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[Lazarus]

Why is R&B back? Because it was missed. Sometimes you want a melody. You want to look in the mirror and sing your heartache away. You can rap about it and that?s great, but there?s nothing like a fabulous R&B hook.

R&B is ageless, like rock and country ? it doesn?t matter how old you are. With hip-hop it?s a little different: You don?t want to be 70 and using the F-word or singing [Rihanna?s] ?B?h Better Have My Money,? although maybe some of them will. Of all the girls, Rihanna is probably my favorite ? I don?t know if I can see her singing ?B?h Better Have My Money? at 70 either, although she might do it especially for me.

I love Drake. I love SZA. I think H.E.R. is super talented; she?s a real, real vocalist ? I?m sorry, is it ?H-E-R? or ?her?? Is it a pronoun or a noun? [It?s pronounced ?her.?] She?s classic but still young and modern. When my first record came out, that?s what they said about me ? the topics were a little mature, but my style and approach was younger so that made it current. I think that?s what everyone loves about Adele: She?s young, but her music is classic and [the lyrics] make you think she?s older.

I?m always listening to other artists when I?m working on an album, and for ?Sex & Cigarettes,? I was listening to Beyonc?, channeling her a little bit, and of course Rihanna. I usually listen to singers when I?m working on a ballad, but when I?m doing something a little more up, I want something with energy and vibe and some swag to it, because I can be a laid-back singer, so I need a little swag to help me. Drake, Lil? Kim ? she?s my favorite of all the female rappers ? Biggie. My kids love Tupac, so imagine the conversations at home over dinner.

I have always had eyebrow-raising lyrics in my songs, but you couldn?t understand them ? on ?Sex & Cigatettes,? you can understand them [especially on ?FOH? ? F- Outta Here]. I always say to ladies, sometimes there is no other word but the F-word. You can still be a lady and say the F-word, but sometimes even the ladiest of the ladies have to say it. I don?t use the F-word a lot, but I sing it in my show, and it always gets a great response because women understand it.

It?s interesting, because I?d consider some of [the newer R&B artists] more hip-hop, and I?m not sure why hip-hop and R&B are so often thought of as being the same category. They?re so different. Some would consider SZA hip-hop ? she?s a singer and can sing R&B, but for instance ?All the Stars? [SZA?s Grammy-nominated duet with Kendrick Lamar from ?Black Panther?] is a hip-hop song. I?ve gotten a couple of hip-hop/R&B awards, and I feel some kind of way about it because I?m definitely R&B! 

? As told to Jem Aswad

[RAY7]

Love Toni

[Freemala Harris]

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[Young]

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[Freemala Harris]

wrong thread

[b7]

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