Tyrese Opens Up About His Last Studio Album, Pop Music & Dodges Sanaa Lathan Questions

On the state of R&B today:

My music is honest music. It comes from the heart it’s no twerking. It’s no turn up. And it’s an insecure impulse that a lot of R&B singers aren’t even conscious of. Luther Vandross never featured Curtis Blow. Marvin Gaye never featured Run DMC. So whatever happened to R&B singers that can just feel secure that can put out and R&B album that’s just stand alone R&B? No R&B singer rapping. No R&B singer featuring fifteen different rappers on one song just to get radio spins.

On being overlooked by pop music:

Music just shouldn’t be boxed in. Here’s an example. I’m not a racist, I’m not a homophobe. Sam Smith makes a song called Stay. I had a song called Stay. My song Stay was number one for eleven weeks on Billboard. The biggest single of my entire career; it was on Urban AC format and some Urban mainstream played it. Ryan Seacrest never played Stay. None of the pop mainstream radio stations never played Stay. Stay was fly. Stay was swagged all the way out. Now Stay from Sam Smith has a full choir in it. It is very soulful. I am a Sam Smith fan. Why is Sam Smith song called Stay played on all formats of radio my song called play stops at two? So if its about laying the best music, it shouldn’t feel like its about race and it shouldn’t be about limitations being put on any artist when a song is doing so well in two different formats. It should be able to say wow. This song is winning. It’s number one for eleven weeks. My listeners should respond to this song whether they are black or not. It should be, ‘It’s the biggest song over here, so it’ll probably be huge over here’. Ryan Seacrest does play other black artists, so I can’t make it about that. Im just saying that gets confusing for me.

Before closing the interview he was asked about his rumored fling/boo actress Sanaa Lathan. His response?

Yea so it’s crazy. Ummm. Black Rose. Listen. (laughs nervously)

See the full interview below.

By -AdrieySaid