Ne-Yo is doing big things during the holiday season. Before giving out nearly a thousand gifts to children in Las Vegas, Hip Hop DX caught up with the man who for the right price can make your song tighter.
The singer says he’s not often in Las Vegas, the city he was raised in, but was happy to come back so the city children can see that success is possible through hard work. “I think they look at me and see possibility,”Ne-Yo told DX. “They say ‘he’s from here and he made it so I can do it too.’ At least that’s what I hope they see. That’s what I try to give off, the message that I try to give; anything is possible.”
Through his efforts behind and in front of the mic, he was able to buy his mother a house in Atlanta.
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“I recently moved to Atlanta and I bought her a place out there. That’s the call I think every son dreams of making: ‘Mom you don’t have to work anymore, come on down.’”
While Ne-Yo told us he’ll be taking some time off for the holidays to celebrate Christmas with the family, he has a variety of projects on the way. In addition to his six Grammy nominations, collaborations with Trey Songz, Mario, MichaelBolton, WhitneyHouston, MichaelJackson, and MarilynManson are in the works.
The collaboration with the oft controversial rocker came about in an unconventional way. “I’ve said in a few different interviews that I had the diversity to write for a Mary J. Blige and then turn around and write a song for a Marilyn Manson. His people heard me say that and hit me with the ‘put your money where your mouth is.’”
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Studio time is still being worked out between the two, but the singer says he doesn’t know what kind of song he plans to write for Manson.
“I really want to get into the studio and bounce ideas off of him. That’ll be the first studio session where I have no idea how the song is going to come out.”
Before Marilyn Manson collaborations were possible, Ne-Yo had to pay his dues in the industry. The result was a string of hit songs for Beyonce, Mario, and others. For songwriting, Ne-Yo fashioned himself after some of the industry’s best composers, including one singer he allegedly had drama with.
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“I definitely try to fashion myself behind Babyface, Lionel Richie, even an R. Kelly,” he said. “He’s done what I’m trying to do; be a successful song writer and artist. People who did timeless music. Music that doesn’t have an expiration on it. Songs you can listen to today and twenty years from now and it still rocks just as hard.”
So what’s next for singer? You might be surprised.
“I just did this thing at the White House and there were a whole bunch of country and western people over there. They want me in Nashville. I’m going to take that Lionel Richie route and get some of that country western money and see what happens.”
