June 2008
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It’s been over a decade since the last studio album from Oakland funk group Tony Toni Toné, and many of their fans have been left wondering what’s happened to the seemingly untouchable band that gave us "Feels Good" and "Anniversary."

Fans know Tony Toni Toné lead singer Raphael Saadiq left for a solo career that included several CDs, a new group situation with Lucy Pearl, and production work with a number of R&B and hip-hop acts.

But what of Tony Toni Tone’s remaining core, Saadiq’s brother D’Wayne Wiggins and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley?

There has been the occasional Saadiq-free tour dates, live, greatest hits, and best of discs, news of a new lead singer, cousin Amar Khalil, and a featured spot on Alicia Keys’ hit song "Diary."

Now, Tony Toni Toné is finally gearing up for its next CD, due in 2009. He says Beyonce, Keyshia Cole, Rhymefest, and Slick Rick have already contributed to the disc.

It’s been long delayed because they’ve been caught up working with a number of artists including Cole, Beyonce, and Jamie Foxx, not to mention getting sidelined by touring.

"We want to go back to some traditional Tony Toni Toné stuff, reach back to our roots. We want to go back to a lot of that, jam like that. We’re going to get that real instrumentation on top. You can’t mimic that," says Wiggins.

One song on the new CD is "Be Thankful," a collaboration with West Coast rapper Too Short.

"It’s a great time to lead off with this song. It’s so relevant with what’s going on. Everybody is trying to have this and that, but they need to be thankful for what they got and be glad. We’re in a recession," he says. "I’m just glad to be able to play guitar and make a living."

Wiggins says they’re going for songs, not tunes, on the CD. "We like to write songs, with verses, hooks and bridges. We like songs that move you somewhere else, mess with your mind, make you ask ‘why did they do that?’

"Tunes are what we hear now on the radio. You hear it and go to the next thing. We like those too. I thought ‘Feels Good’ would be a tune. It wasn’t my favorite. But it was the favorite of the world."

Wiggins had more to say about Tony Toni Tone in his recent interview.

Q. What was it like for the band after Saadiq left?

A. For a while I didn’t want to jam with other people. I was hurt, and there was a spell where I didn’t want to go out. We were a unit, and we used to always go out and talk (crap) and food fight and slam each other in the head, until we got introduced to other things and people pillaged what we had.

Q. Did Tony Toni Tone ever actually break up?

A. We never disbanded, because we’re family. You may get mad at Mom or Dad or your brother or cousin but it’s still family. And families come together and it is what it is. We separated from doing business. But they’d still be over at the house.

Q. Are Saadiq and Amar Khalil more alike or different as lead vocalists?

A. They’re alike in that they’re family and we all grew up with some real soul type of stuff. But whatever style Amar does, that’s who he is. He’s not an imitation. Amar approaches it more like a singer’s singer, more groomed. Ray is more dirty funk. He’s a genuine stylist. I love them both for what they are.

Q. What was it like working with Alicia Keys on "Diary"?

A. She really wanted the Tonyies on that song. It took 45 minutes to lay down the track, and the rest of the day we jammed. That’s how it happened.

Q. How was it touring with Bobby Brown and Boyz II Men (which played the Scottrade Center a few months ago)?

A. It was cool but everything was off sync. We didn’t know who was what, and we didn’t understand what the goal of the tour was or what we were trying to say. Was the tour trying to bring R&B back this way or that way, and were we supposed to come out with something new or play the classics. There wasn’t much communication.

Q. Tony Toni Toné and Mint Condition have always been compared. Is there competition?

A. There’s lightweight competition. It’s like when you’re playing hoops, you keep that drive and you want to win. The comparison is that vocally (Mint Condition singer Stokely Williams) and (Saadiq) were always in that one vocal range, and that they’re dope, love their instruments, and they love to play.

Ten Essential Tony Toni Toné Jams:

"(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow"

"Feels Good"

"Anniversary"

"Lovin’ You"

"Fun"

"Whatever You Want"

"I Couldn’t Keep It To Myself"

"Holy Smokes & Gee Whiz"

"Slow Wine (Slow Grind)"

"It Never Rains in Southern California"

Copycat said:

Why? So not necessary.

RipHer2Shreds said:

I'm like you. I see such collaborations as an indication the act is not confident in its own talents. If you feel you need a "name act" on your record to sell it (particularly you already have a track record stronger than the other act's), then that's not saying much.

LittleAmy said:

MC earned 6 top 10 R&B hits.

I love the Tonies but I pray to God that Amar Khalil is NOT the dude they had singing with them when I saw them in January. He sounded awful. The crowd started booing cuz his voice kept cracking.

i love both mc & 3t. i've got both of their 1st albums, (in fact "revival" lives inside "meant to be mint"'s cd case). but in comparison,i think mint was always the stronger band because they could go places 3t either couldn't or wouldn't. i mean can u imagine 3t tryin anything like "forever in your eyes" or "is this pain our pleasure" ?

diamondpearl1 said:

3T's first album is Who? while The Revival was the followup.

LittleAmy said:

U're right, Mint is/was BETTER.
But I do really dig 3T.

As far as the comparison goes, I'll say that Mint Condition is the better band, but 3T had better songs overall.

AlexdeParis said:

sorry about that. lol, as i read your response havin spent a couple years in the bay area as a kid, i'm a little embarrased at myself at that mix up. see 'cause my step dad used 2 love that bass line from "261.5", and i was crazy about "born not to know"
[Edited 7/1/08 9:15am]

LittleAmy said:

Furthermore; Too short isn't the man in the rap game anymore. So if they
were really trying to push a record to sell and they wanted to keep it
west coast it seems they would have collab with the game or snoop but with
too short i guess it's an oakland thang.

Good article. I dig both the tonies and mint condition.
Maybe the tonies were a little more versatile on wax but i
always thought mint had better chops and more versatility on
the stage.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Only one name I might've given a spin, Slick Rick. Now I MIGHT I'm telling ya...

so they pretty much abandoned what made them decent and they suck major ass now like Mint

Dance said:

U tripping.

Graycap23 said:

Have you heard their new stuff?

I would say they fell off, but that's not strong enough to describe the stench of the new material. They're floating in the toilet with TTT.

Dance said:

I dig the new stuff. It's NOT what their fans expected but it is still good in my opinion. I do admit that I'm baised though.

SCNDLS said:

Yeah i saw them in atlanta a couple years back with Mint, ready for the world,
and troop. His voice wasn't good at all. I don't understand why Dwayne just
didn't sing lead even over raphael parts. Their sound system wasn't very good
that show either.

Dance said:

Even if you aren't feeling the new album check them out live.

PrettyMan72 said:

You're right. I missed two songs.
[Edited 7/2/08 5:48am]

phunkdaddy said:

I thought the same thing cuz Dwayne woulda sounded 10 times better than the skinny fool they had on lead vocals. It was such a disappointment. Thank goodness the crowd just sang over his parts for most of the show.

phunkdaddy said:

YEAH.....THEIR COLLABO W/DJ QUIK "LET'S GET DOWN" WAS TOTALLY LEFT FIELD AND WAS A SMASH!!!!! I SEE THE COLLAB W/TOO SHORT FOR WHAT IT IS- AN OAKLAND/BAY AREA THANG!!!!!

DO NOT WANT Do they feel that they have to do this because Saadiq is not there?