Emmerald: How do you think that personal growth and
the journey that you've been on is manifest in "The
Daily News"?
Donnie: Well, I'm able to handle it. When they call
me for an interview or there's five interviews in one
day, or when I have to call radio stations and thank
them for playing my music, I can do it. I can just
get up and do it. Many years ago I was just so
confused about everything that I just couldn't even
handle the success that I was having with "The Colored
Section," you know what I mean. And that was just a
little bit of success, you know. It wasn't like hot
like Beyoncé, or someone really famous like that.
But I couldn't handle the hype of just that little
record, you know what I mean? I need to be able to
handle that and go and give an interview and not go
off on people and all of that kind of stuff. I need to
make contacts for my career and not burn bridges.
Emmerald: "The Colored Section" was on the Giant
Step and Motown labels is that right?
Donnie: Exactly.
Emmerald: And now you're with Soul Thought. What
was the reason for the change in label?
Donnie: Motown went through some changes and they
dropped me. They had some meetings to decide who they
were going to drop and who to keep and they decided to
drop me. So, I had no label, but I could do what I
wanted. Then Craig Bowers, who is the president of
Soul Thought, called me, and he wanted to do an album
and I said yes. That was in 2005.
Emmerald: Your music, particularly on this album, is
politically charged, socially charged, and definitely
has a tone of activism. Do you see yourself as an
artist/activist, or are you just making music and
going with what speaks to you?
Donnie: I'm just making music for the fun of it.
What I talk about is what I think about. I'm not a
person that likes to lie or act like I'm doing
something. A lot of people on the videos, they're
acting, because that's not them. What you see on a
Donnie record, that's really what Donnie thinks about
all the time, you know what I mean. I'm really just
being natural. I'm just making records and how you
take it is how you take it. I hope you love it, you
know what I mean?
Emmerald: Outside of your music, do you get involved
in any kind of political or social movements or groups
or anything like that?
Donnie: I think this is my own political and social
movement. I believe that I could include everything
within my album. If feeding the homeless is a problem
or if a little girl's been stolen and been found dead
is a problem, I can write it in my songs and make a
big deal out of it in my songs. And that's what I do.
I mean I've been to the food banks and all of that
type of stuff but it doesn't do anything for me. It
doesn't fulfill me.
Emmerald: Right, I hear you. So next steps, what's
next on the agenda for Donnie both, in the next couple
of weeks and in the next twenty years?
Donnie: OK, right, right. I'm doing promo and
setting up a tour and all of that type of stuff. I'm
going to California next week and have a thing at
Stevie Wonder's radio station which is really good.
I'm going out there to sing and promote. I also want
to put out my musicals. I have a musical called "Why
The Cock Crows" that I wrote with my fairy godmother,
as I call her, Janice Whatly. I want to put that out
and record a soundtrack. I am also doing a live
album, and I want to put out a remix album. I want
the younger people of today to get my message too, and
they're used to a different type of production, so
that's what I want to do for them.
Emmerald: Tell me a little more about your musical.
Donnie: "Why The Cock Crows" is asking the question
why don't men and women get along better in general.
It's been a real problem. Just like the race problem,
there's been a problem between the sexes, and I just
want to give another perspective and try to heal that
relationship between men and women. Men are weak.
We're out of place and this is a very feminine planet.
That's why I wrote it. Why do we exist? We're a lot
of trouble as a gender. We make a lot of trouble. We
kill a lot. We rape a lot, take over peoples' land;
why do we exist?
Emmerald: That's a heavy question.
Donnie: Very heavy. It's a real question that I
don't believe we can give an answer to. That's why
it's so great.
Emmerald: And that's in the works now?
Donnie: That's in the works now; it's done, I'm
recording the soundtrack to it now.
Emmerald: Will that be on Soul Thought as well--the
soundtrack?
Donnie: I don't know. Craig and I will have to
talk about that.
Emmerald: One last question--who do you really want
to work with?
Donnie: Oh, Missy Elliott and Timbaland.
Emmerald: Really?
Donnie: Oh yeah! She's just so different. I mean
they have it to me, Missy and Timbaland have it. I
hope she hears this one day and she'll do it.
Emmerald: (laughs) Alright now. Missy, if you're
reading this--here's you chance. Parting words?
Donnie: Get your dream, get your dream, it's yours.
Posted August 7, 2007
