Published: Sunday - March 6, 2005
Words by William E. Ketchum III
112 (Photo: Def Jam)
Hit records and R&B group 112 go hand-in-hand. With rump shakers like "Peaches & Cream" and "Na Na Na," and mood setters like "Cupid" in their catalog, hearing their tunes blaring in clubs or resonating about bedrooms is expected. What is surprising, however, is that next year marks a decade that the group has been in the game. It seems like only yesterday when the four baby-faced Atlanta natives appeared alongside Bad Boy labelmates Ma$e, Puff Daddy (old names in tow) and Notorious B.I.G. for their hit single "Only You."
But 112 wants you to recognize their endurance. Two record labels and four albums deep, the group plans to utilize their veteran expertise with their new album. In an interview with BallerStatus.com, 112 talks about their new project, their mark on R&B, and longevity.
BallerStatus.com: What all have you guys been up to since your last album, Hot & Wet?
Slim: We've just been focused on making an incredible album. We did a couple of joints on MTV, we were on "American Dream." We've been doing a lot of shows. A lot of them were overseas, in Africa and Europe, it was crazy. Right now we're getting ready to go to Europe with Jagged Edge, then we're going to come back, and 112 is going to go to Australia. Sharpening the tools before this album comes out, so we can come here to the United States and do our thing. We're just getting ready for this fifth album, because we feel that this album will answer a lot of questions and silence a lot of critics. We also answer a lot of questions from ourselves, as far as what we can and what we can't do. We take this new album very serious. We're focused right now, and we're feeling real good.
Q: The new record is called Pleasure & Pain, in stores March 29. It's just a true representation of 112 and what we've been going through the last year and a half of our lives, we're just opening the doors and letting you into our own world.
BallerStatus.com:Pleasure & Pain was the same title as one of the songs from your first album. Was that done intentionally, to symbolize going back to the old 112?
Q: That's a way you can look at it, but [the title] was so fitting, because that's really what it is. It's the daily doings of our lives. Even though we're entertainers in our own right, we experience the pleasures as well as pain, and not just in relationships, but in our career. We just wanted to talk about it.
BallerStatus.com: You guys have a pretty extensive catalog. How often do you get to see clubgoers react to your past hits, like "Peaches and Cream" and "Cupid?"
Q: That's a blessing. Having records that have withstood the test of time says a lot about who we are, and the artists that we are. We're not going to do anything different; we're just trying to dig into that. We don't want to just be saying, "that's what we did back in the day." We want to be able to remember records we did back then, but as well as making the transition from then to now and keep it moving. It feels good to go in the club and hear your record on the system, and everybody's going crazy to it. Whether it's a current record or an old record, it still gets the excitement of the crowd, and that's something that's unimaginable.
BallerStatus.com: This is your fifth album, which is farther than a lot of acts get these days. How have you kept your longevity?
Slim: We take a lot of pride in that. We're really blessed to still be doing this, and through good and bad, we're still together with the same members. We've still got the love for each other and for the music. A fifth album is an incredible achievement, and we're on route to become the legends that we set out to be before we got a record deal. We always look at the O' Jays, The Temptations, and even New Edition. They've been doing it for like 20 years, and we want to be able to say the same thing. We're on route to it, we're feeling real good right now.
I think it's 112 staying true, and staying consistent to ourselves. From the start, we were never into fads and fame, because everybody knows that that goes away. We really believe in relying on real talent and real singing. From there, you add on to your resume. We definitely concentrate on the fact that we need to release quality music, because 25 or 30 years from now, if they're still playing our record on an oldies station, we still have the same speed as we did in our twenties. We just realize that quality music and a quality career really tells the future on if you're going to be around.
Q: A lot of artists are manufactured and fused to be together, so during times of adversity or trials, they don't know what to fall back on, because they didn't take any time to get to know each other. The thing about 112 is, before the fame and before the money, we knew and loved each other as individuals. Also, one thing that keeps us together is that we totally respect each other. We understand that everybody has a role to play in 112, and everybody plays their role accordingly. Everybody contributes their twenty-five percent. There's really no one leading, no one talker, no one dancer; we all do it all. We all sing lead. Even during the show, we all have our time to shine, so there's never been a case where there was jealousy. Let's keep it real, sometimes jealousy is the reason why groups break up. But if everyone is doing their respective parts, and contributing their twenty-five percent, which is what we do, there's no room for that.
BallerStatus.com: What kind of a mark do you think you've left on R&B so far, and how do you feel about it? What are you looking to accomplish with this record and future ones?
Slim: I think our career pretty much speaks for itself. When we first came out, people were asking us how we were going to set ourselves apart from the rest of the groups. Those groups were Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and Mint Condition. When we first came in, we said we were going to be trendsetters, and we noticed that other groups were struggling because they could do ballads, but they couldn't do uptempo songs. We came straight to the clubs. With us being from the South and coming up to New York, we learned hip-hop, and that was a huge addition to our repertoire. We combined hip-hop and R&B together, and that was the evolution of 112, with meeting Puff, Biggie, and the whole Bad Boy family. That's the niche we created, and we're set in stone with that. It's easy for 112 to come out with a ballad, but you can see me doing a lot of stuff on rap joints, because rappers respect the fact that 112 can do that side too. I think that's the niche and the edge that we're able to adapt and adjust to. When the music changes, things change, but we're able to adapt and not get left behind.
Q: One thing people can always say about 112 is that we make records that have substance. We aren't talking about the bling bling, or how many cars we've got, but our songs have real substance. It's very touching to be on the road, and people say, "I listened to one song by you that helped me get through my marriage," or "you helped me cope with my boyfriend or girlfriend." Or when you're performing a song on your show, and you see couples crying. Those types of moments really touch you. But I can definitely say that we've stood for a career of longevity: we've been out almost ten years, and we've had four or five successful albums. To make it five albums, that's unheard of now. We're not trying to stop anytime soon. We're going to continue this to 2006, 2007, 2010, we're going to still be doing it.
Slim: For the future, we're going to do it real big. Whatever you're going to do, live it big. If you're going to do a tour, do it big. If you're going to perform, do it huge. It's worldwide status, and we're trying to expand the masses as far as people getting to know 112. We're taking our time, because we feel like time is on our side, and creating a legacy doesn't come overnight. It takes a long time for that. 112 is up for the challenge.
BallerStatus.com: There's a lot of confusion and curiosity as to how you guys ended up on Def Jam in the first place. What all happened between you guys and Bad Boy to make you leave the label?
Slim: Well, 112 was signed to a production deal. It didn't really have anything to do with the label of Bad Boy. The production company we were signed to was horrendous, there was no way we could feed our families or take care of ourselves. You talk about our catalog and what we contributed, but when it comes down to the financial part of our career, we weren't compensated. In order to get off of that agreement with the company, we had to leave Bad Boy -- not that we wanted to, but that's the only way that we could do it.
Making a long story short, we were in a bidding war. Everybody and their mama with a label deal came at us. Def Jam really made a statement when they came in; they said, "112, we feel like you're worth this, we can see y'all years from now, and this is what we're going to invest in y'all." They stepped up to the challenge, and we thank God for them. Lyor Cohen and Kevin Lyles are over at Warner Bros. right now, but anytime we're blessed to get an award, they definitely deserve their credit and their due. They really believed in us, and they let it be known -- and not just through words. We've heard a lot of words toward 112, but when you put forth action, that means a lot for us.
But basically, that was it. The production deal was terrible, and the only way to get out of that production deal was to leave Bad Boy. It's crazy, because we were Puff's most-selling artist at the time, everybody was leaving, and we were definitely holding our own on the third album. So, of course that doesn't feel good business-wise. We didn't want to leave, but we had our differences. We're a family, so you know that brothers are going to fight. He made the business decision, and we respect that now. 112 definitely made a very good business decision and career move, and everything's great. I just saw P. Diddy last night, and it's all love.
BallerStatus.com: This has been a really hectic year with Def Jam. How have you been handling the transitions, and how much of an affect do you think they have had on the whole music-making process?
Slim: There's a lot of transitions that have been made, there's a lot of shuffling going on. Now that the smoke is clear, it's incredible. First of all, the addition of L.A. Reid; he came from Arista, and 112 was with Bad Boy through Arista. We're very familiar with everybody that's come from Arista to Def Jam, and it's just like a straight up family reunion. The people that were left on Def Jam, we've developed an incredible relationship, so we definitely mesh. And then you put the cherry on top of the banana split by adding Jay-Z, and when you think of 112 you think of hip-hop and R&B. I talked to him, and he definitely gets us, and I feel like this is about to be an incredible year for 112. Everything is meshing, and I feel like we can't lose right now.
BallerStatus.com: You guys had a prominent role in the creation of the Bad Boy R&B sound. How difficult was it to move over to Def Jam's idea of R&B?
Slim: We didn't have to change our sound or anything, because when Def Jam signed 112, they wanted the sound and package that 112 was. There was no hard type of transition whatsoever, because Def Jam allows 112 to be us. We turn in the music, they tell us where they think they would go. L.A. Reid was in a group -- the Deele, with my folk Babyface -- so he definitely understands the structure of music and how everything should sound. It was just like speaking to another member of the group. The whole process of this album was incredible, and I believe that on March 29 you will definitely feel the rebirth of 112, and see how easy it was. You're going to enjoy it, so welcome to our world.
BallerStatus.com: What can listeners expect with the new album?
Q: Range, depth, substance, and personality. The best 112 that you can possibly get, because we're here to prove something again. We laid it on the line, with our blood, sweat and tears.
Slim: This album's amazing. We work with a lot of producers: Warren Campbell, Mario Winans, Jermaine Dupri, Trackboyz (112 member) Daron did a lot of incredible records on here, he definitely grew as a producer, Bam and Ryan are from Atlanta, along with the Trackboyz. Working with Jermaine Dupri was incredible. We went in the studio with Scott Storch, he definitely had a lot of direction as far as uptempo joints. We worked with a lot of incredible people. We've got Three Six Mafia on there, that was incredible. They've been doing real hot stuff underground, so it's time for them to go back mainstream. We worked with T.I., ATLien and a personal friend. We worked with Foxy Brown and Jay-Z, which was incredible. We have some amazing records. We touched everything in pleasure and pain, and in life. Very incredible album.
BallerStatus.com: Foxy and Jay-Z are on the same song?
Slim: Yeah, they're on the same song. The whole feel of East Coast hip-hop, you can feel it in her voice. She's ready, it's time for her. Jigga's in there, he's the mastermind behind it, he's doing his thing. He's controlling everything. You can feel the excitement, and with all the new rosters at Def Jam, it's like a new team. Everybody's excited to play their part, you can feel it in the music, in the tracks. With 112, y'all are definitely going to feel this.
BallerStatus.com: Does the album have more uptempo songs, or slower ones?
Slim: We're best known for our uptempo joints, but we're loved for our ballads. We never stayed from the past of coming out with hot ballads. The ballads are very strong on this album, because we set out to make a point: incredible singing, and incredible lyrics. Music's that going to last not just three or four months, but 30 and 40 years. We have those types of songs on there. I'd say the album has more ballads. Put yourself in the mind of the first album. That's pretty much the feeling it's going to give you. We want nothing less than a classic.
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