LeVERT 2 MEET THE GROUP
Written By Editor : C. Harrison/March 5, 2017:edited changes March 16, 7:08 AM by editor
It’s been a hard road back to the art form of what he loves most, music. So, with a fresh new look and sound Marc Gordon, co-founder of LeVert, hit the ground running with a shiny new hit album “Commit” and a brand new group called LeVert 2. The group includes two of music insider veteran, Blaq Rose and Parrice Smith. Together the trio have been in the trenches mastering the arts and ideology of the music industry, giving them secure assess to unlimited catalogs of timeless music over decades and counting. The three powerhouse came together to begin a new and to carryon the legacy of the revered group, LeVert.
According to Blaq, he and Parrice met Marc years ago when Marc was with LeVert and they all kept in touch. They would hook up again, when Blaq went back to Cleveland Ohio and ran into Marc at a club call Cozy and once again kept up with each other. “We worked on some stuff; they came at a good time. We did an album dedicated to Gerald LeVert but Sean LeVert who also worked on the album passed right in the middle of us making it; we dedicated it to both of them. Thereafter, we grieved and some people recognized that we needed another person and we found Parrice,” explained Blaq.
“Losing Gerald and Sean did not happen all at once. Hearing about it on the radio hit hard. All the hard work we did paid off. We love enjoyed and did things. Some things did not go as plan, so we end up going our own ways. We still hung in there for a while but apart, we end up in a downward spiral. For Sean not to be here for the final part of the project was hard. While Sean was here, we were dedicating this project to Gerald but when Sean passed in the middle of it, we did it for both of them. It was very tough losing Gerald and it was hard thereafter for a while. When it was Blaq and me, it was hard to do. Time passed and we decided to put someone in, thus, a trio again and here we are,” confirmed Marc.
LeVert fans and new comers will love these master singers , songwriters and producers. Together the trio has released a single off their first album called “Commit,” a single promising to reach number one. It is already satisfying the ladies and has introduced a new generation to another baby making group LeVert 2.
“Commit,” was envisioned out of a conveyance between Parrice’s friend, who was attempting to garner a relationship with a women and wasn’t getting any play. The song was co-written by Parrice and writing partner Ja’ire Hattley and produced by Tyrice “TJamz” Jones of N Key Music. Thus far, the hot new single has gotten rotations on various hit stations across the country; turning heads and scored dates for LeVert 2 at numerous venues; most recently, in Aurora Colorado, at the Soul Center on Colfax Avenue.
Conversely, the trio isn’t only embedded in the music industry but in other industries as well. “I play instruments and a little of everything. I am a barber, I play basketball and I help artists in my home town of Young Towns, Ohio,” conveyed Blaq.
According to Marc, he’s the owner of a café, “Hemenent.” “I spend lots of time doing this. My wife and I run it. I am also a web designer and the rest of the time I rest, I am tire. Other than that its music. I am working on some shows for the future. I am also pushing our foundation SOEL…Saving Our Entertainers Lives, which raises awareness surrounding the epidemic of prescription drugs that is killing our entertainers.” Marc created the foundation after the deaths of Gerald & Sean LeVert, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, and others. “After Sean died I did some research and found out that its bigger then small drugs, it’s a big game. I found out that the pharmaceutical companies are making trillions of dollars in the drugs business,” disclosed Marc.
Parrice on the other hand, has a Chef’s degree and cuts hair. “I enjoys cooking for my family and friends around the holidays, these are the times I love,” voiced Parrice. Echoing the latter Blaq noted that those were some of their pass-times, where they hung out, eat and play ball because Parrice also lives in the State of Ohio.
Furthermore, the group explained that they would love to go on tour. They stated, “We have some dates line up. A full tour would be a beautiful thing. It’s a different climate out here now. Back in the day, we would be touring year round. Unless you are on the Beyoncé tip or Rihanna tip, you are not getting anything like that now. Tours only last four months now.”
“We have to see what develops. The sky is the limit but we have to see what happens. As of now the concentration is to make sure the single play, that ‘s goal. We will do a video and the album will drop this Summer . The more you are in demand the more you are out there,” articulated the trio.
Consequently, the group’s video was done to show the public who they’re and what they ‘re all about. It gave the public enough visibility as possible so that people could relate to the voices and face behind the music. “We, looking the way we are its good for marketing (The trio looks like three young studs). R&B kind of took a back seat but it’s still there,” they voiced. Here, Parrice injected that he was blessed to work with Marc, to watch the greatness take place.
All three Producers worked with some of the industry’s aces. In their own words they told me what it was like to work with greatness like themselves–award winning artists. Parrice’s wits and ingenuity laud him to work with Tank, Guy and a catalog of producers,. He was influenced by Jodeci, Blackstreet, Roger, Troutman, Zapp, the O’Jays, the Isley Brothers and the Ohio Players, among others. He said, “I was like a student. They all recorded in different ways. It was amazing to see, watch and hear the different sounds,” said Parrice
In addition, Blaq who’s credits included Dr, Dre, who signed him to Aftermath Record Label, produced the X album for K-Ci ft JoJo which, consisted of “Hello Darling,” “I Wanna Get To Know You,” “Tell Me Its Real,” and “Something Inside of Me,” all of which went platinum. Blaq also worked with Anthony Hamilton and Christina Milian among many many others. He conceeded that he was humbled. “I started out at a very young age, learn a lot about the business..so it prepared me to become more versatile. I was blessed. The business was helpful to me,” lamented Blaq.
Marc worked on the creative end. He implemented skills and cutting edge contributions, is credits include: Stephanie Mills, Missy Eliott, Anita Baker, Men At Large, Troop, IMX, Rude Boys, Marques, Soul Child, Christopher Williams and B2k, to name a few. Marc said, “For me it was on the creative side. Its been a journey. I enjoyed it creatively. The business end was all good enjoyable for the most part. Everybody have their own way of doing things. There is no real wrong way to get the end results. Its just staying on top of everything, especially with technology and also what’s going on, on the streets. I enjoy it and I learned. I enjoyed it in every step of the way.”
Moreover, as the exuberant conversation turned into the likes and dislikes about artist’s clashes of personalities, the three producers had plenty to revealed. According to Marc, for him its not that serious, he just goes in and do what he does best. He chastised that these personalities are the ones that should take heed and listen to the older ones and that’s his take. “My creative motto is I want to work with who wants to work with me,” he conveyed. He said for example, the most difficult thing to do is work where heads are butting. “The most difficult for me was working with an artist for Clive Davis, it was not the artist who was difficult, but it was the people who were working with the artist, there anchorage.” said the eclectic musician.
“I mentally prepare because of the types of people , emotions and other concerns,” said Blaq.
“Absolutely, it comes down to the type of person. You are excited but you have to prepare for the egos. Sometimes it will hit you un-expectantly. If they like what I do, we work. If they don’t I don’t,” Parrice said.
“That part of it you learn really fast. The artist is never the real focus. Its about the return of the money. On the R&B side we did not get much but they wanted more out of us. Its only a selected few that gets through. Half the people in the game don’t know what a hit record is. They will push who they want to push. Now-a-days, if you don’t work out. they move on to the next one. If you want to be in the game now you have to come with your ace game. Be prepared to do it yourself. Companies are doing alot of sharing right now and artists can’t make money, if a lot of sharing is going on. I am not with the streaming thing either says Blaq, because you can stream your own site…that goal is to get it straight from us; market it to the people that like your music. You don’t really need radio either if you have a good fan base to blast out for a new album. Some people get use to the pampering,” said the trio.
Further devulging, Parrice explained that he got mentally in a zone to prepare for this album. He basically tuned in and stayed focus. “If one person brings something to the game, we all enjoy. Doing this record we gonna go all out to satisfy the LeVert fans and the new fans. I get inspiration from a movie, a little thing any where. When it’s flowing, it flows the right vibes. Music and musicians speaks together, a universal language. I like working with them. I was a fan of him when I first heard him, (Marc). Marc is amazing and Rose is like a brother, we have fun in what we’ re doing. The best way to work together is to have fun, when you have fun that’s when you get your most productivity. When people give you stories about your songs that’s great feelings,” Parrice confided
“I had a ball working with these dudes. Working with Marc, is dope. Working with Parrice is nothing, especially when people know how to create. Sometimes people get in the way of themselves instead of allowing the music to flow. I think it is endless in what we can do. I have no buts to where we’re going. It’s just a matter of what we do collectively and matter of keeping our head right,” quipped Blaq.
“We hope to grab some ears and make music like it use to be and hope radio and entities play us. We hope that this is what people want to hear,” finish Marc.
Copyrights© 2017 C. Harrison Bundi Corpe..bundiblog.com
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