YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to to talk to the legendary R&B group Blackstreet as the recently celebrated 30 years of their debut album. The current lineup, which consists of Chauncey Black, Levi Little, Eric Williams, Mark Middleton, have been on the road for the last few years but they have also been recording some new music. We talked to the group about their legacy, memories from the first two albums and their history with The Neptunes.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Blackstreet just celebrated 30 years last year. What an amazing accomplishment for the group. Just talk about this legacy and what you guys have been able to build with this lineup now because I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. You guys have been on the road for a couple years now overseas and domestically as well. Just talk about what makes this lineup work so well.
Chauncey Black: I think this lineup is like every lineup on the album to be honest because we are all part of each album, even if some haven’t been on the other albums. But the Blackstreet brand is bigger than all of us, so we’re just trying to keep up with it as far as our entertainment and keeping our vocals together and just making sure each other is doing right as far as health. But God has spared us and the best is yet to come, so God is working. He’s just blessing us with all of these accomplishments like street names and and keys to the city.
YouKnowIGotSoul: When you put this together initially, did you foresee it becoming what it’s become? Blackstreet is more than just a name now, it’s part of R&B history. From the hits to just the legacy of what you guys have brought to the table behind the scenes. Eric obviously has done a lot behind the scenes.
Chauncey Black: When I acquired the trademark, I knew it wouldn’t work with any new members. That just wasn’t going to happen. That wasn’t my intentions. My thing was to give everybody a call and tell them “Let’s do it”. It just happened. I think everybody remembers the voices of Mark Middleton, Levi Little, myself and Eric Williams, so they can Google us.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Now Levi, it’s been 31 years since the debut album You were there from the start of that. Just talk about what you remember about that beginning of recording those songs, hearing them on the radio and just the whole thing.
Levi Little: Man, let me tell you something. First time I heard us on the radio, it’s nothing like this. It’s like having a newborn baby. It was amazing. It took us a minute to get it and we went through a few things but I remember Joe Stonestreet and how the name came to evolve through Chauncey and Joe Stonestreet.
YouKnowIGotSoul: When you left the group after the first album and you went solo, did you ever foresee a moment where you would be able to come back with this group and do it all over again?
Levi Little: Yeah, I know Chauncey couldn’t do it without me. *Laughs* He got me in the group from when we first started. We are both from Paterson, New Jersey. He knew I was this guy that had a little swag in Paterson.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Obviously we’re going to be celebrating another anniversary soon, the “Another Level” album. That’s when you and Eric came on board. Did you feel the pressure when you first, joined the group?
Mark Middleton: Not pressure. The group had been through a lot of things and the funny thing is, like when I came to the group, I had to sing Levi’s song “Joy”. I used to have to practice that song over and over, over and over, trying to catch his style, his voice, his tone and that natural raspiness he has. I could never do that. So I would just have to sing the song, I had to take the song and make it me. When I got with Blackstreet, it was never trying to be like those guys. It was just honoring them for what they did and just building from there.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Eric, obviously you’ve done a lot of behind the scenes for Jaheim and others. When you look back at that second Blackstreet album and those hits, what do you think was the key to those songs becoming hits?
Eric Williams: Let’s give Teddy Riley credit because Teddy Riley is a phenomenal producer. One of the best in my my time and it was an honor to work with him. But along with Teddy, it was the voices, the songs and the songwriters. They were impeccable on that album.
YouKnowIGotSoul: I know you guys are currently working on a new album. Talk about the what we can expect from it.
Chauncey Black: Classic Blackstreet, you know that 90’s feel. We got a little bit of a twist of the new but our vocals are impeccable. We make sure we keep the craft of that intact. We just got a lot of other things that we got to do, but it’s coming. People have asked for it. They’ve been asking for it. We’ve been seeing it on our Instagram page like “When is this lineup going to put an album out”?
YouKnowIGotSoul: When you guys were recording your debut album, a young Pharrell and Chad were in the studio with you guys as well. Talk about working with the Neptunes early on.
Chauncey Black: I remember on “Happy Home”, we laid the vocals and everything. Teddy called Chad in and he pulled the sax out. If you listen to the sax on there, that’s all Chad. Chad, he was a monster. Him and Pharrell did “Tonight’s the Night”. That was Neptunes’ first record that they ever produced. Tammy Lucas wrote it and it was a smash. We did the remix to it with SWV. Blackstreet, we have to have the biggest features ever.
