What have you accomplished as an artist?
I have accomplished so much more than I EVER expected or dreamed when I started this ride. When my first song came out, it was released on HOT97 right from the test press and within 48 hours was on full rotation on the biggest radio station in NYC at the time. I shared the charts with many Grammy Award winning singers who still top the charts today. Infamous legends such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Duran Duran, Tone Loc, Prince, Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan and so many more. My song went number one in numerous cities and I still continue to tour 25 years later. Freestyle made its mark on a world way beyond anything that I or anyone involved in it would have imagined. If the radio stations and record companies had a crystal ball to see how relevant we still are so many years later, this movement would have been taken seriously a long time ago and would probably go down as one of the biggest genres of dance music ever. I may not have ever received a Grammy for my work, but my legacy and that of Freestyle will last in the hearts of millions long after many Grammy award winning songs have been forgotten. I was a part of music history where a select few will be recognized as legends forever. That has to be one of the greatest accomplishments in my life.
If you could tell the world one juicy secret about you, what would it be?
Today when people meet me, they see a very well-polished, well dressed and well groomed man. I grew up being the ugly duckling as a kid and my school years were very hard to overcome. It’s funny because I did this interview knowing that the magazine’s audience consisted of people who have been tested many times with their weight, looks, insecurities and self-image issues. I also know that most of your readers have found a way over time to understand and recognize that they are beautiful just the way they are. There are so many things we can do to make ourselves better physically, emotionally and health wise, but we first have to make a decision within ourselves to love the person in the mirror. I always loved myself, but I was always my worst critic. Here’s my juicy secret many don’t know or remember about me. I graduated high school as an extremely skinny kid weighing 159 pounds and standing 6’1” tall (that’s like crazy skinny). It might be the opposite of a “Plus Size Diva” problem but believe me, being the skinniest kid in history with buckteeth was just as tough, but on a different level.
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