Anyone interested in Swing Mob during the 1990s will enjoy this part of the interview with Smoke Digglera of Playa. Part 2 will come out midweek next week and will talk more about Playa and the industry today. I wanted to first release the indepth comments on Swing.
The full interview: http://www.rnbhaven.com/90s-music/feature/Playa-Interview-Part-1/20/2
On Smoke almost being in other groups:
He wanted to work with me and put me in either H-Town or Intro, which were two groups he was working with at the time. I told him that I had a group he may be interested in hearing, due to member changes that had taken place.
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Intro? H-Town? Man, that's some serious what could have been.
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On being a part of Swing Mob:
It was like school. It enabled me to learn a lot from being hands-on and from looking over DeVante's shoulders. I wouldn't be where I am, career-wise, I wouldn't be where I am, talent-wise, and I wouldn't be who I am if it hadn' been for that period of my life and career.
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Could R&B use more of that today? What do you guys think?
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On leaving Swing Mob:
I feel like there was always an ego trip from time to time, but we left DeVante because there was a concern about our loyalty to him (why I don't know) due to the fact that we were given an option to sign straight to him, under Def Jam or straight to Def Jam. We chose to sign straight to Def Jam. It was as if the option was really a test or something. We had a negative situation and bounced.
So far,so good. If Smoke had joined H-Town or Intro that would have been something... He seemed to high quite a high opinion on Devante. I was surprised at that, from what I've heard Devante was quite cruel to his workers and thats why many left him.
Wow, I didn't know he had a possible spot in H-Town and Intro. He definitely had the talent to join those groups. Overall, it was a great interview and part 2 is even better.
I just read it. Good interview. I never imagined such a riff between him and the other 2 members of Playa.
My favorite part of the interview was...
"What are your thoughts on R&B music today?
R&B music today is dead and it sucks. It's real sad when labels, as well as consumers and listeners allow a genre of music to die. Everyone is singing; even those that do not know how. Nowadays, if you can sing, you most likely won't sell, nor be looked at as an asset. But, if you can't sing, and you try to do so with Autotune or something, you're the hottest thing going today. "
