Share

Trey Songz may have taken some time out of the spotlight in 2011, but he’s back on the scene with a tour, upcoming album, Chapter V, and film, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 3D,” both due later this year.

Currently, Trey is on his ‘Anticipation 2our’ with rapper Big Sean, where he is promoting his mixtape Anticipation II. In an interview with TheBoomBox.com, he discussed the tour, his upcoming album Chapter V and charity work.

The mixtape Anticipation II is a follow-up to its 2009 predecessor, which many fans and critics considered to be some of Trey’s best work. Due to the high demand from his fans, he decided to craft another mixtape.

“…Anticipation II was something that came about, I never really planned to do an ‘Anticipation’ tour,” he said.

“It was basically while I was making this Chapter V album, I’d be on my Twitter and social network, and my fans would [say], ‘Where’s the album? What you doing?’ So I kind of decided to do the Anticipation II [mixtape] last minute…We dropped the mixtape [and] it turned to ‘When you doing shows? When are you going on tour?’ It’s not actually the regular process for an artist to go on tour without a current album. In giving my fans all that music, I figure I’d go and perform it for them. Of course I’ll be performing some of the hits, but there’ll be records I’ll never perform again.”

Choosing Big Sean as a tourmate was easy for Trey since they have known each other since Trey was promoting his first single “I Gotta Make It” at aDetroitradio station, which is also Big Sean’s hometown.

“…He basically started his movement from the ground up, grassroots,” he said of Big Sean.

“He was very present in the mixtape game and he had fans that appreciated his music before he had a smash on the radio. I think he’s a leader of the new school. His fan base is very much a cult kind of movement, I have kind of the same thing with my fans, and I figured we’d bring them together. Most of all we get along…It’s more about inspiration this tour, than the obvious, because we both came from nothing to get to where we are.”

Trey’s fifth album, appropriately titled Chapter V, is due this year and he says it’ll represent where’s he’s been and where he’s going in life.

“Chapter V is basically an album that represents my past, present and future musically. So what that basically means is you’ll have what you know me for—the classic R&B records from ‘Can’t Be Friends,’ ‘Love Faces’ to ‘Can’t Help But Wait,’ the records that represent those sounds.”

He also says that Chapter V will have hip-hop songs similar to the ones he’s been featured on with J. Cole (“Can’t Get Enough”), Lupe Fiasco (“Girl I Want You to Know”) and Drake (“Successful”).

“I go to new spaces that people might not be familiar with. I actually always have a song that represents this piece of me like ‘Black Roses’ [on the Ready album] and ‘Blind’ on the Passion, Pain & Pleasure album, that represents this alternative space that I’m always interested in. [I’m] inspired by Kings of Leon, Maroon 5. I listen to so much music and this album will definitely show you my inspiration.”

Chapter V will feature production work from Troy Taylor, who’s a staple on Trey’s albums, Rico Love and a record Trey’s brother produced made the album as well.

If you follow Trey on Twitter, you see that he always shouts out his Angels with Heart Foundation which are his fans who give back to the community.

“It’s my foundation that was basically started by the fans. I’ve always given back to my community since the beginning of my career. This is something that’s more precious to me because it actually started with fans giving me gifts on my birthday, when I was on tour. I did a video clip on my iPhone encouraging them to, instead of spending money on me, find something that you can do for the betterment of your community, and send video clips in.”

The foundation has participated in activities for breast cancer awareness, feeding the elderly and going door-to-door passing out turkeys around Thanksgiving.

“…I’ve seen them do amazing things, and the first initiative…that we’ve ever done with Angels with Heart, was actually in my hometown [Petersburg,Va.], where we shut down three barber shops and young men get free haircuts all day long, and young girls get all dolled up, looking like princesses.”

The proceeds from Trey’s recently released EP Inevitable, will go to Angels with Heart.

 

 

TheBoomBox.com contributed to this article.

Are you looking forward to hear the new music from Trey Songz’s upcoming album “Chapter V”? 

By: Brittney Fennell