Ricky J Interview

Ricky J, a new face to some, recently burst onto the music scene and is already stirring up dust. His first single, No Means No, is thought of by some as a negative message about guys hitting on girls. We sat down with Ricky, (who, by the way, was an absolute gentleman) during one of his tour stops to straighten a few things out. Ricky J answers our questions and yours, revealing a little more about himself to you.

How'd you get your start?
Ricky J: In August, I was in a teenage club when I was young, just 16 or 17, and I saw some guy rapping. I wanted to be that guy! I wanted to be that guy!

You just started like that?
I just started. I just saw him and started some other stuff, and that lead me to this.

Who discovered you?
Nobody really discovered me. My manager—actually we're best friends—a guy by the name of Crae McDaley. Him and I are good friends and I'd been bugging him for so long. I was like "Come on, come on, come on!" He finally turned me onto his producer named Kent Majesosik from Nevada and we just hooked up and started working.

You just got record deal like that?
Yeah. We were working, and we wanted to put out independently, but that didn't work out the way we wanted it to. Then they sent it to a friend of theirs who worked for the company and we started negotiating.

Who are your musical influences?
There's a bunch of people, like a lot of old tunes. A lot of influence from Marvin Gray kind of stuff, to Stevie Wonder, to LL Cool J. It's a wide spectrum! It's all over. I listen to everything!

Who wrote your current single No Means No?
It's all of us. All four of us; myself, this guy named Jeremy Jess Austin, Raoul, Karl. So everybody put in their own piece, all for your loving.

A lot of people have their own ideas on what the meaning behind No Means No is. What is the meaning behind the song?
No! I can't get into that one! We didn't write it in that kind of attempt. We wrote it to be fun, like a girl anthem because, you know, girls are dissing guys, guys are dissing girls. I'm just in the middle going "Hey! Nobody wants me." It was just a fun concept. You could say "Yeah, I'm trying to kick it to a girl and she's telling me 'no' and I'm like 'Come on, come on!" But like normal guys would do. Then Carl Henry comes in to sing the chorus and basically reassures the girl "Okay, okay. I know I know you're telling me no, but I'm gonna try again."

So it's not as negative as people think?
No. It's not negative at all. It's a joke, it's a spoof. It's not really meant to be serious. Does it sound serious?

No, not really.
See? It's not serious.

Where'd you shoot your video?
In Toronto, or was it Mississauga. We shot it at a roller rink, but I forget the name of it.

Who came up with the concept?
Brad Walsh, B-Rad. He shot me some ideas, I shot them back. We did it together. He gave me his ideas and I said "yes, yes, yes. Okay, let's do this, let's do this." We basically came together with our ideas.

I'm a showman and I love giving out what I can to people.

Whose idea was it to shoot the video at the roller rink?
That was his idea. Roller-skating was his idea. I was like "Yeah, that sounds fun!" I wanted to keep that theme. Just keep it fun.

How would you describe your album in three words?
(Pause) Really, really, good. It is! It is! I'm not trying to sound all high up on my own stuff. It is just a good album. There's no song that sounds like No Means No. There's no song like a lot of songs. A lot of people come up with songs and the next song sounds the same, and the song after sounds the same, but every single one on the album kind of blends. Everybody who hears it says "This is a really good album!" It's not just pop/rap. There's a little bit of hip-hop element. There's a bit of a mix. It's jiggy I guess.

What's your favorite song off the album?
Probably Let It Go, that's hopefully my next single, and Rick What. There's a song called Rick What and it goes like this:
Rick what
I love it when you're screamin' my name
Rick what
Gettin' down when you're seein' me paid
Rick what
Now why don't you just get on up
You see the drop in the top
So get on up!

It sounds very cool!
Yeah, it's funky! I like it! I'M gonna go buy it.

Why do you like that song over the others?
Just because it's different. Most of the songs on the album have a lot of R&B content, like all the choruses are sung. There's actually only two or three songs where it's just me in the chorus with maybe just a few others.

We actually have a few questions from your fans...
Oh my gosh! Already?

How much would you go for?
I don't know! That's a good one. How much are you willing to pay? I'd go for free.

Getting back to Bret, how much time were you able to spend with him?
I think I spent a total of two minutes with Bret.

How do you like being friends with Stephen Baldwin?
Stephen's a ball. I met him at a few parties, and we were on the same plane going to New York to master the single. We just kicked it. He's a great father too! He has two beautiful daughters and he's like calling me "Ashley, Ashley! Say 'Hello' to Ricky!" And I hear "Hello, Ricky J!" Then he tells me "Hey bro, I gotta go. The cops are about ready to pull me over because I'm talkin' on the phone." He's a fun guy!

Right now, you're touring with soulDecision.
Yup!

And how are you liking that so far?
I love it! I'm having a great time! soulDecision's been wonderful. They're a great bunch of guys. There's nothing bad to say about these guys! We were eating supper the other night, just kicking jokes and just having a good time.

Is this your first tour?
Yeah. First official real tour. I did two dates with TLC a while back when they came to Canada.

Do you find it stressful at all?
There's stress. There's always that element there. If the mic's not working, the sound's not coming out right. I'm a showman and I love giving out what I can to people. Sometimes I don't even want leave the stage and my manager's like "Come on, come on! Get over here!" I like it. I love touring. It's so much fun! Plus, thousands of screaming girls! How could anybody go wrong?

And right after this tour you're jumping into another one with Aaron Carter?
Yeah, four dates. It's only four dates and then I'm hosting this new show on YTV. I forget the name of it. "Dance City" or something like that.

You're just going through all different genres? From music to TV?
Yeah. I like everything. I'm just not going to sit still. If you put me into a school classroom, I'd be the kind jumping around in my seat, pulling jokes.

Were you one of those guys in school who was the class clown?
Maybe not in my younger years, but I grew. I'm still the class clown even though I'm not in class. I'm just a clown.

There's usually stories of celebrities who were real losers in school and then they grew to be big and famous. Were you like that at all?
I wasn't really a loser. Maybe just the first year. I grew slowly, and then I found myself. It's so hard to find myself you know, right here.

If you could do one thing tonight, in your show, that you never thought you could do, what would you do?
If I could, I can't do it here, but I'd love to be on those strings, those harnesses where you just come down. I want to be like that! I want to be the Michael Jackson of pop-rap! That's what I want to be!

We heard that you like the Jackson 5.
Yeah, I love them! And I think Michael Jackson is a great guy, just to learn by. Maybe not in his personal life, but besides that, I try to do something different. I'm not perfect yet, I'm still a bit rough on the edges. I do my best, or at least I try to do my best.

Where do you see yourself in a year?
In a year? Hopefully on top of the world! I don't know. I want to be hosting some award show, like MTV. You know, "Welcome back to MTV live! Right here!" I'm a clown, I'm a joker.

If you could answer one question you've never been asked before, what would it be?
Oh, I can't get into that now can I? Too personal!