September 2010

Charlie Wilson is in high-demand. Which is news to the 57-year-old singer-songwriter who was a platinum star as a member of the late ‘70s and early 80’s R&B-funk trio The Gap Band.

Three plus decades later, Wilson has enjoyed an artistic and commercial rebirth following collaborations with Snoop Dogg (“Beautiful”), Snoop and Justine Timberlake (“Signs”) and R. Kelly (“Charlie, Last Name Wilson”).

Now after experiencing Billboard chart success with his comeback albums Charlie, Last Name Wilson (2005) and Uncle Charlie (2009), the heavily influential vocalist is again making his presence felt in the hip-hop world, appearing on Kanye West's upcoming work Dark Twisted Fantasy.

We talked to the re-energized Uncle Wilson about his thoughts on his unlikely reinvention, his early connection with the rap world, the recent death of his Gap Band brother and why Kanye is the best producer on the planet.

You are set to release a new single (“You Are”) going into nearly 40 years in the music business both as a member of the Gap Band and as a solo artist? Are you amazed that a new generation of hip-hop artists and R&B fans have embraced you?

It’s been amazing to know that I’m still wanted. I’ve been in the studio with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Kanye West.

This particular single, “You Are,” is basically about a strong man who has the support of a stronger woman. It’s going to be the wedding song of the millennium.

When we were writing that song I was thinking about Michelle Obama and how she stuck by her man from their college days all the way to the Senate and all the way to the White House. She’s just a strong woman. I feel the same way about my wife. She’s the one who told me when we got married 15 years ago, “Hey, I’m going to show you that we are going back to the top.”

She did not let up on me when I didn’t have the belief in myself to [make a comeback.] She’s my anchor. Sometimes she tells me what licks to sing on my songs. She’s all in my damn business [laughs]. You want to have someone like that in your corner.

Your brother Robert recently passed away. People are finally starting to acknowledge his influence as a songwriter and a bassist. What did he mean to the legacy of the Gap Band?

When you listen to all those Gap Band hits like “Burn Rubber” and “Outstanding” you hear that bottom. He was the anchor of all those songs. My brother was a true showman.

I had to duck his bass just about every live show we did because he was so energetic; he would spin on you in a minute. He was the other frontman who was just as powerful. My brother used to tune his four-string bass down so low and go deep on the songs. You can hear it on “Yearning For Your Love.” Everybody was trying to figure out how he played those low notes, but he played his bass like it was a guitar with a lot of vibrato.

To lose a brother is just crazy. I watched the Jacksons lose Michael a year ago and I was one of millions of people witnessing that tragic loss. But now I can understand what Janet, Randy, Tito and all those guys were going through. Before my brother passed, we were talking about doing a Gap Band reunion. It’s still hard for me to talk about. My brother was incredible.

During the height of the Gap Band in the early 80s, rap groups were starting to tour with R&B and funk acts. Did you guys share the perception of the majority of your peers that hip-hop was just a fad?

I remember going on the road with Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. Let me tell you something about Doug…when they released [“The Show”], it was a wrap after that! But we had a good time with those guys. They actually picked up a lot from being on the road with Gap, Zapp and Parliament.

Doug just took it all in and absorbed all the things we were doing onstage. They learned how to take hold of a crowd and not just use the song to entertain.

A lot of the R&B bands back then were dismissive of hip-hop acts because they didn’t play instruments. How shocking was it to see these young rap artists show up onstage with just a pair of turntables and a microphone?

[Laughs] Actually that’s what a lot of the guys around me used to point out… that the rappers didn’t play instruments. But I never used those words. I didn’t care that they were using turntables because when I saw hip-hop first come in, I would just watch those guys do their thing. It was a new form of expression and that’s how they came in the game. I respected that. Some of them even started getting bands to back them up. They were advancing hip-hop.

You talked briefly about your staying power. Why do you think the hip-hop world has gravitated towards Charlie Wilson?

Wow. I really don’t know the answer to that. But I think it may be because I can still sing [laughs]. I have to blow my whistle a little bit. These young artists trust in what it is I’m going to deliver.

The generation is getting younger. I just got finished doing a song with The New Boyz. Uncle Charlie with the New Boyz?! That’s crazy.

Those guys were not even alive when we were releasing the third Gap Band album. It’s just been incredible. The stars are aligning for me. I’m truly blessed. I was just in New York for a week with Kanye.

One of the new Kanye West songs you appear on is “See Me Now.” How did that collaboration come about?

I just think Kanye believes that I’m one of the guys that still has the voice…I’m still that go-to-guy. Call Uncle Charlie and he will deliver for you. You hear all the stories about him being an egomaniac, but Kanye West is more than that. He’s an incredible producer who is driven, ambitious, humble and yes, he’s also the guy that is arrogant and speaks his mind.

That’s an understatement.

Well, he’s not going to sit at a dinner table and repeat something that he heard and look like an idiot. He’s going to speak from the heart. That guy is the best right now.

Will Kanye be producing any tracks on your new album?

Hopefully, yes. We worked on a lot of songs. ‘Ye told me, “Let me put my hand on your new album.” And I was like, “Sure” [laughs]. I’m still finishing up my album, but we are on a tight deadline.

I’m not afraid of anything, musically. I’m making music for the younger generation and the older generation. I’ve been cutting songs by myself and with some young producers. I have this kid named Wiley, who is out of the ATL.

There’s Gregg Pagani, who produced my last hit “There Goes My Baby.” Babyface also wants to come to the table, again. And of course, Kanye wants to do some things. I’ve gotten blessings from a lot of people.

On a serious note, you have been very active in the fight against prostrate cancer, a disease that you were diagnosed with in 2008. You have since been cancer free. Talk about your work with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the importance of African-American men being tested.

I am blessed to be cancer free right now.

I teamed up with the Prostrate Cancer Foundation to have a platform to speak from. I want to really educate everyone about this disease, but especially African-American men.

1 in 6 Americans will develop prostate cancer, but 1 in 3 African-American men will develop prostrate cancer. We are two times more likely to die from this disease than any other ethnic group. Black men have to understand that they need to get to the doctor and know their family history.

They need to know if their grandfather or father battled prostrate cancer. I remember the feeling that I had when this brother walked up to me when I was Atlanta and said, “Uncle Charlie, I want to thank you, man.

I remember when you came out and said you had prostrate cancer and you urged all the brothers to get a check up. I took me and four of my brothers to get tested and we all had prostrate cancer.” He thanked me for saving his life.

But I’m just a messenger. Still, it makes me feel good that some of these brothers are listening.

http://www.vibe.com/conte...-west-best

[Edited 9/9/10 9:50am]

I love you Uncle Charlie!

I'm SO proud of him and what he overcame, I'm happy that he's reaping the fruit of his hard work LIVING and not after his death.

Charlie is so inspiring! I love his voice and I would love to work with him someday.

The only thing is that I wish he wouldn't have done that horrible remake of "Computer Love" with Lil Kim and T-Pain.

Being as he was on the original song, he should have known better! Lil Kim is no Shirley Murdock and T-Pain sure as hell ain't no Roger.

Militant said:

Charlie is so inspiring! I love his voice and I would love to work with him someday.

The only thing is that I wish he wouldn't have done that horrible remake of "Computer Love" with Lil Kim and T-Pain.

Being as he was on the original song, he should have known better! Lil Kim is no Shirley Murdock and T-Pain sure as hell ain't no Roger.

Say it ain't so..........

Char;lie is awesome. Much props to him

Identity said:

September 2010

Charlie Wilson is in high-demand. Which is news to the 57-year-old singer-songwriter who was a platinum star as a member of the late ‘70s and early 80’s R&B-funk trio The Gap Band.

Three plus decades later, Wilson has enjoyed an artistic and commercial rebirth following collaborations with Snoop Dogg (“Beautiful”), Snoop and Justine Timberlake (“Signs”) and R. Kelly (“Charlie, Last Name Wilson”).

Now after experiencing Billboard chart success with his comeback albums Charlie, Last Name Wilson (2005) and Uncle Charlie (2009), the heavily influential vocalist is again making his presence felt in the hip-hop world, appearing on Kanye West's upcoming work Dark Twisted Fantasy.

We talked to the re-energized Uncle Wilson about his thoughts on his unlikely reinvention, his early connection with the rap world, the recent death of his Gap Band brother and why Kanye is the best producer on the planet.

You are set to release a new single (“You Are”) going into nearly 40 years in the music business both as a member of the Gap Band and as a solo artist? Are you amazed that a new generation of hip-hop artists and R&B fans have embraced you?

It’s been amazing to know that I’m still wanted. I’ve been in the studio with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Kanye West.

This particular single, “You Are,” is basically about a strong man who has the support of a stronger woman. It’s going to be the wedding song of the millennium.

When we were writing that song I was thinking about Michelle Obama and how she stuck by her man from their college days all the way to the Senate and all the way to the White House. She’s just a strong woman. I feel the same way about my wife. She’s the one who told me when we got married 15 years ago, “Hey, I’m going to show you that we are going back to the top.”

She did not let up on me when I didn’t have the belief in myself to [make a comeback.] She’s my anchor. Sometimes she tells me what licks to sing on my songs. She’s all in my damn business [laughs]. You want to have someone like that in your corner.

Your brother Robert recently passed away. People are finally starting to acknowledge his influence as a songwriter and a bassist. What did he mean to the legacy of the Gap Band?

When you listen to all those Gap Band hits like “Burn Rubber” and “Outstanding” you hear that bottom. He was the anchor of all those songs. My brother was a true showman.

I had to duck his bass just about every live show we did because he was so energetic; he would spin on you in a minute. He was the other frontman who was just as powerful. My brother used to tune his four-string bass down so low and go deep on the songs. You can hear it on “Yearning For Your Love.” Everybody was trying to figure out how he played those low notes, but he played his bass like it was a guitar with a lot of vibrato.

To lose a brother is just crazy. I watched the Jacksons lose Michael a year ago and I was one of millions of people witnessing that tragic loss. But now I can understand what Janet, Randy, Tito and all those guys were going through. Before my brother passed, we were talking about doing a Gap Band reunion. It’s still hard for me to talk about. My brother was incredible.

During the height of the Gap Band in the early 80s, rap groups were starting to tour with R&B and funk acts. Did you guys share the perception of the majority of your peers that hip-hop was just a fad?

I remember going on the road with Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. Let me tell you something about Doug…when they released [“The Show”], it was a wrap after that! But we had a good time with those guys. They actually picked up a lot from being on the road with Gap, Zapp and Parliament.

Doug just took it all in and absorbed all the things we were doing onstage. They learned how to take hold of a crowd and not just use the song to entertain.

A lot of the R&B bands back then were dismissive of hip-hop acts because they didn’t play instruments. How shocking was it to see these young rap artists show up onstage with just a pair of turntables and a microphone?

[Laughs] Actually that’s what a lot of the guys around me used to point out… that the rappers didn’t play instruments. But I never used those words. I didn’t care that they were using turntables because when I saw hip-hop first come in, I would just watch those guys do their thing. It was a new form of expression and that’s how they came in the game. I respected that. Some of them even started getting bands to back them up. They were advancing hip-hop.

You talked briefly about your staying power. Why do you think the hip-hop world has gravitated towards Charlie Wilson?

Wow. I really don’t know the answer to that. But I think it may be because I can still sing [laughs]. I have to blow my whistle a little bit. These young artists trust in what it is I’m going to deliver.

The generation is getting younger. I just got finished doing a song with The New Boyz. Uncle Charlie with the New Boyz?! That’s crazy.

Those guys were not even alive when we were releasing the third Gap Band album. It’s just been incredible. The stars are aligning for me. I’m truly blessed. I was just in New York for a week with Kanye.

One of the new Kanye West songs you appear on is “See Me Now.” How did that collaboration come about?

I just think Kanye believes that I’m one of the guys that still has the voice…I’m still that go-to-guy. Call Uncle Charlie and he will deliver for you. You hear all the stories about him being an egomaniac, but Kanye West is more than that. He’s an incredible producer who is driven, ambitious, humble and yes, he’s also the guy that is arrogant and speaks his mind.

That’s an understatement.

Well, he’s not going to sit at a dinner table and repeat something that he heard and look like an idiot. He’s going to speak from the heart. That guy is the best right now.

Will Kanye be producing any tracks on your new album?

Hopefully, yes. We worked on a lot of songs. ‘Ye told me, “Let me put my hand on your new album.” And I was like, “Sure” [laughs]. I’m still finishing up my album, but we are on a tight deadline.

I’m not afraid of anything, musically. I’m making music for the younger generation and the older generation. I’ve been cutting songs by myself and with some young producers. I have this kid named Wiley, who is out of the ATL.

There’s Gregg Pagani, who produced my last hit “There Goes My Baby.” Babyface also wants to come to the table, again. And of course, Kanye wants to do some things. I’ve gotten blessings from a lot of people.

On a serious note, you have been very active in the fight against prostrate cancer, a disease that you were diagnosed with in 2008. You have since been cancer free. Talk about your work with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the importance of African-American men being tested.

I am blessed to be cancer free right now.

I teamed up with the Prostrate Cancer Foundation to have a platform to speak from. I want to really educate everyone about this disease, but especially African-American men.

1 in 6 Americans will develop prostate cancer, but 1 in 3 African-American men will develop prostrate cancer. We are two times more likely to die from this disease than any other ethnic group. Black men have to understand that they need to get to the doctor and know their family history.

They need to know if their grandfather or father battled prostrate cancer. I remember the feeling that I had when this brother walked up to me when I was Atlanta and said, “Uncle Charlie, I want to thank you, man.

I remember when you came out and said you had prostrate cancer and you urged all the brothers to get a check up. I took me and four of my brothers to get tested and we all had prostrate cancer.” He thanked me for saving his life.

But I’m just a messenger. Still, it makes me feel good that some of these brothers are listening.

http://www.vibe.com/conte...-west-best

I love his voice!!! Can't nobody do it like Uncle Charlie!!!

His opinion on new music means absolutely nothing to me considering that he's a complete sellout. As with Ronald Isley, when I think of the two, I only think of them from the 1980s because their recent selves make my asshole just wanna shit.

dang!!!

vainandy said:

His opinion on new music means absolutely nothing to me considering that he's a complete sellout. As with Ronald Isley, when I think of the two, I only think of them from the 1980s because their recent selves make my asshole just wanna shit.

Identity said:

September 2010

Charlie Wilson is in high-demand. Which is news to the 57-year-old singer-songwriter who was a platinum star as a member of the late ‘70s and early 80’s R&B-funk trio The Gap Band.

Three plus decades later, Wilson has enjoyed an artistic and commercial rebirth following collaborations with Snoop Dogg (“Beautiful”), Snoop and Justine Timberlake (“Signs”) and R. Kelly (“Charlie, Last Name Wilson”).

Now after experiencing Billboard chart success with his comeback albums Charlie, Last Name Wilson (2005) and Uncle Charlie (2009), the heavily influential vocalist is again making his presence felt in the hip-hop world, appearing on Kanye West's upcoming work Dark Twisted Fantasy.

We talked to the re-energized Uncle Wilson about his thoughts on his unlikely reinvention, his early connection with the rap world, the recent death of his Gap Band brother and why Kanye is the best producer on the planet.

You are set to release a new single (“You Are”) going into nearly 40 years in the music business both as a member of the Gap Band and as a solo artist? Are you amazed that a new generation of hip-hop artists and R&B fans have embraced you?

It’s been amazing to know that I’m still wanted. I’ve been in the studio with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Kanye West.

This particular single, “You Are,” is basically about a strong man who has the support of a stronger woman. It’s going to be the wedding song of the millennium.

When we were writing that song I was thinking about Michelle Obama and how she stuck by her man from their college days all the way to the Senate and all the way to the White House. She’s just a strong woman. I feel the same way about my wife. She’s the one who told me when we got married 15 years ago, “Hey, I’m going to show you that we are going back to the top.”

She did not let up on me when I didn’t have the belief in myself to [make a comeback.] She’s my anchor. Sometimes she tells me what licks to sing on my songs. She’s all in my damn business [laughs]. You want to have someone like that in your corner.

Your brother Robert recently passed away. People are finally starting to acknowledge his influence as a songwriter and a bassist. What did he mean to the legacy of the Gap Band?

When you listen to all those Gap Band hits like “Burn Rubber” and “Outstanding” you hear that bottom. He was the anchor of all those songs. My brother was a true showman.

I had to duck his bass just about every live show we did because he was so energetic; he would spin on you in a minute. He was the other frontman who was just as powerful. My brother used to tune his four-string bass down so low and go deep on the songs. You can hear it on “Yearning For Your Love.” Everybody was trying to figure out how he played those low notes, but he played his bass like it was a guitar with a lot of vibrato.

To lose a brother is just crazy. I watched the Jacksons lose Michael a year ago and I was one of millions of people witnessing that tragic loss. But now I can understand what Janet, Randy, Tito and all those guys were going through. Before my brother passed, we were talking about doing a Gap Band reunion. It’s still hard for me to talk about. My brother was incredible.

During the height of the Gap Band in the early 80s, rap groups were starting to tour with R&B and funk acts. Did you guys share the perception of the majority of your peers that hip-hop was just a fad?

I remember going on the road with Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. Let me tell you something about Doug…when they released [“The Show”], it was a wrap after that! But we had a good time with those guys. They actually picked up a lot from being on the road with Gap, Zapp and Parliament.

Doug just took it all in and absorbed all the things we were doing onstage. They learned how to take hold of a crowd and not just use the song to entertain.

A lot of the R&B bands back then were dismissive of hip-hop acts because they didn’t play instruments. How shocking was it to see these young rap artists show up onstage with just a pair of turntables and a microphone?

[Laughs] Actually that’s what a lot of the guys around me used to point out… that the rappers didn’t play instruments. But I never used those words. I didn’t care that they were using turntables because when I saw hip-hop first come in, I would just watch those guys do their thing. It was a new form of expression and that’s how they came in the game. I respected that. Some of them even started getting bands to back them up. They were advancing hip-hop.

You talked briefly about your staying power. Why do you think the hip-hop world has gravitated towards Charlie Wilson?

Wow. I really don’t know the answer to that. But I think it may be because I can still sing [laughs]. I have to blow my whistle a little bit. These young artists trust in what it is I’m going to deliver.

The generation is getting younger. I just got finished doing a song with The New Boyz. Uncle Charlie with the New Boyz?! That’s crazy.

Those guys were not even alive when we were releasing the third Gap Band album. It’s just been incredible. The stars are aligning for me. I’m truly blessed. I was just in New York for a week with Kanye.

One of the new Kanye West songs you appear on is “See Me Now.” How did that collaboration come about?

I just think Kanye believes that I’m one of the guys that still has the voice…I’m still that go-to-guy. Call Uncle Charlie and he will deliver for you. You hear all the stories about him being an egomaniac, but Kanye West is more than that. He’s an incredible producer who is driven, ambitious, humble and yes, he’s also the guy that is arrogant and speaks his mind.

That’s an understatement.

Well, he’s not going to sit at a dinner table and repeat something that he heard and look like an idiot. He’s going to speak from the heart. That guy is the best right now.

Will Kanye be producing any tracks on your new album?

Hopefully, yes. We worked on a lot of songs. ‘Ye told me, “Let me put my hand on your new album.” And I was like, “Sure” [laughs]. I’m still finishing up my album, but we are on a tight deadline.

I’m not afraid of anything, musically. I’m making music for the younger generation and the older generation. I’ve been cutting songs by myself and with some young producers. I have this kid named Wiley, who is out of the ATL.

There’s Gregg Pagani, who produced my last hit “There Goes My Baby.” Babyface also wants to come to the table, again. And of course, Kanye wants to do some things. I’ve gotten blessings from a lot of people.

On a serious note, you have been very active in the fight against prostrate cancer, a disease that you were diagnosed with in 2008. You have since been cancer free. Talk about your work with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the importance of African-American men being tested.

I am blessed to be cancer free right now.

I teamed up with the Prostrate Cancer Foundation to have a platform to speak from. I want to really educate everyone about this disease, but especially African-American men.

1 in 6 Americans will develop prostate cancer, but 1 in 3 African-American men will develop prostrate cancer. We are two times more likely to die from this disease than any other ethnic group. Black men have to understand that they need to get to the doctor and know their family history.

They need to know if their grandfather or father battled prostrate cancer. I remember the feeling that I had when this brother walked up to me when I was Atlanta and said, “Uncle Charlie, I want to thank you, man.

I remember when you came out and said you had prostrate cancer and you urged all the brothers to get a check up. I took me and four of my brothers to get tested and we all had prostrate cancer.” He thanked me for saving his life.

But I’m just a messenger. Still, it makes me feel good that some of these brothers are listening.

http://www.vibe.com/conte...-west-best

Uh Identity, brother, it's Robert, not Ronnie, who died. Change your title of the thread lol

[Edited 9/8/10 22:53pm]

Didn't notice that

Timmy84 said:

Uh Identity, brother, it's Robert, not Ronnie, who died. Change your title of the thread lol

Bet. But was it necessary to copy and paste the entire lengthy article just to make me aware?

Identity said:

Timmy84 said:

Uh Identity, brother, it's Robert, not Ronnie, who died. Change your title of the thread lol

Bet. But was it necessary to copy and paste the entire lengthy article just to make me aware?

Well I could've just post a text without quoting you.

Knock yourself out.

It's a fine article despite the corrected typo in the title.

Identity said:

Knock yourself out.

It's a fine article despite the corrected typo in the title.

Oh I agree.