I’d categorize it as eclectic hip-hop, because my views are eclectic when you look at the things everybody else is doing. I could be a little more lyrical than I actually have been, though. I could be a little more political. I don’t put who I am as a person into my music, I just leave it as entertainment. I just try to have fun, I don’t take myself too seriously. When I first started, though, I took everything real seriously. I had the advantage of being around Jodeci, and I still thank those dudes to this day for giving us the opportunity to be around them and learn the business. I’ve been fortunate to be around the game for so long that even before I came out with my own record, I was like, “You know what? I’m not even going to take my stuff seriously.” It’s almost like a game. If you look back ten years ago, who was the hottest dudes then? Who was the hottest female rapper? Who was the hottest – whatever? You can’t even really remember. Whether you’re a rapper, or a pop artist, or a rock artist, or an R&B artist, your time comes and goes in this business. So you can’t take yourself too seriously. Please! Just try to have fun with it. I’m not saying that I’ll never do an album by myself, as a solo artist, ‘cause I’ve been thinking about doing that, to be honest with you. But I’ve got to be able to get out of my contract to do it, because me and Timb are signed as a group. We can’t do nothin’ unless it’s within the parameters of our contract. If I ever do a solo record, I would probably do something a little different because Timb & Magoo is what I do with my best friend. What I do as a solo artist would be something completely different, people wouldn’t even recognize it from the Timb & Magoo stuff. It would be more personal.
What new projects do you have coming up?
Right now, I’m behind the scenes. I started a production company, and I have some real talented producers that I’ve started working with. I chose to remain more behind the scenes, because I don’t need attention. I just want to make music. I never wanted to be a star, it just happened because I did the right record at the right time. Before everything started, I was chillin’ with – God rest her soul – Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Nicole Wray, we had a lot of great, talented people around us. People know who I am through my association with Timbaland, Missy, Ginuwine, and all the great people I’ve been able to work with. Other people like Tweet came along the way. But I never really wanted to be a huge celebrity, I never even dreamt about it. It’s not something that I ever thought about. I just wanted to make the music. I messed around and got lucky, I guess, or was blessed, rather. I look at it as a blessing because for some people, that’s all they think about. I know some entertainers that have always wanted to be stars, I run into kids all the time that rap or sing. They want to be stars more than they want to make money. They just want the attention, they want people to see them and know who they are. I don’t want that. Still, to this day, I trip off the fact that people know who you are just because of a record. But they do.
What’s the hardest part about being in the music industry?
The hardest thing is the business aspect of it. Here’s what I wish, but I know it will never happen: I wish that MTV would create a music REALITY show. I think “Making the band” was a great show, but it wasn’t realistic. They only show the parts where there’s a fight or an argument. They should get more up-close and personal and let kids see the real things we have to go through. Like for us, people don’t really understand what the deal is with Timbaland & Magoo and the process of what we’re going through right now. From the outside lookin’ in, you would think, “Okay, maybe they don’t really like each other,” or “Why they only put this many records out?” It’s never been a problem between me and Timbaland, we just had problems with the label. So they get a misconception of the reality of the game and what’s really going on. They think, “Timbaland got so big, he don’t have to deal with Magoo no more.” No! It ain’t that! Timb treats me like a brother. But we are in a business together. That’s the hard thing about being friends, we’re still in business together. The good thing is that we don’t intertwine the business with the friendship. The fans don’t really understand the truth.
What do you wish the fans would understand?
The music is easy, but the music gets complicated inside the business. You send your music to the record company, and they’re like, “There ain’t no hit records up in here.” Shit! When’s the last time you’ve been on the street? No disrespect to them because it is their company, but they are confusing. Next thing you know, you’re making songs that don’t make no fuckin’ sense, because you don’t know what the record company wants to hear. You should just be making music for the fans or for yourself, but you end up confused and half out of your damn mind because you’re so worried about what the label is going to think. I wish that fans could see that part of it, cause that’s the most difficult part. I wish that kids were more educated about the music business, before they decide they want to get into it, even in 6th, 7th grade. Some kids jump out of high school for music. If they could learn the music side of the business before they decide they want to be singers or rappers, it would be beneficial to them. I know Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent look like they’re happy, but for most kids it’s a pipe dream. It’s a promise that can’t be kept. That’s what I think these kids will never understand. I think too many kids come into this business in their teens or early 20s, and they come out disappointed. I know a lot of people that recorded albums that never came out. It’s their dream, but they’ve never really been taught so they don’t know how to conduct themselves and they don’t have a back-up plan to protect themselves from sitting on a shelf or getting dropped from a label. They also need to know how to get the right lawyer, they need to know about publishing - the business is the fucked up part of this game. You either win or you lose in this game, it ain’t no in-between. - Mikhale Richards (Photo: JB)
