| JAGGED EDGE |
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| Tuesday, 04 August 2009 00:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Badnews: Jagged Edge signed with Slip-N-Slide Records earlier this year. Now this is a label that's really known for its hip hop artists, what made you all sign with them?Brandon Casey: At the time, we had been entertaining a couple of offers, and the reason why we chose a hip hop oriented label just seems that their willing to get there hustle on. And I think that is the state of the game right now... your not really going to be able to sell the kind of records that a multi-platinum selling artists is use to selling right now, its not going to go like that, your going to have to hit every corner of the market to squeeze out that million sale at this point in time of the market. So we felt that that hustle along with that brand should be a winning combination. Badnews: Did you have any doubts with signing with the label before you accepted the contract? Brandon Casey: I wouldn't say "doubt"...my mother always told me doubt was a negative energy. so I try not to doubt anything that I'm trying to my energy into. There wasn't doubt but I would say there were questions and concern and I'll leave it at that. I'm sure there will always be questions and concerns when you stat any new venture, but there wasn't anymore concern than the regular when you start something new. I heard a lot of good things about Ted Lucas, and just watching the industry, out of all the labels that were hustling and trying to get whatever it is they were trying to get, I felt it was Slip-N-Slide. But I never had any doubts. Badnews: Now how would Jagged Edge on a Slip-N-Slide Label sound like? Would we hear anything different or new from the past JE? Brandon Casey: I'm sure there will be differences in terms of the direction of the music or the directions of certain songs. I think the reason why we been here so long is because we just do us on every record. we give the people us. And the people who grew up with us will feel that same Jagged edge vibe. I think anytime you do a new record, you want to touch new ground and try new things and new sounds, and use new structure in a record. with music you can always try new things, but new it will just be a normal growth process. But I don't think that being on Slip-N-Slide it will change the scope of Jagged Edge. Badnews: Now this album that you all will be dropping will the seventh studio album from Jagged Edge. Now for someone who really don't know who are, what can they expect to get out of this seventh installment? Brandon Casey: Wow... ok... First, if you never ever heard a Jagged Edge record First what we would have to establish is a certain style of vocal quality. We try to sing as heartfelt, and just as good as we can on every record we record. So if you never heard a Jagged Edge album, i hope that's the first thing you would pick up on. I mean we have seasoned vocals. were not all auto-tuned up (laughs). I mean we go as raw as anybody can go. And that's what we try to portray is the vocal ability. Badnews: Now will there be any notable Slip-N-Slide artists doing features on the album? Brandon Casey: Definately. Probably one from Rick Ross, Probably one from Trina and probably one from Plies. But at this point, the album is almost half way done so I really couldn't give you any insight as to which Slip-N-Slide artist is really going to on the album, but I'm sure we will get one of each on each different song.
 Badnews: That is something to look forward to. I mean, you been in the industry for over ten years now... Brandon Casey: Yeah (laughs)... Badnews: (laughs) I'm not trying to call you all old or anything (laughs), but how do you stay so fresh and motivated to keep doing this? Brandon Casey: The main thing for me-- and I'm speaking just for me and nobody else in the group is that I love making music. I'm doing what I love. Music is something that I loved way before I even knew I knew how to do it. and for that to be my job, as common as it sounds, that's what keeps me going. everyday I get to wake up, I get to go and have fun. I get paid to have fun. I don't want to sell anybody a dream though, I mean its hard work don't get me wrong but, when you do things you love it doesn't feel like it. That's the secret. Badnews: Like i said, I'm not trying to call you old, but in the past ten years you been in the industry, what the most dramatic change that you seen? Brandon Casey: Wow its a couple things. I don't know what made me think about this the other day but there is an old song out called "video killed the radio star", but Internet killed the video star (laughs). Whatever people want weather it be video or music, they can get it from their computers. And a lot of things get lost that way. If your looking for something from your computer, your looking for 'now'. And not on those old outlets where people tried to ram things down your throat, like showing you a video after video, but with the computer, you can find anything you want new or old. so the most dramatic change I seen is the computer. Badnews: Just to touch on the Internet a little more, it's safe to say 90% of your fan base is female Brandon Casey: Right Badnews: What are you doing right now overall just to maintain that fan base? Brandon Casey: To me, we never focused on that ever. A lot of our hit record songs were from personal stories we all had experienced weather if it was someone in the group or a friend we know. It was never a focus from Jagged Edge to just go get the ladies. That's why you never see us doing strip shows on the stage you know, taking our clothes off and grinding on the floor, because that's not what we are selling. Were not selling sex. But at the same time, we are still trying to keep our fan base. We want to keep what attracted them in the first place and hopefully that is good heartfelt music, good music and we will get them with that every time. Badnews: Just what I seen over the course of the years your not really talking to just the ladies, your talking to everybody. Brandon Casey: Exactly, and I'm glad you said that: we are talking to everybody. Because we speak for men. A lot of guys come up to us and say " look, I couldn't tell my girl how I was feeling so I popped in that number 11 and it did the trick, thank you homie"! (Laughs) So it is for everybody because we speak for the guys. Badnews: I know that's right (laughs). Now we see some R&B artists out there trying to get into the rapping a little bit, could we expect to hear some rapping from any members in the group or even you? Brandon Casey: No, not to put out a rap track, but I been rapping for a long time. I rapped on the first album, I rapped on the last album. And though I don't mind people who don't want to pick a lane and try to do both, I'm very much singer/songwriter first. Whatever I get into will come after that... acting, reality or whatever, it all will come after that. and I think once you found your calling, you will sit there until your called to do something else. And at this point, I haven't been called to do nothing else, so I'm going to just worry about the singer/songwriting part.  Badnews: Now obviously were all waiting for the studio album, but are there any plans to put out a Jagged Edge mix tape? Brandon Casey: We were actually talking about it with Ted and some of the Slip-N-Slide staff, but I cant say that there any plans, its all just being thrown up in the air right now. But we got this album coming out in the first of the year. I don't even want to say what its going to be I'm going to just sit back and let our fans and other people decide. I mean we (Jagged Edge) are always going to think its going to be good or going to be a classic, but I'll just let people decide and let them tell me what it is. Badnews: But it will still have that same Jagged Edge formula that it always had. Brandon Casey: Exactly. Bandews: Ok that's what's up. Now going back into earlier, you said your calling right now is music, but do you see yourself acting or just on television in general in the near future? Brandon Casey: As quiet as its kept, I have been offered certain things, but right now my mind isn't there. I do feel I can do that, but with me you have to put all your time and energy into it. I don't want to jump into it and then be ostracized because I didn't look like I took it seriously, so if I get into all that I would have to stop doing music, and that's not something I want to do right now. Badnews: Now are there any shows lined up? Brandon Casey: We have some shows lined up in Canada starting the second week in August, but I'm sure once we put the album out, we will be touring all over so everyone can look out for us starting in November or around the holidays. Badnews: Ok, and the last question is we see Jay-Z dropping a single called DOA to kill the auto-tune craze, but what does Jagged Edge want to put a stop to? Brandon Casey: I think we need to see the end of rappers trying to sing (laughs). We can exclude Drake from that, I think he has a pretty decent voice, and I think we need to see the end of... what's the word for it? Stealing. I think people need to stop stealing other peoples music (laughs). Its just straight theft.
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