[THE TONEX INTERVIEW]

Yo Tonex!! What’s going on? Of course, we would like to thank you for doing this interview!

WELL THANK YOU 4 HAVING ME!

This here is a question that we begin all of our interviews with. Most people see the title of our site and wonder what’s the deal with it. Well, I came to a point one day where I realized that music is my addiction. [laughs] I know that sounds crazy but, it’s like you always want the newest and best music and there is rarely a moment where music is not involved in what we are doing. So, my question is, would you consider music an addiction for you? And why or why not?

MUSIC IS DEFINITELY AN ADDICTION FOR ME. I CRAVE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. I ALSO NOTICED THAT PEOPLE TREAT MY MUSC LIKE A DRUG. THEY HAVE TO HAVE IT. I SHOULD HAVE NAMED MY MIX TAPE "THE DRUG DEALER" CUZ TRUTH IS ....THE SHIT IS DOPE. NOT TO BRAG BUT I MEAN, I REALLY LIKE WHAT I DO , AND IF IT WASN'T ME I WOULD BUY IT MYSELF. I AM ADDICTED TO THE MUSIC THAT I HAVE TO MAKE BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND IT TOO MANY PLACES OUTSIDE OF LAURYN , CHRISETTE MICHELLE OR D'ANGELO AND OH YES OF COURSE, LEDESI.

We know a lot about Tonex. We also know a lot about what people think of Tonex and what people think they know about Tonex. Give us YOUR definition of YOU!

A MAVERICK, A LONE SOLDIER, AN ANOMALY, FREAK OF NATURE, THE UNSPOKEN NOTHING THAT'S LOUDER THAN EVERYTHING. I'M SENSUAL BECAUSE IM SPIRITUAL FIRST. I'M A HELPLESS ROMANTIC. I'M THE TRUTH THAT YOU LOVE, BUT THE NIKKA YOU LOVE 2 HATE. I AM YOU ON ANY GIVEN DAY SO IF THERE'S SOMETHING IN ME THAT YOU SEE THAT YOU DON'T LIKE OR RECOGNIZE IT COULD BE A STRONG INDICATION THAT THAT SAME TRAIT LIES REPRESSED WITHIN U SOMEWHERE. I'M LIKE A DOLPHIN BECAUSE WHEN IM WITH MY ENGINEER WE COMMUNICATE IN A CODE THAT'S NOT AUDIBLE TO HUMAN EARS; WE JUST KNOW WHERE EACH OTHER WANTS TO GO. IM A HUMANITARIAN, IM THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE HIDDEN ADDICTION, IM THE STREET REP FOR THE PRIVATE STRUGGLE, BUT IM ALSO THE POSTER CHILD FOR TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY.

This question was also asked in our last interview. When did you get to the age of understanding? Like…when was that moment when you said to yourself, “Okay, I am destined for greatness. If I just abide by God’s word and draw nearer, everything will fall into place!”?

WELL ACTUALLY SINCE I WAS A KID I ALWAYS KNEW THAT ME AND GOD HAD A VERY OPEN RELATIONSHIP, BEFORE I WAS INDOCTRINATED WITH THE FEAR OF HIM [AND IM NOT REFERRING TO REVERENCE]. IRONICALLY, EVEN WHEN I DIDN'T "LINE UP" IN MY OWN EYESIGHT, HIS FORESIGHT OVERRODE MY OWN DEFICIENCY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF MANKIND. IM STILL NOT "LINED UP". BUT I BLESS UP JAH EVERYDAY AND HE LOOKS OUT FOR ME. HE'S WAY MORE PATIENT THEN WHAT THE AVERAGE PREACHER/BELIEVER GIVES HIM CREDIT FOR.

Okay, I have been a fan of your music for a long time; like back to the Pronounced Toe-Nay project. I was all like…10. [laughs] Anyway, a lot people don’t know that you have a quite serious discography! In total, how many projects have you released? [&& give the titles]

Albums

Independent Releases:
Silent X: The Self Confrontation [Rajah, 1994]
Damage [1995, cassette only, out of print]
Pronounced Toe-Nay [Rescue/MSS, 1997]
Oak Park 921'o6 [Nureau Ink, 2006]
Stereotype: Steel & Velvet [Nureau Ink] [2007]
T.Bizzy: The Album [Nureau Ink, 2008]
GosPop [Nureau Ink, 2008]

Major Label Releases:
Pronounced Toe-Nay [Tommy Boy/Verity, 2000]
O2 [Verity/Nureau Ink, 2002]
Out The Box [Verity/Nureau Ink, 2004]
Digital Only Releases
Circu$ [2000, free mp3 release]
proTransalutionary [2003]
Pronounced Ree-Mix [2003, PTN remix collection released on iTunes]
The Orphans [2003, free mp3 release]
Oak Park 92105 [2006, re-released on iTunes]
The London Letters [2006, released on iTunes]
Underground/Out-of-Print Releases
Oak Park 92105 [2003]
Figure O' Speech [2003, under the pseudonym "The O'ryn Project"]

Singles:
"Personal Jesus" [Rescue/MSS, 1997]
"Personal Jesus [Remixes]" [MSS, 1999] CD MAXI SINGLE
"One Sunday Morning"/"For The Life Of Me" [MSS, 1999]
"Mad" [MSS, 1999] CASSETTE SINGLE
"Personal Jesus" [Jive/Verity/Tommy Boy/Rescue/MSS, 2000]
"Bout A Thang" [Jive/Verity, 2002]
"That's When" [Verity, 2002]
"God Has Not 4Got" [Verity, 2002]
"Doesn't Really Matter" [Verity, 2004]
"Make Me Over" [Verity, 2004]
"Since Jesus Came" [Verity, 2004]
"Ain't [Remyx LP]" [Nureau Ink, 2005]
T. Bizzy: "Banganyn [EP]" [Nureau Ink, 2006]
"Fail U" [Nureau Ink, 2006]
"Joy" [Nureau Ink/Verity, 2007]

Tell us about Pronounced Toe-nay; the title, the process, as well as the inspirations.

WELL BACK THEN I WAS VERY VERY NAIVE. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I COULDN'T DO BECAUSE I HAD NOTHING COMPARE WHAT I DID WITH. I WASN'T A PART OF THE GOSPEL SCENE AND DIDN'T COME UP THE RANKS IN THE GMWA. I WAS JUST IN SAN DIEGO DOING MUSIC THAT MADE ME FEEL GOOD AND THEN OTHERS FELT IT. I WAS VERY MUCH INTO SPEARHEAD AT THE TIME. I WAS DEFINITELY TAPPED INTO THE YEAR OF 1976. THERE WERE SO MANY ELEMENTS THAT WERE WAY BEFORE MY TIME THAT I KNEW FLUENTLY HOW TO CONVEY. TO ME PRONOUNCED TOE-NAY WAS WHEN LYRICALLY I REALLY BROKE OUT. THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN I WOULD JUST WRITE LYRICS TO THE FILL IN BECAUSE THE MUSIC WAS THE MAIN DRIVING COMPONENT. SOMETIMES VERSE 1 GOING TWICE [LAUGHS]. BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MY "PEN" ON THAT ALBUM AND I STARTED BASICALLY WRITING SOME REAL SHIT FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND THAT WAS SCARY AT FIRST BECAUSE I WAS SAYING THINGS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD THE COURAGE TO SAY. IF YOU LISTEN 2 THE MUSIC BACK THEN [ 1997 ] NOTHING WAS OUT THAT WAS LIKE THAT PIECE AT THE TIME [ AT LEAST NOT THE DIVERSITY OF THAT LP]. AND IN GOSPEL THERE IS STILL NO ALBUM THAT TACKLES THE RAW ELEMENTS OF SPIRITUAL AND NATURAL UP AND DOWNS THAT EXPLICITLY. YOU CAN TELL THAT THE CORE OF THE NAKED TRUTH AND THE RODE LESS TRAVELED WERE IN ME BACK THEN, BUT I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO LET IT OUT.

The same with Out The Box; explain the title, the process, as well as the inspirations.

OUT THE BOX WAS MY GREATEST GOSPEL SUCCESS AND MY GREATEST CURSE BECAUSE OF BIG BUSINESS. THEY [RECORD LABELS] LOVE BLOCKBUSTER RECORDS AND THEY "ALWAYS" WANT A SEQUEL [LAUGHS]. I DIDN'T WANNA DO A SEQUEL TO OUT THE BOX ! THE PROCESS WAS A GRUELING 6 MONTHS OF INTENSE REHEARSAL 18 -21 HOUR DAYS. I MEAN I WAS RUNNING 4 REHEARSALS AT THE SAME TIME. TWO SEPARATE GROUP OF SINGERS, CHOREOGRAPHY, AND THE BAND ...IT WAS CRAZY. I WAS INSPIRED BY ROCK OPERAS SUCH AS JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, IN WHICH ONE DAY I PLAN TO PLAY THE ROLE OF TED NEELY [AS JESUS] ON BROADWAY. THAT WAS MY MAIN INSPIRATION ON THAT RECORD. MY FATHER WAS THE BRAINCHILD BEHIND THE WHOLE POPPING OUT THE BOX SITUATION. HE WAS THE SENIOR PROJECT CONSULTANT FOR THAT ALBUM. HE REALLY WAS PROUD OF ME. HE DIED BEFORE HE COULD SEE THE FINAL CUT ON THE MOVIE OUT THE BOX, BUT I KNOW HE STILL SAW IT ANYWAY. DAMN, THAT STILL MAKES ME SAD BUT AT LEAST IT DOESN'T HURT ANYMORE.

One more time! [laughs] Talk about Oak Park; explain the title, the process, as well as the inspirations.

OAK PARK WAS THE SEQUEL TO PRONOUNCED TOE-NAY. ALTHOUGH "02" CAME 2 YEARS AFTER PRONOUNCED TOE-NAY , IT WAS NOT AND I REPEAT NOT THE ORIGINAL ALBUM I TURNED IN , NOR WAS IT THE ALBUM THAT I WANTED THE PUBLIC TO HEAR, THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER STORY. OAK PARK WAS SUPPOSED TO COME OUT AUGUST 19TH, 2003. THE LABEL WAS AFRAID OF IT. SO BASICALLY ALL OF MY THROW AWAY ALBUMS BY THE LABEL ALWAYS END UP BEING HERALDED AS MY GREATEST ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS. OAK PARK WAS THE ALBUM WHERE THAT SAME DIARYESQUE APPROACH THAT PRONOUNCED TOE NAY HAD BLOSSOMED.

What’s next, musically, for you? && what’s going on with that Stereotype project?

WHO KNOWS? THAT DAMN LABEL AGAIN! [LAUGHS]

I, personally, have not been through everything that you have in life, therefore I cannot honestly say that I agree with everything that you have spoken out about. I feel you on a lot of things though and a lot of what you say needs to be said! A lot of people are struggling && feel that God doesn’t love them because of their struggle. Although, like you said in one of my favorite tracks, I Found Love, the love is not always something that we deserve! But you and I both are living witnesses; God’s love is REAL! [That love that MJB was looking for back in ’92!] God said in his word, “I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU!” With that said, thanks again man! This interview is definitely appreciated! && pray for us, as we pray for you! Keep us up to date with the new && future projects!!! May God bless you in this year, 2008!!!