The Buzz
By Mr. Jawn Murray, Black Voices
Learning The Hard Way

Tevin Campbell came on the music scene in 1989 when he was 11 years old. Like other child stars, Campbell’s wild ways and immaturity landed him in some trouble along the way.

In 1999, several months after his fourth album bowed, Campbell was arrested in Los Angeles for what was reported to be soliciting an undercover police officer, as well as possessing a small amount of marijuana.

When I caught up with Campbell recently at Los Angeles’ famous Roscoe's House of Chicken ‘N’ Waffles, the singer told me that much of what was reported about his run-in with the law was inaccurate.

“Some stories were true, and some were not true,” explained Campbell. “They were making up a lot of stuff, and the made-up stuff is really what annoys me. But that’s what happens when you do stuff that’s not right.”

Campbell, now 28, acknowledges that at that point in his career, he was spinning out of control. He won’t clarify what exactly happened on that day nearly five years ago, but he teased, “If you really want to know what happened, you’ll have to wait until I write my book. I’m going to save it all and tell it then.”

Something Campbell was willing to chat about was his fallout with Wyclef Jean. Jean worked on Campbell’s 1999 self-titled CD, but during a 106 & Park appearance several years later, The Fugees member mentioned Campbell was the least favorite of the artists he’s produced.
“It started out good,” recalled Campbell, “but then there was one night when I had too much to drink. I had, like, eight cosmopolitans in one sitting, and I went to the studio and said some things that were inappropriate because I was drunk.”

Exactly what was said to make Jean have such animosity toward Campbell?
“There was one song I didn’t like, and I said some things about the song. I said some bad stuff. Then I was talking to my mom and said some things that were disrespectful, and he didn’t like that. That was back in the day when I was young and out of control and doing whatever I wanted to do. Prior to that, we had a lot of fun together. But after that night, he thought of me as a brat,” remembered the Texas-bred singer.

And now that Campbell is readying his return to the music business, he admits he’s finally grown up. “I could never come back to the business acting the way that I did when I was 21 years old,” he said. “I learned the hard way!”

hmm still want to know what happened that night...i'm nosy.....

I wish Tevin would hurry and release another album...I have everything by him.





This album was slept on, people could'nt seem to get past the new image/braids...when will people learn??? I could care less about the braids, is the album any good??

99's Tevin Campbell album did it for me

Just one song

"Dandelion" that was the song of my year lol

I love Tevin. I wonder if he and Rashaan Patterson are still together. I hope so I think they made a nice couple and musically they did wonderful things together. Can't wait for him to come back on the scene with a new mature perspective.

nammie said:

I think he's tad bit young for Rash

nammie said:

He went with Rahsaan?!

okaypimpn said:

are you honestly surprised?

LOL!

mochalox said:

I sure am. I never even heard this before I read it just now.

mochalox said:

He's 28!

mochalox said:

No, not really.

aikam said:

I have everything but the best of (whats the point as I bought all the others first!)...."round and round" is better on "grafitti bridge" but only just!

Remember he did a song or 2 for disney's "a goofy movie"! He is the pop star in the movie! I got the soundtrack just 4 his 2 songs! "I 2 I" (with Rosie gaines) is a fantastic (if 4 then very dated) pop song! I love that song tons.....

thesexofit said:

Tevin had great musical chemistry in the studio with Al B. Sure. The following tracks produced by Al are some of my favorite Tevin tracks "Goodbye, Confused, Alone With You, Just Ask Me To featuring Chubb Rock etc.

Oh yeah, thats true, and yet he ditched AL b 4 Babyface on second album.....AL b's tracks vs babyfaces off 2nd album.....damn thats hard!!!

Obviously Tevin liked Prince as he gets quite alot in on second album, and yet only 1 off "t.e.v.i.n"!

The Naralda produced songs display Tevins best vocals though....."brown eyed girl" "Infant child" "tell me what u want me to do" r incredible vocally!

What did Prince fans think of the track "Shhh!"?

"...I wanna do you afterschool like some homework..."

Don't like neither versions.....


Tevin better at ballads then slow jams.....voice too good 4 slow jams.....whoops, except if ur jodeci of course!


I love Prince track "halls of desire".....so happy sounding! That was Prince doing his own "strawberry letter 23" as song makes little sense but like "strawberry..." has great words regardless!

thesexofit said:

I'm probably going to get hit with a ton of bricks when I say this but....when I first heard Shhhh by Tevin I thought to myself, Prince has'nt had a hit in ages, he should have kept Shhhh for himself. Tevin's voice did'nt do it for me on this track, he's not convincing in the delivery of the song, this was clearly a Prince record that Prince should have kept for himself. A year or so later I was listening to the radio and I be damn if I did'nt hear a live version of Shhhh by Prince from one of his concerts, The song matched his vocal style to the tee, it was perfect, that could have been his comeback hit because people loved the song by Tevin, lawd knows they would have equally loved it by Prince if not more. I don't know why Al got the boot on the Tevin's follow up album because the majority of the hits off of his debut album were produced by Al B. Sure (minus Round and Round). Lastly, Tell Me What You Want Me To Do is my least favorite song by Tevin (it never grew on me). I do looove his rendition of "Tomorrow (A Better You A Better Me)" on Quincy Jones "Back On The Block Album".

Yeah,"tell me...." is perhaps his corniest track, but I love it!


As 4 "tommorrow".....I love that song, he really,really sounds like a young MJ on this track though.....I gotta dig my vinyl of "back on the block"! Tevin is very briefly on title track aswell I think!

thesexofit said:

he sure is

okaypimpn said:

He never really left his closet closed. More or less, he was waiting for the right time to share what was in his closet. When, he finally came out, it was like a no brainer for me.
[Edited 10/13/04 9:52am]

jeeze, i hope they didn't dock his pay while he was sitting down for an interview

Hotlegs said:

I remember him also saying in a recent issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine that he was a "tri-sexual" meaning he'll try anything.

Tessa said:

Funny!

So what does Tevin have to say about Wyclef's beef?

I liked the "I'm Ready" album alot, except for some lame prince songs like 64000 or whatever that was. I still listen to Rashan Patterson's tune "Stop By" now thats funky! I think it was produced by the same dud who did Brandy's "Baby Baby" Good funky classic 90's shit..

JANFAN4L said:

If he wasn't out already, this would have SO given him away

hey...that's good news.

"come and take a walk,take a walk, done the halls of desire....."- "halls of desire" off "i'm ready" Damn that is one underated prince song.....great upbeat stuff!


"back to the world" was outa place in 1996, too upbeat 4 the charts but i loved the innocense of it.....good he choose to do that song! Thanx tevin!

um aikam!

Prince had many hits around the time Tevin released "SHHH", he was still very prominent on Mtv, with hits like "Cream, Diamonds and Pearls, Gett Off, 7", and even way before that!

"Thieves in the tempo" was on every video network.

When Prince finally released his own version "The Most Beautiful Girl in the world" was the last hit for him...

So Prince...was still doing quite well.

Just wanted to state that!
...and as for Tevin, he needs to stop denying his sexuality long after everyone knew he was in a park where it was known for gay and bi-sexual men to cruise for sex.

COME ON, your gay dude, you are a star, and so what does it matter now?
PPL could care less, just do you and be happy!

No need to sugar coat anything to please anyone else.
We knew you were gay when you sang "Tommorow" for Quincy Jones Back on the block project!