AutumnJones Wants You To MEET: London

I heard you started singing and rapping at a young age, so when did you decide that you wanted to make a career out of music?
London: When I officially started singing I was about fourteen or something like that. Before then I was rapping and stuff like that, just being in the neighborhood and doing music was something I loved to do. So I figured man, I’m tired of my family struggling. I’m going to use this as a career, be the tool and take care of everybody. So I was like let me take this serious because I feel like anything you put your mind to you can do it. Make it happen.

You were in a rap group growing up called Keep It Clean. What was that all about?
London:Me and some friends started the group. It was of course called Keep It Clean, it was around that time we was high school. Everybody was on some old hard core, supposed to be gangster type stuff. We were from the hood and stuff like that but I was like we’re not glorifying that, we Keep It Clean. We didn’t curse in raps, we just talked about some stuff like normal teenager stuff. That was the name of the click because we just Kept it clean.

When you moved here from the Bay Area did you know much about the music scene here in Atlanta?
London:When I first moved here I really wasn’t thinking about the music industry. I came purposively to go to school, we didn’t have no funds for it but I lucked up and got into a summer program that allowed me to enroll. The people that I met through that program, were cool. I didn’t really want to go to school but since I was here and didn’t have nothing to do, I was like okay. Around that time I was doing my music stuff but I was doing it on such a small scale that I didn’t know about the Atlanta music scene. I knew it was certain rappers that came out of the south but they wasn’t as big. The ones that were big were, were real minimal. I was in the AUC (Atlanta University Center) doing it to where that was my world. Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College. I took that over and figured if I can take the AUC over, why not take over the city, why not take over the state, why not take over the world.

The group that you were in a part of in college was BOF( Best OF Friends). How’d you guys meet?
London:Actually one of my friend from high school that was in the group Keep it clean was actually going to Morehouse at the time too and he was like; we might as well do what we were doing in high school out here. By that time I had started doing more and more singing so I’m like let me just boiled down and take It serious. I did It because the girls liked it and because it was cool but I didn’t really want to sing. Then I was like okay let’s do it! We had to do it in a way where it was intimate because the music I was always doing was R&B music. People started to put it in a box. They were saying that I was doing Neo-Soul music because I was doing it over a live instruments. When a rock band do their stuff over live instruments you don’t call it Neo-soul, you call It rock. People put all these different categories on the music, which I didn’t mind at the time. The only reason why we was doing that was to make it intimate because we were in dorm lounges, I couldn’t just get a boom box and say let me sing over this track. I wanted to make it intimate so people could feel it and get into it. At the time, I so happen to have dreads and everything. Everybody was like they the new Neo-Soul group. it was just me doing music and what I love. Just having fun with it.

After BOF, what took place? Who’s idea was it for you guys to go your separate ways? Are you guys still friends?
London: Me and my best friend were no longer seeing eye to eye on stuff, so we decided to go separate ways. I felt like that was him doing his thing with the guitar and all that other type stuff. I’m going to go back to what I was doing, which was producing tracks. I had locks and by then my hair was getting to long. I didn’t feel like having them anymore so I cut them off. I wasn’t to transition to go into a new lane it was just doing something fresh and new for myself. I always did music so I of course I wasn’t going to stop. So I just started doing stuff over other produced tracks to build more of a career out of it. Make it really happen instead of just inside of the college scene. As far as still friends, that’s a no comment, because I don’t talk to dude like that no more. It was what it was, and it was fun while it lasted. In life you grow apart naturally and that’s what it was. He doing his thing, more power to him, much respect to him and I’m doing my thing.

Who came up with the concept of “One Two Many Drinks?” Who were the song?
London: I co-wrote the song with my homey Verse, shout out to him! When I was coming up with the song off experience or just day to day stuff just reality. So people can relate to it. Everybody ain’t hurting, everybody ain’t going through it, everybody ain’t broke up in a relationship and everybody ain’t in love. People just like to do them sometimes and have fun. I look at it sometimes listening to my friends like ..Oh if I was drunk… I‘ll get her, or I’ll take one for the team in those type of terms. In every scenario in the club you don’t always go home with the baddest chick. All the R&B songs coming out with dudes, who make it seem as if they are the man in the club and everybody wants them. He finds a bad one in the club and he takes her home. It don’t happen like that all the time. I just thought why not do a song to where someone thought he had the baddest chick. I never said the girl was ugly, it was just one two many drinks how did I end up with this girl. I could have used the line as if to say what if this was my girlfriend. People always think I’m saying that you had a ugly girl. But either way it go it’s still a smash!

Will there be a video soon?
London:Working kind of sucks in this industry. The label love the record but they really haven’t got behind it to give it’s official push. It’s been getting a lot for love just because people love it. They feel like they didn’t want this to be my first official single, or what not. So, we might not shoot a video. It’s still out, you can get it on iTunes. A lot of Dj’s and everybody hits me up building it up. If it like takes off on its own, the label will be forced to do it. I’ve been trying to find some people who want to shoot a low budget one just for the fun of it. Just for people to YouTube it.

You said the label is not really pushing the single. Will there still be an album?
London:The album is definitely coming out… I mean it’s full of crack [laughs]. Which mean it’s great! I think they want to push it back to April/May 2009. Spring time or whatever. We’re about to get another single up and running, to give the album another good look. The album is full of reality, someone could say that they relate to it. The album covers all aspects male, female, black, white, orange, blue and their differences. Its something that everyone could grasp a hold of and see me as being a real human being. Instead of being just this mega-star that don’t, nobody know and can’t feel what he’s going through but they just love him. The album is more so that you can get into and be like I been through that or my girl was talking about that the other day. My boy was talking about that, that kind of stuff.

The album is entitled “Man of My Word.” What’s the concept behind the title?
London:The concept of the album is about being straight forward. If I love you, I love you and I’m telling you and I‘m expressing all that. If I’ve done wrong I’m still a man, I’m sorry for it but life goes on. If I did something wrong I’m letting you know I did something’s wrong. I’m a man of my word. Its all about being straight forward and coming at the world letting them know you too can keep it real one hundred. Women want to hear the truth behind stuff. They don’t want to be sold no dreams, or you trying to make them feel like it’s something its not. If you let them know what it is off the rip they can do nothing but respect it. You understand to where you say, I can deal with him or I won’t deal with him. I’m a man of my word if I say I will do it, I will do it. If I’m not going to do it, I’m not going to do it.

What do you want people to take from your music?
London:First I want people to buy the album…What I want people to take from the music… with learning new artist these days, people come out and their doing something that’s already been done before. Or not doing them. I want you to take me and get to know London for who he is and come into my world. Just like Keyshia Cole’s album or something. She was heart broken and a lot of women can understand that. Instead of putting a bunch of good songs together. Just because it’s a good song, there something with meaning. When you can relate, you can be able to identity yourself with me as a person too. I want people to understand the meaning of why I am a man of my word. But why you too should be a man of your word if you are a man and why women should mess with a man who is a man of his word!

Until the album hits stores, what’s next for London?
London:I’m working on a mix-tape that I’m about to put out because I know people want to hear it. Beside that I’m a character and I’ve been acting a foul about 25 years now. I don’t know if that the age we’re going with but I am 25! I feel like I can act professionally too, I want to jump into acting. Anything, sky’s the limit. I fell like I can do it all, I could fly a plane if I want, I can even go to space if I want. Anything, I see a vision for I’m going to do it! I’m going to have the clothing line, the acting and the modeling. All that stuff. I want to do it all. The jack of all trades.
For More Information on London,Check out his Myspace, Twitter and Facebook

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