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Featured by “BlackShakespeare” Christopher Anderson
“I have always been a positive person. I would never get out there and say, “Girl, feeling on yo booty or that thong, thong, thong, thong.” That would be a mess. – Deitrick Haddon on going R&B.
It’s clear by now that the urban Christian culture still suffers from an identity crisis much like hip hop painfully endured throughout the 80’s. Accounts of Tonex’s ‘Artist Gone Wild’ performances and gospel icon Shirley Caesar’s unsavory rap on her latest contribution to the movement of ‘reaching da young folk’ are classic examples of an industry not yet in touch with its inner child. However, there have been periods woven within the fabric of the culture’s emerging existence that portray the promise of a brighter day. Such was the case when the industry’s most recognizable imprint, Verity records, signed Deitrick Haddon to a major label deal in 2001. Haddon entered the national spotlight and presented an element of charisma paralleled only by his R&B counterparts. From his initial Grammy nominated solo release Lost & Found to his recent release 7 Days, the crooner has never portrayed a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ musical styling and has always been lyrically transparent. A musical philosophy that was identifiable through the revival of Biggie’s “One More Chance” for his latest release. Haddon sits down for the first time to talk about his association with O.J. Simpson, Sam Cooke and how progressive tracks, along with the rest of 7 Days, are just calculated steps toward his intent to go R&B. It’s D Day!
Blackshakespeare: What was the heart behind 7 Days?
Haddon: I wanted to have music that could really help people seven days of the week. I wanted to have ‘feel good’ music that could help them through those little humps and roadblocks that they go through in their lives. I really wasn’t trying to be really spiritually deep I just wanted to produce real good music that people could ride through during the week and just enjoy themselves.
How does 7 Days differ from Crossroads?
Haddon: On all my records I produce and write all of my music and on 7 Days I didn’t. I kind of let go of the wheel and let producers Tim and Bob take the lead…and that’s kind of a big deal for me. I trusted Tim and Bob to deliver a fresh sound for me and they did it. That’s the real big deal about it.
How do you feel about the overwhelming comparisons with your musical styling and those of legendary artist Sam Cooke?
Haddon: I feel blessed and humbled because I think Sam Cooke was one of the greatest talents that ever walked the planet. His ability to perform live was amazing. His ability to mesmerize and capture a crowd was off the chart. And then his ability to articulate his music was phenomenal. So those are big shoes to fill when people relate my music to him.
You recorded Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” on the soundtrack for the movie The Gospel. What do you think Sam would have said about your contribution?
Haddon: It came about by the production team called the Trendsetters. They had the opportunity to do the song and they gave me the song. If Sam were alive today, I think he would say Deitrick you did OK. [Laughter] I have all of Sam Cooke’s documentaries of his life and of his performances. He was a very detailed person. He would really express the way he said his lyrics. I’m not a real detailed person. I just like to get in there and sing it and it comes out the way it comes out. I sing it how I feel it and it just comes out that way. Sam was able to do both. Sing it how he felt it as well as articulate it the right way. So he would say Deitrick I give you a B. I give you an A for feeling but I give you a C for articulating. I did it in one take and the guys said we got it and I said OK and we went with it. So I don’t think he would be disappointed but he would have probably said you could have done better.
Sam eventually went R&B. Al Green, who ironically also recorded “A Change Is Gonna Come”, eventually went R&B. Has Deitrick Haddon ever consider going R&B?
Haddon: I had the opportunity many times to go all R&B. Back in 1990 I had a deal on the table with Arista Records and pulled back from because I wasn’t ready. Tim and Bob were actually producing that record along with Tony Rich. We were all at a studio called Sound Suite Studios in Detroit Michigan. Here we are years later and I had a chance to work again with Tim and Bob and YES I have considered going crossover and that’s what our attempt is. That’s our goal. And because I don’t want to loose my fan base we gradually take them there. We are not just going to abruptly turn the gospel record into an R&B record. Now this is my perception of crossing over to R&B. I think gospel is supposed to be secular. I think that when Jesus saved us he said, “Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall become witnesses unto Judea and unto the utter most parts of the world.”
[Interviewer’s Note] Deitrick quotes this scripture like he’s studied it over and over in an effort to get clarity on his own musical plight. The seriousness in his voice gives you insight into the struggle he’s faced within barriers of gospel music. The reality is simple - gospel music doesn’t reach the unsaved masses like R&B does. Gospel music reaches the church and Haddon takes the great commission way too serious to play ‘monkey see, monkey do’ – remember?]
Haddon continues: So in other words when God has given you a gift and saved you, you are supposed to go to the world and not constrain it to the four walls worship experience. So I think in that sense yes I am considering going R&B because I think that the gospel can be taken to the secular arena…that is where people need to hear the gospel.
What should we expect from a Deitrick Haddon R&B project?
Haddon: Musically, I want to be more aggressive with the production and the lyrics. But as far as message, I have always been a positive person. I would never get out there and say, “Girl, feeling on yo booty or thong, to thong, thong, thong.” That would be a mess.
Switching gears – in your thank you notes from 7 Days, you thank O. J. Simpson. Why?
Haddon: My God. Actually O.J. is a great friend of mine. When I go to Miami and hang out, he’s just a good friend. That’s what ‘Thank You’s’ are about. To your friends and to your boys. So I gave him a shout out. A lot of people turned their back on him but he’s a good man. I know him personally and he’s just a great guy! And a funny character.
I think a majority of the country is thinking that he has a humorous side to him on this eve of his attempt to release a book on what he would have done if he would have actually murdered Nicole and Ron Goldman.
Haddon: I knew nothing about that my brotha. I don’t know what he’s trying to do – bury himself? When I get back down there [Miami] I’m going to ask him what his approach was on that one. Actually, I met O.J. through a good friend of mine. He is kind of O.J.’s assistant. We need to pray for him.
When O.J. went through his trial, which was also the case with Michael Jackson, the opinion was expressed that he had previously steered away from the black community until the crisis hit. Then he makes an assertive effort to associate himself with the black clergy and our community as a whole. This was the case until the trial was over and he went right back to where he was – away from the African American community. Since he’s your friend, can you tell us if this is fiction or fact?
Haddon: No! I know for a fact that that was something that was magnified by the press. Television and radio are very powerful. When they make us turn on our own people. I watch T.V. and I hear little comments about Michael Jackson and O.J. and I think that it’s so disrespectful to our people and to the talent that they brought to the table. Plus both O.J. and Michael were acquitted. And we as a people still turn on them and still make jokes about them like they never done anything to contribute to us as a people. [Interviewer’s Note: I guess I should repent and cancel my NAACP membership ‘cause I’ve got a couple of Mike jokes on the tip of my tongue right now.] There has never been a bigger superstar than Michael Jackson and all we can do is sit around and still talk about that issue. I think it’s so disrespectful to our icons like that. Now, I know O.J. personally. Even though he likes white women he has always been with his people. Neither he nor Michael left black people. Their mother’s are black. Their families are black. It’s just when a black person breaks into the mainstream and they start getting white fans then black folks start saying ‘Oh now he’s over there with the white folk.’ No! No! No! It’s not easy to get white fans. So when you get ‘em you want to keep building on that. It’s not that you are leaving your people but you have to be able to build on your fan base. And if you are blessed to be able to break into the mainstream where you become pop culture you would be a fool not to monopolize on it. ‘Cause black folk don’t support each other like we should! We don’t go buy each other’s records. We don’t go and support each other and yet we want people to stay, keep ‘em locked in just to black folk. It’s not right. Now when we start buying records and start going to the theatre then I can see us saying we should just chill out with our people.
Since Michael was acquitted and your philosophy is that we should show our troublesome icons the utmost respect, would you send your children to Neverland to spend some quality time with The King of Pop?
Haddon: I would be a fool to do something like that. Even though he has been acquitted the very fact is that he has been indicted. I wouldn’t let them go unsupervised. I would go over there or send somebody over there with them.
Special Note: Go purchase 7 Days. Both the project and the artist are probably the best contributions ever made to the gospel industry.
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