somthing right for 2004
Funk? Guitar? hopefully not a second Rainbow Children. Good album though, but then again, Prince never did something twice. So that's alright...

I do have to say that JC has a nice voice that sounds better than Justin's in certain areas. And...um...yeah, that's all I have to say right now.

I like JC and all, but I don't think his album will have the success that JT's did. JC is a much better singer...

I think I will have to check out this CD. I've really enjoyed the traxx he did vocals for on the newer BT and Basement Jaxx albums...this could be a decent CD...

It couldn't be any worse than Justin's commercial pop crap

Funny thing is...I said this over 6 months ago on this board...and I got a lot of crap for this. When I heard "Blowing me up" I immead.thought of Grafitti Bridge Era Prince...


Oh well

DOROTHYPARK said:

probably because the neptunes could command up to $100k per track by now.

prince has far too much of an ego to be produced by anyone for an entire album...

am i the only one who thinks "schizophrenic" will be a great pop album?

suomynona said:

I think it will be great, and people SO wanted to hate Justified but that album is the shit and no one will just admit that.

EverlastingNow said:

Your right. That CD is shit. Oh wait, you said it is the shit. My bad.

Sorry, I thought it was crap. If I wanna hear a white Michael Jackson, I'll listen to Invincible.

JediMaster said:

"Justified" is stinky...

Jedimaster, that was so funny lol.
I LOVE Michael Jackson and i'm soo tired of everyone trying to say Justin is a "white Michael Jackson", lol Michael is his own white self. And what's with this slogan "the new King of Pop, Justin Timberlake" , he is certainly not the new King of Pop, that name is Michael's only. No one can take that away from him, that'd be like tryin to take away Elvis' title "The King" and callin some other new "popstar" that. Blah. They always wanna compare a new popstar to the Kings and Princes of the trade...(Prince is definintely a KING) and a lot of these popstars today are nowhere NEAR as talented as the REAL KINGS, who have been in the business more than 20 years! Alicia Keys has talent and she did a great job on "How come u dont call me anymore"-i explained to my 12 yr old sister, that is PRINCE's song, she was like "Really?" Kids today dont know! But as far as JC Chasez is concerned, i like his song "blowin me up" but i'll have to hear the rest of the album myself 1st to see if it is reminiscent of Prince or not. "Entertainment Weekly" may be deaf.

greatdj1 said:

you know u wouldn'y have caught shit from me cause i was saying the exact same thing and even wondered if prince had worked with him on the songor even wrote it

I know I sound like an ass-kisser here but I am still waiting for the ´new Prince´. I mean, I saw several people being compared to Prince over the last years, most of them soul/R&B acts.
But the problem is that no one is as complete as Prince as an artist. Guys like Lenny Kravitz and Beck are talented, they have personality, but not as much as Prince. Maxwell is cool (I love ´Sumthin Sumthin´) and a talented musician, but very repetitive and bland. Kurt Cobain was very innovative and unique, wrote very strong songs, but had limited musical knowledge. Prince is more versatile as a musician and songwriter.
The other neo-R&B acts dont deserve any mention...
I wish I could see a new legend being born in this decade.

GustavoRibas said:

Jc is no where close to prince

Hey GustavoRibas~I think u and i are on the same level about that! lol, yup i agree, altho i'm not waitin for a "new Prince" b/c i doubt there will ever be one...he's the one and only...and i like it that way

CHAOSMAN87 said:

of course, and he never will be but one can sound Princelike without ever being anywhere near the real thing.

KINGMJJACKSON58 said:

- Hmm...yeah, Prince is unique, and that´s one of the reasons I am a fan. But that wasn´t my point. I am not waiting for a copy of Prince, but someone who is as ´powerful´ as he is. Every great artist is unique. There will never be another James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa or Ray Charles. But then Prince appeared in this business as someone who had the same talent, without copying none of them. That´s what I meant about the ´new Prince´. A new genius, no matter in which kind of style.

Amen GustavoRibas! I like the sound of that.

EverlastingNow said:

I'll admit it! Think many have judged Justin's debut by the singles that were released off of it when many of the other tracks are superior. He's still up against all of the tired NSync back-lash. Anyway, Justified is one of the best R&B realeases in years.

GustavoRibas said:

For me, that's Rufus Wainwright. I'm fairly sure that he won't ever be a big artist but, personally, his recent music is the only thing I've heard that excites me in the way that new Prince or Joni Mitchell music always did.