Episode Details

Jon B sits down for a powerful and revealing conversation about 30 years of R&B, the making of classic records, 2Pac, Babyface, Michael Jackson, the music industry, and the stories behind some of his biggest moments.

From growing up on the East and West Coast to discovering his voice through gospel, building his own demos, and eventually meeting Babyface and Motown, Jon B. takes us through the journey that turned him into one of the most recognizable R&B voices of the 1990s.

He opens up about being a white artist making R&B at a time when that came with serious challenges, his collaborations with Toni Braxton, Color Me Badd, After 7 and TLC, and the pressure that came with becoming a Grammy-nominated artist.

But the conversation goes even deeper.

Jon B. tells the story of meeting 2Pac, getting into the studio with him, and making “Are U Still Down?” He discusses the complications surrounding the record, Suge Knight, his relationship with Afeni Shakur and Mopreme Shakur, and what it was really like working with 2Pac.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Intro

1:31 Oi Oi out now! SHIZZIO x SPECIAL MC

1:56 Welcome Jon B / Thank you

3:37 London

4:19 Born & raised / East & West Coast

6:26 Outside as a kid / Rough area?

9:15 No-go areas

10:53 School was not for me

12:35 School invited me back to honour me

13:35 Joining gospel choir

15:13 Always wanted to be a singer / Talent shows

17:15 Shopping record deal

18:06 Forming a music group / Self-made demo

19:00 God-given talent or self-taught?

19:59 Tunnel vision / Shopping demo

21:53 Motown Records meeting

23:02 Meeting Babyface

25:33 Babyface vs Motown

27:08 Tommy Mottola & Mariah Carey

27:42 Label deal / Money made

29:02 I didn’t want to be famous

29:39 White guy doing Black music

31:55 I was the 1st white R&B singer

32:25 Getting the name Jon B

33:17 Toni Braxton collab

35:22 Producer vs Artist

36:08 Color Me Badd collab

36:37 After 7 collab

38:13 TLC collab / Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes

39:26 Debut album / Grammys / Celebs meeting

41:04 Ego control

42:29 Date setups with girls / PR game

43:08 Grammy nominated / Babyface duet

43:31 White Boy Wednesday / Facing bullies

45:25 2nd album vs 1st album

47:11 Making ‘They Don’t Know’

51:08 1st single is ‘Don’t Say’

54:05 Meeting 2Pac for the 1st time

56:18 Studio with 2Pac / Are You Still Down?

58:45 Babyface or 2Pac

59:05 2Pac Are You Still Down Pt. 2

1:00:00 ‘They Don’t Know’ & ‘Are You Still Down?’ double release

1:03:22 Suge Knight tried to stop ‘Are You Still Down?’

1:04:35 2Pac’s mum made it possible

1:05:03 Relationship with Afeni & Mopreme Shakur

1:07:03 2Pac is not alive

1:07:42 Double release of ‘They Don’t Know’ & ‘Are You Still Down?’

1:08:21 Success / Tour / ‘I Do’ song

1:09:44 Spending

1:10:37 Ideal collaborations

1:11:15 Nas collab

1:12:33 Mos Def / ODB / Scarface / Jamaica

1:14:00 R&B & Rap merge

1:15:06 R&B landscape changes

1:16:26 ‘Don’t Talk’ smash record

1:19:45 Beenie Man / Sly & Robbie

1:21:09 Expanding musical palette

1:21:59 Best feature?

1:22:41 Does 2Pac collab overshadow you?

1:23:08 The Weeknd just sampled me

1:23:39 ‘They Don’t Know’ 30-year classic

1:24:06 R&B then vs now / Chris Brown

1:27:18 Reuniting with Babyface

1:28:31 Social media today

1:29:30 New album out now!

1:30:17 Rick Ross collab

1:32:41 Independent / Chasing success

1:35:18 Michael Jackson collab

1:36:52 Meeting Michael Jackson

1:37:59 Thoughts on MJ movie?

1:38:41 Thank you Jon B / Flowers