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written by Tahnee May on behalf of Pla~neT KiDeSo
Pla~neT KiDeSo - All Rights Reserved © June 2010
Say 'H-Town' to anyone that is a RnB fan and they will come back at you with the following
lines...
"H-Town boys, kickin’ it with my boy Luke... Fo’ da ’93, you know what i’m sayin’... ‘Cause, we will be
knockin’ da boots... G.I., Shazam & Dino...."
Granted, most will say the lines the wrong way round – back to front – and upside down – but they’ll say
‘em!
In the early 90’s - 2 soulful groups burst onto the scene, one – a four piece, with a new and exciting sound, the
other – a trio with a such a smooth sound – it screamed ‘take me now’.
A trio, that consisted of Darryl Jackson & twins Solomon & Keven Connor! To you and I - G.I, Shazam & Dino,
also collectively known as H-Town.
The trio hailed from Houston, Texas and have been close since their school days.
Their big break came after signing with 2 Live Crew’s Luther ‘Luke’ Campbell.
The group followed this signing with a guest appearance on Luke’s song ‘You and Me’ (who can forget that great
video?) and later dropped their debut album – ‘Fever For Da Flavor’; followed by ‘Beggin After Dark’ & ‘Ladies
Edition’.
The first single from Fever For Da Flavor was ‘Knockin Boots’ and was at No. 3 on the billboard charts for 7 weeks
and topped the RnB chart.
The group also won a soul train music award for best new artist of the year.
Further singles followed that cemented them into RnB history. (Not an easy feat).
These singles included, but are by no means restricted to:- ‘A Thin Line Between Love & Hate’ (originally sung by
‘The Persuaders’ – but arguably perfected by H-Town), Emotions, Part Time, Full Time, Buss One, Julie Rain &
Don’t Sleep On The Female’ – to name only a few.
Later in their career, the group put their hands to various solo projects.
Tragically; on the path of putting together a fourth album; fate struck a cruel blow and Dino’s life was taken.
Time passed and the remaining members of the group decided to soldier on in memory of Dino and were defiant to
record bosses that suggested Dino could/should be replaced.
Fast forward to 2009 and Shazam & G.I. (still called H-Town) have released a much praised single, featuring the
afore mentioned four piece group that exploded in the 90’s – and remixed with a newer RnB group... The result –
‘Knock Your Heels Off’ ft. Jodeci & Pretty Ricky. [There is speculation that Jodeci are in a battle to release the use
of their name and consequently, their names appear individually, rather than their band name.] (This has not been
confirmed).
H.Town have proved that they have staying power and not only do they have their loyal fans; they have also won an army of new fans.
Amidst tragedy and controversy; H-Town have emerged triumphant with a new single and a new album to follow.
Stay with these men; they will be around for years to come.
They’ve dominated their history and are creating their future!!
Want to know how to make your mark, sustain your mark and build on your mark; just ask these guys..
And... they are both single... form an orderly queue ladies!
G.I was recently gracious enough to allow Lady Diamond from KiDeSo Radio to get up close and personal... Check out the interview below....
Can you tell us how H-Town started out and where you are all from?
HMMMM, THAT'S A HARD 1 LETS SEE... WE LIVED IN THE SAME PROJECT, WENT TO THE SAME MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL SINCE THE AGE OF 12.
SINGING WAS JUST A HOBBY - SOMETHING WE LOVED TO DO. BUT EVENTUALLY IT BECAME OUR CAREER AT THE AGE OF 15,16. HOUSTON,TX IS WHERE
WE'RE FROM BORN AND RAISED.
How was your life growing up?
AVERAGE
Who are your influences/heroes in music and in life?
LUTHER, DONNIE HATHAWAY, MARVIN GAYE, OJAYS AND OF COURSE MJ
Who writes H-Town’s songs?
WE DO - WE'VE ALWAYS WRITTEN ALL OF OUR SONGS FROM DAY 1.
Some serious sexy lines are in your music, how do you feel knowing that somebody, somewhere is getting busy to H-Town?
IT FEELS GOOD AS LONG AS IT'S POSITIVE ENERGY:)
Do you ever use your own songs to seduce anyone?
LOL - NO WE DON'T REALLY LISTEN TO IT OUTSIDE OF THE STUDIO.
Is there anyone special in your life now?
NO WE'RE BOTH SINGLE
You have some fantastic, classic, timeless songs, how does it feel, having contributed to the industry in such a big way?
GREAT - IT'S A BLESSING TO STILL HEAR YOUR SONGS STILL BEIN PLAYED LIKE WE JUST RELEASED THEM YESTERDAY, IT'S VERY REFRESHING TO STILL BE
DOIN WHAT WE LOVE FOR OVER 17YRS NOW.
H-Town were involved with ‘Black Men United’ and the song ‘You will know’ with lots of other artists; what was that experience like? Can you remember who some of the
other artists were?
IT WAS JUST LIKE A FAMILY REUNION TO US B/C WE ALL TOUR TOGETHER AND WERE FANS OF EACH OTHERS MUSIC. BOYZ 2 MEN,SILK, GERALD LEVERT,
PORTRAIT, TEVIN CAMPBELL, D'ANGELO
What do you love most about what you do?
THERE'S NO BETTER FEELIN THAN TO WAKE UP DOIN WHAT YOU LOVE EVERYDAY AND TO STILL HAVE OLD AND NEW FANS APPRECIATING US AND STILL
COMING OUT IN GREAT NUMBERS TO SEE US LIVE. IT DOES'NT GET ANY BETTER. MUCH LOVE TO THE FANS!!!
How do you feel about the new artists out today and who’s your favourite?
I DON'T SEE ALOT OF DIVERSITY IN GROUPS LIKE IT WAS IN THE 80'S AND 90'S. NO COMPARISON BUT THERE ARE SOME GOOD ONES OUT THERE - WE JUST
WISH THERE WERE MORE ORIGINAL ARTIST TODAY - VERSUS COPY CATS. ALOT OF THEM SOUND ALIKE.
What’s your opinion on all these reality TV shows, that make people overnight stars, compared to the old skool way of making it?
THIS IS THE NEW GENERATION - HATE IT OR LOVE IT, IT'S HERE. BUT WE DO FEEL LIKE ALOT OF IT IS BEIN SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS. WHETHER YOU
LIKE IT OR NOT, IT'S STILL ON AIR. THE CONSUMERS DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY SAY-SO TODAY ON WHO GETS PLAYED OR NOT THESE DAYS. SOMETIMES
THE ARTIST IS #1 BY DEFAULT AND AT THE END OF IT ALL GETS DROPPED FROM LABEL B/C OF LACK OF SALES.
What influence do you feel your music has on people/young people?
WE JUST GIVE THEM THAT FEEL GOOD, BABY MAKIN MUSIC AND SOMETIMES THEY LEARN HOW TO TREAT EACH OTHER AND HOW TO LOVE, OR HOW THEY
WANT TO BE TREATED OR LOVED FROM THE SONGS.
There was that classic song & video ‘You & Me’ with Luke Campbell. Was he your manager at the time and what was the relationship like with him as a band?
NO HE WAS THE ONE WHO DISCOVERED US AND SIGNED US TO HIS LABEL LUKE RECORDS. MUCH LOVE TO LUKE.
How did you all get the deal with Luke?
WE MET LUKE THRU OUR MANAGER WHO WAS GOOD FRIENDS WITH LUKE. HE MADE LUKE MISS HIS FLIGHT WHEN HE CAME TO HOUSTON ONE WEEKEND
AND BROUGHT HIM TO THE STUDIO TO HEAR US SING LIVE. 2 WKS LATER WE WERE SIGNED.
So many lives are cut short in the industry & very, very sadly, as we all know... Dino was tragically killed in a car accident with his girlfriend Teshya in 2003; how did that
affect you personally and also as a band?
IT'S KIND OF HARD TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION - BUT AT FIRST WE WERE UNSURE IF WE WANTED TO CONTINUE WITHOUT HIM. BUT WE WERE GETTIN
LETTERS AND EMAILS FROM FANS ENCOURAGING US TO KEEP IT GOIN. DON'T LET THE H-TOWN LEGACY DIE AND THAT WAS THERAPY TO US - SEEING
HOW MANY FANS THAT WANTED TO HEAR MORE FROM US AND STILL BEHIND US. WE DO MISS HIM AND HE LIVES THRU US NOW. WHEN WE'RE ON THAT
STAGE IT FEELS LIKE HE'S RIGHT UP THERE WITH US.
Is it true that record companies wanted you to replace Dino?
YES THEY DID AND THAT WAS SOMETHING WE DID'NT WANT TO DO.
Did you have to learn new approaches/things/styles to "fit in" or was it a case of, if it aint broke, don’t try to fix it?
NO WE KEPT IT H-TOWN WITH A LIL BIT OF THE NEW. BUT STILL H-TOWN - YOU CAN'T WATER DOWN REAL R&B
Jodeci & H-Town ruled ‘the world’ in the 90’s and paved the way for a lot of the groups out today; it is a fantastic idea that you guys got together for the track ‘Knockin your
heels off’ along with Pretty Ricky. How was that?
WE'RE ALL GOOD FRIENDS AND WE'VE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT DOIN A COLAB TOGETHER. I GUESS THE TIMING WAS RIGHT AND WE ADDED OUR HOMIES
PRETTY RICKY ON THE REMIX. OLD SCHOOL AND NEW SCHOOL COMIN TOGETHER TO MAKE ONE HOT REMIX.
Did you enjoy working on that project?
MOSDEF - BUT ACTUALLY EVERYONE RECORDED FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. WE RECORDED FROM HOME IN HOUSTON, THEN WE FLEW TO CALI AND
JODECI BLESSED THE TRACK AND PRETTY RICKY RECORDED FROM MIAMI.
Life or death situation & H-Town have to battle Jodeci – Who would take it?
JODECI OF COURSE - K-CI IS A BEAST ON THE VOCALS, BUT WE WOULD GIVE THEM A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY FOSHO.
When is your new album ‘Child Support’ out? And can you tell us what to expect from this album?
THIS FALL AND IT'S ANOTHER BEDROOM CD. WE FELT THAT LOVE IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW WITH ALL THE BS GOIN ON IN THE WORLD AND IN RELATIONSHIPS
TODAY. VERY GROWN AND SEXXY, BABY MAKIN MUSIC.
We were all shocked by Michael Jackson’s death last year, how did you feel about that?
I THINK ALOT OF US ARE STILL IN DENIAL ON THAT SUBJECT. CAUSE HE WAS THE GREATEST AND HE PAVED THE WAY FOR ALL OF US THAT CAME BEHIND
HIM.
What are your thoughts on Barack Obama and his Presidency?
HE HAS A COMPLICATED JOB AND HE'S DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THE HAND HE HAS BEEN DEALT AND PASSED DOWN FROM THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENT.
Describe a day in the studio.
WE NEVER GO DURING THE DAY,NIGHT TIME IS WHEN WE'RE AT OUR BEST AND MOST CREATIVE.SO FROM 12MIDNITE TILL 6AM WE'RE IN THE STUDIO
GETTIN IT IN.
Favourite Type of Music?
WE'RE NEUTRAL - WE LOVE A LIL BIT OF EVERYTHING - AS LONG AS IT HAS A GOOD BEAT AND WE CAN RELATE TO THE CONTENT OF THE SONG.
Favourite Alcoholic Drink?
LONG ISLAND.
Favourite Food?
CHICKEN,PASTA AND SEA FOOD.
Favourite Car?
EXOTIC CARS
Favourite H-Town Song?
ALL OF THEM
Tell us about some of the new artists that you’re working with?
LIL FLIP, JODECI, PRETTY RICKY ARE FEATURED ON OUR NEW CD.
MUCH LUV AND THANX. PLEASE LET THE FANS KNOW TO PLEASE FOLLOW US ON TWITTER FOR UPDATES ON SHOWS, CD AND TV APPEARANCES AT
The Indescribably.. Indestructible H-Town
Pla~neT KiDeSo would like to thank G.I. and H-Town for their time and wish them the very best of luck in the future.
)
Global Inspiration...
