Still…

Summer 2003 -
Circle House Studios Miami, Florida.

It was finally time to do some TQ shit…
I had written a bunch of songs, hooks, and verses on a bunch of Cash Money music. From Baller Blockin’ all the way up to the Carter u can find my name somewhere in the credits. Slim and Baby did wonders for my catalog but my fans didn’t really give a shit about that. All they knew is that it had been 3 years since they got an album from me. I was pass due and Slim for one knew it. He was catching pressure from Universal to get it poppin. Me and Wayne had just come off a huge single and it was perfect timing. Outside of the album concept for Gemini, me and Giant were always on the same page. His thing was to make sure that I stayed in the studio coming up with catchy songs. That way the rappers could just come and rap. Me, Fresh, and Jazze were the Cash Money assembly line and it was workin out well. Baby had a different idea…”Nigga fuck being cooped up in the studio all the time! U need to be out here stunnin’ wit me. Stick with the Birdman and everybody gonna see u!” So he made it a point that I was with him most of the time…

Man I had to find a happy medium. Slim realized that.

I had gone home to LA for some much needed West Coast living. Every once in a while I had to go home and rejuvenate ya dig? WAY too much Popeye’s and no El Pollo Loco used to fuck with my overall demeanor after a while feel me? Lol! I got a call from Slim saying it was time to start on the record and to meet Fresh in Miami. That was good news. See up until this point, me and ChubbyBoy had only worked on other peoples music. Not my own. Slim told me Baby was going to New York and me and Fresh didn’t have to go so sure enough we headed to the MIA…

Now Mannie Fresh is a different type cat. If it ain’t no fun he really ain’t interested. When I first got to Miami we went to Guitar Center and bought a bunch of shit. Fresh has a different approach… “Boy look at that purple keyboard! Thaz shaaaarp! I ain’t got a purple keyboard! Let me get that!!” Thaz what I mean by fun. He didn’t buy the keyboard cuz it sounded good. He bought it cuz it was purple! Thaz the same approach he takes to make music. All about fun. We bought some more weird looking stuff and headed to the studio…

In the car on the way we chopped it up about the album. “Slim said he want us to do a record for the women so we ’bout to do some shit for the women”. I figured “Well that was pretty easy…” I wasn’t with the whole “love” album thing. Never was my cup of tea but I understood what Slim was trying to do. He wanted to expand his label and plus he promised that I could get back to me after this first one. I played my position.

Fresh is like “Check this beat out.” and popped in a CD. It was a little more than a drum program but it was hot. I started humming a melody for the verse… He said he would put some more shit on it at the studio. When we got there I grabbed the CD and went in the lounge and started writing. Fresh and Wolf started working on the track.

I had the verses about 45 mins later and Rick the Guitar Man was in the control room playing a riff over and over. Fresh was singing “I still love ya! Luv ya! Luv ya! I Still Luv ya! I love you yes I do! He was doing that Lil’ dance he always does where he claps his hands and kicks his feet up. The whole thing was catchy. I sang him the verses and it all fit perfectly!!!! Thaz the thing with Fresh. It seems like we always on the same wavelength. I always liked working with dude. Anyway, we laid the guitar and I sang all the vocals. When we got done Fresh said “I’m gonna mess with it some more tomorrow.” I said cool and went to the hotel. Thought nothing of it… The next morning Fresh hits me and says “Lets go to DisneyWorld!” I’m like what? He says we’re gonna go host a party tonite in Orlando and go to Disneyworld tomorrow… LOL! He told me to meet him at the studio.

When I get to Circle House I walk in the control room and Betty White is sitting on the couch. I’M TRIPPIN! I’m thinkin I walked into the wrong session. I look in the booth and it’s like 15 Lil’ kids at the mic. I’m like “What the hell is going on in here?” Fresh comes out of the booth and introduces me to Ms. White. Then he hits record. All the kids start singing “I still love you, luv ya, luv ya….” and it all clicks!!!

This nigga got the kids singing the chorus and it changed the whole vibe! Fresh said he always thought about Mothers Day with this song. Like “Honey I still love you… From me and the kids”. Feel me? When it was all said and done I was sold. When we played it back something crazy happened. From the back of the control room I hear “Oh I love this song!” it was Betty White and my day was made. She had been working with children and teaching them to sing for years. She actually brought them to the studio! They had just done records for Trick Daddy and a couple others. Just so happened that this day one of her main singers was not able to come to the studio so she did a couple tracks herself immulating the little girls voice… It was crazy. If u listen close enuff u can hear that one of the voices in the chorus is much too rich to be a little kid. Well that’s Miss White and she’s singing backgrounds on a TQ record. I called my moms but she didn’t believe me. She still doesn’t….

“Still…” is a statement from a man to that woman that has always been down for him. It’s a story about how it’s possible to be rewarded for all the things that we men put our women thru. Kinda like it’s a light at the end of the tunnel that a bad situation as a relationship can be temporary, but we have to give it the time to materialize into what it can be. So many outside issues affect the way we deal with each other. If those things weren’t relevant we may be able to realize that we’ve met somebody great and allow them to be so… Just gotta give it time.

I ain’t Dr. Phil. It’s just my thoughts.

Enjoy “Still…” Written by myself and Byron Thomas. Produced by Mannie Fresh for ChubbyBoy Music.

My album “Gemini” is coming out soon! These blogs are just a little behind the scenes footage for the songs from that album which was never released by Cash Money. I hope u enjoy them! Stay tuned for the next installment “Get By” in a couple days…

Go get the new single “Hot Girl” on sale TOMORROW at all ur favorite online stores!!!!!

WESTSIDE4LIFE!!!!!