Interviews

Published on March 28th, 2020 | by Percy Crawford

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Catching Up With R&B Legend: Case

“You just gotta make real music and people will always gravitate towards that.”

Case’s music is the definition of timeless. Perhaps one of the best collaborators of this generation, his voice has streamed across the airwaves for over 20-years. “Touch Me Tease Me,” featuring Foxy Brown and Mary J. Blige put him in the spotlight and his vocals kept him there. “Happily Ever After” became one of the most played wedding anthems of all-time. His hit, “Missing You” as well as his collaboration with, Ja Rule on, “Living It Up,” were both nominated for Grammy’s. He also teamed up with R&B heavyweights, Ginuwine, RL and Tyrese for “The Best Man” movie soundtrack for, “The Best Man I Can Be.” A duet with, Joe on, “Faded Pictures” was featured on the “Rush Hour” soundtrack. He’s provided 6-studio albums and he’s been on several soundtracks including, “Nutty Professor” and “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps” and “Johnson Family Vacation.” His open dialogue with his fans on both TV One’s “Unsung” and BET’s “Finding Case,” was refreshing.

The R&B giant goes into detail about his longevity and consistency in the game, talks about current projects and much more!

How are you doing?

Case: I’m chillin. How you?

I can’t complain. I think we are all a little stir crazy.

Case: I’m ready for this to be over. Do what ya’ll going to do and get it over with, so we can go back to normal. But I’m good. Working on some music right now. Ain’t nothing else to do in between eating and finding stuff to do. Whatever I can do to pass the time.

I hate that you are trapped inside, but it can be a gift and a curse.  Getting new music from you is a plus.

Case: Yeah definitely been grinding on some things. Like you say, it’s a gift and a curse.

We hear that real R&B is missing or lacking. That’s not knocking what artists are putting out, but the substance of what R&B was is lacking. Are you looking to bring that back?

Case: Yeah, because for me, I never was into trying to do what’s hot. I always just tried to do what I feel and what influence me. So, my music is always going to be that because I’m from that. I’m definitely going to always do that.

Your career spans over 20-years. What would you say the keys to your longevity as well as your consistency has been?

Case: I think the key to it… when I first came out, I would always be asked in interviews, “What do you want to accomplish?” It was never awards or selling a bunch of records or getting a Rolls Royce. It was always, I want to make music that, in 20-30 years people still want to listen to it. I saw my parents were still listening to Motown. I still listen to Motown to this day actually. I think that’s the key to it. You gotta make something that connects with people and that gives them a feeling. A feeling that every time they hear it, it’s going to feel the same to them. To be like a soundtrack to people’s life and in their memory.

I mess with my son all of the time about the music he listens to now not being timeless. We won’t talk about it 2-years from now let alone 20, so I completely get what you’re saying.

Case: Yeah absolutely! And that’s the thing, you can’t just jump on whatever wave is hot. Everybody is doing this, so I’m going to do that. You just gotta make real music and people will always gravitate towards that. They’ll always feel it.

For the most part, “Happily Ever After” is everyone’s go to when it comes to, Case. My favorite, Case song is actually, “Think of You.” How did that song come together?

Case: Somebody actually told me that the other day. That song was actually written and produced by Nate from Boyz II Men. That’s Boyz II Men singing the background on that record. That was actually a record that they had that he submitted for me and I liked it. I didn’t write that record. Nate wrote that and produced it. What I try to do, even if someone else writes the song, it’s gotta speak to either my personal experience or somebody close to me in order for me to relate to it. If you don’t make music that you can relate to, you can’t expect other people to relate to it. If you don’t feel it, don’t get mad when nobody else feel it.

You have some amazing features. “Touch Me Tease Me,” with Foxy Brown and Mary J. Blige, “Faded Pictures,” with Joe and “The Best Man I Can Be,” with RL, Ginuwine and Tyrese. Have you ever thought about doing a joint album with someone or would you avoid that because we have seen it go horribly wrong at times?

Case: Actually, I have spoken to a couple of people about doing that, so… I don’t know yet, but we’ll see. It has to be the right combination though. It has to be the right combination musically, the chemistry has to be right or else it’s just going to fall apart.

You don’t have to reveal who, but do you feel you have that chemistry with someone?

Case: There are people who I have worked with that I have that chemistry with. Definitely! There are a lot of people actually that I have worked with in the past and we clicked like that on a musical level. You may see something like that coming soon.

What is something that you learned early in your career or heard early in your career that you still use today or stuck with you?

Case: I think one thing that I learned early on… and I forgot who actually said it, but it’s when you make a record, let it be what it is and then move on from it. A lot of times, people will make a hit and they keep trying to reinvent it and make it again, and you can’t. If it was that easy to make it, everybody would make it. That’s what makes it special. So, it’s just, make the record and even if the record is a smash, move on. Don’t try to recreate it. “Oh, it’s the next, “Touch Me Tease Me.”  There is no next, “Touch Me Tease Me,” that’s why, “Touch Me Tease Me” is special.

It’s crazy you said that because I used to wonder why you never made a, “Happily Ever After 2.” That makes sense now.

Case: Yeah! It needs to be organic. Like if you end up making another song that ends up being a wedding song, then that’s fine. But throughout history, and there are plenty examples of it. Someone tries to recreate one of their biggest hits and they do it again and it never works. It never works because it stands by itself. That’s what makes it special. If it was that easy to just go in and make it, everybody would do it.

I think you connected with the fans so well because you didn’t look like we had grown to knowing as the what the vocalist is supposed to look like. You looked like a regular street dude that just so happen could sing your ass off and I think that resonated with your fanbase.

Case: Right. I was just being me. I guess like you said, it resonated because there are a lot of people… I mean, there’s people in my hood that can sing. I guess people always looked at it like, if you sing, you gotta be like this. You gotta wear a suit. I didn’t really think that. I was just me.

Watching your episode of BET, “Finding Case,” was intriguing as well. I loved your honesty on the show. Why though? Why were you so honest?

Case: I’m human just like everybody else. I think a lot of times people are scared to say things that they have done or things that they feel based on what they feel other people are going to think. I happen to know for a fact, if I’m feeling something or if I’m going through something or done something, there is somebody listening that have to, and they can relate. I’m speaking to that person and to those people that can relate. There are always going to be some people who don’t relate to what you’re saying. Like, “Why did he say that?” Because that’s what it is. Everybody wants something real until you say something they don’t like.

How have you dealt with this virus? Has it just been creating new music?

Case: Yeah! I’m just in the house. Ain’t nothing I can do about it. I had 8-shows that got postponed, moved around and all type of stuff. So, in the meantime just chill out. There is not much you can do. Right before everything got locked down, Keith Sweat called me. So, I’ve been working on something for his new album. Between that and working on stuff for me. I just did a song with, Salaam Remi. We did it over the internet. I’m just working and chillin out. Playing with the kids, listening to music, playing Madden. Whatever I can do.

How different is it for you to now be able to do a song over the internet and not have to be in the same room? Are you a fan of it?

Case: It’s a lot easier, I don’t like it better though because I like that connection. That’s when the magic happens when you’re in the same room and the energy is there. This way is a lot more convenient and you can do a lot of things that you couldn’t do before. That’s the one thing I don’t like about it. I don’t know if I like creating like that, but that’s where we are now.

You are a talented brother. You are an amazing singer and song writer. Are you enjoying one of those more than the other right now?

Case: I enjoy all of the process. There are certain things I like more than others at different times. At different times I might really enjoy the song writing part. I always enjoy recording and trying to come up with ideas and try to make something better. It just depends on what my mood is at the time.

Where do you feel the genre has changed the most from when you got into the game to present?

Case: Just the content of the music. There’s really not too much love in the music. There’s not too much context in the music. It’s like a disconnect. Back in the day, you had party records, and all kinds of different music. But you also had social commentary. People speaking on different issues and I don’t think anybody is doing that. Everybody is pretty much talking about the same thing over and over again. I think that’s the big difference. And also, there is a lot of… I guess because of technology, there are a lot of people that really can’t sing to be making records. I was looking at something, Jermaine Dupri was doing with a “Makin The Band” audition. He said, now that they have to sing, people are auditioning that don’t have any idea that they are tone def because they have been singing with autotune. That blew my mind. How do you not know that you’re tone def? Somebody around you gotta tell you. That’s mind blowing to me.

I appreciate the time; you are a legend in my eyes and it’s an honor to speak to you. Is there anything else you want to add?

Case: Thank you, man. Thank you for the support. I appreciate everybody. I’ll see ya’ll soon. Everybody try not to go crazy up in the crib.


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