Q: I want to ask you the basics about the album-how it's different from the previous materials?
D: I think the difference is...well, first of all, that it is our album. It's what we wanted to do. It's our vision. It's our first album without Maurice Starr, which I'm sure will be very noticeable.
Q: I heard you used about six different producers. I interviewed Danny about it.
D: Yeah, there will probably be four on the album. Four producers. Teddy Riley, Narada Michael Walden, Walter A and myself, and possibly Wolf and Epic...and that will be it.
Q: What are you doing between now and when the album comes out?
D: I've been working on the album everyday that it's been in the works. I mean, me and Jordan have basically done everything on the album as far as putting it together and doing all the deals and everything...even producing and writing songs...the whole nine yards. I mean, between Jordan and myself, we wrote probably eight of the twelve songs on the album-among other stuff. I finished mastering the first single today. I had to master it today. We're also doing videos. We're gonna release two singles to start out with. Two singles, I think. We're going to do videos for both of them. We're just gonna be working from now to the end of '94 probably.
Q: Do you feel your audience has grown up with you? Do you feel you're going to have the same audience or bring in new ones?
D: We really don't know. I think, hopefully, our old fans have grown up with us...but hopefully, we'll also get new fans. We have no control over that. What we set out to do was make a good album. That's our priority and hopefully, everyone will enjoy it. That's all we can do. That's all we have the power to do-to dictate how the album is. Not how well the album does or how well it's received. That's beyond our control.
Q: Would you say you have a more adult sound now?
D: Well, I think the sound is on a totally higher level. Production quality is a thousand times better than any other album we ever did. I mean, it's still song-oriented. Maurice was a great songwriter. We still wanted to have great songs. But I think the production quality that you'll hear will be sound much more incredible than any of our other albums.
Q: How has the group changed as people in the last four years?
D: Well we like each other again. (Laughs.)
Q: Was there a problem at one time?
D: No, but when you live together for four, five years nonstop everyday you tend to have petty gripes that just come from being around one another. Tensions arise that you really have no control over. And sometimes you blame people close to you for things they're really not responsible for. That's what happens to people when they're cooped up together for long periods of time. We went through it, and we're over it; we took some time away from each other and got to know ourselves as individuals before we got to know the rest of the group members. And once everybody did that, everybody was real anxious to work together again and get back out.
Q: I heard the album took a whole year. And at some point you scrapped the whole album and started from scratch.
D: No, we never scrapped a whole album.
Q: Was the songwriting done ahead of time or did you just go into the studio and sort of do it impromptu?
D: Well, different things. I mean as far as my tracks, I went in and did tracks and started writing to the other guys' vocal styles. I did a song for Joe-you know, before I finished the song, I brought him in to help me finish writing it to make it more his taste. The song I did for Jordan, "Dirty Dawg," was a similar situation. I produced the music and wrote most of the lyrics and stuff, but I wanted to bring Jordan in to develop it and add his taste to it.
Q: Are there any shocks at all on this record, something that will throw the fans off? Like rapping?
D: Not particularly rapping. We could have done rap songs. I think it's not necessary, though. As a unit we're not a rap group, you know what I mean? Some of us are into hip-hop. Some of us have been into hip-hop for 15 years, you know what I mean? It's a little different. It wouldn't be right for me to impose a rap song say on Joe or Jon, you know what I mean? 'Cause that's not what the group is into as a whole. I could have easily done it. I think my personal feelings and tastes are represented enough on the album. I think the other guy's tastes and stuff are represented as well.
Q: Is "Dirty Dawg" an upbeat kind of song?
D: Nah, that song will be a big surprise to people. Definitely be a big surprise to a lot of people.
Q: In what way?
D: It's very edgy, very real, very raw...and Nice-N-Smooth is going to be rapping on it. It's good. It's gonna be real serious.
Q: Did you touch on any realistic themes on the songs? As opposed to doing love songs, did you touch on any real life issues?
D: I think we sing about what's really important for people to sing about-at least in our eyes. I think there's time to be serious and there's a time for pleasure. To me, I think music is about delivering messages and sometimes about pleasure. And right now I think it's about pleasure. You don't hear many songs anymore that are about pleasure and people enjoying themselves. When people go to a club or turn on the radio, I think 9 times out of 10 they want to feel good. They don't want to feel bad. You watch the news to feel bad because it's crime story after crime story. Why would you turn on the radio for relief and want to hear people moaning and groaning about their problems? There's ways to deal with problems. I mean, we've spoken out about many problems...many problems with the country and the world, and many problems with our city. But I think, you know, that music is for pleasure. We're entertainers: we're not people trying to save the world. We're here to entertain people and give people pleasure. So that's what should be expected of entertainers: pleasure.
Q: What are the groups goals at this point?
D: I think we've completed our first goal which was to finish an album and be pleased with the album. I think now we'll work on some other stuff...maybe we'll tour next year, of course. Maybe do some solo albums and stuff like that. It's really up in the air. I think everyone has individual goals, but everybody was big enough to put them aside for now and do what's right.
Q: A year or two ago there was rumors that you were all doing solo albums.
D: If we do them, it will only enhance the group. It's not something that's going to take the group down or break the group apart, you know. I mean, when you grow up, you learn that sometimes you need to speak your own mind. Sometimes you need to express yourself as and individual. We don't always feel the same about everything. So it's good that we all respect each other enough to give each other the space that we need to do what we want.
Q: How do you feel about those clone groups that came out after the NK's that didn't do well? The most recent one is Take That, which is a big group in England that didn't make it when their album came out in April.
D: It doesn't mean anything to me. If an individual was inspired then that's great. But if a record company executive was inspired to try and make money off something we did, then that's garbage. I can't respect that. You know, for example, if a group came out and said "Wow, NK's really influenced us." And we saw them and said, "Hey, we can be successful, too." Then that's fine. I can only respect that. As far as record companies scrambling to put a bunch of white kids together, it's garbage, it's stupid. I can't respect that because it says nothing about the kids in the group or nobody. It's garbage.
Q: That's true. There's a lot of successful groups right now that were "put together." SWV and some really popular R&B groups were put together; they were sort of made up by record companies or individual managers. Do you think that's wrong?
D: I don't think it's wrong, as long as you're real and you do what you do from the heart. We were put together by Maurice, you know what I mean? It was his idea at first. I brought the rest of the guys in the group. But it was his idea. It's just that we tried to do what we always did. We didn't try to be something we weren't. We just did what we did. You grow and learn and expand. That's what we're doing now. A group like SWV, I don't know their history, but I know they're talented and they sing really well. Just because somebody slapped them together doesn't mean that they won't grow into becoming their own artist. If you totally put on an act and somebody put you together, then you're just fake. You're walking around with a machine gun and smoking a reefer because somebody at your record company told you to. It's garbage.
Q: So you think it's okay if people have talent to begin with?
D: I think if people are real that's fine. You can't disrespect anybody who's real.
Q: What advice would you have for someone who's serious about getting in the business who does really have talent? Do you think there's room for everyone or not?
D: I have no advice. I don't know.
Q: Maybe to be in the right place at the right time...
D: Yeah, that's about the size of it. Just try your best.
Q: Speaking about you personally-are you branching out into other things? I know you do producing but would you like to be a manager or do any things on the other side of show business?
D: Only what I can handle. I don't want to try to conquer the world until I'm ready to. Whatever comes my way. If I'm interested then I'll take it on. If not, I'll just pass it by. I'm not going to do things just so I can say I did it. I'll do what's right for me.
Q: You must have been so proud that the Marky Mark albums did so well. Those were your first productions. You were really a novice at the time but it worked out really well. Sometimes I think when somebody's an artist themselves, they produce an artist in a more raw way than if somebody was a real record producer.
D: Thanks.
NKOTB Yesterday and Today 1994
By Anne M. Raso