The Conscious State of Malone
The Conscious State of Malone
Interviewed and written by Hector De La Rosa, twitter: @11journ_lis
The masses assume that the life of an artist is pure glamour without taking into account the restlessness that goes with the pop life. “It is not always the case,” explains soulstress Syleena Johnson’s background singer and Chicago native soul crooner Malone who overcame adversity from fallen record deals, life’s ups and downs, to falling in and out of music groups before music reached in the hands of the masses as product. Hector De La Rosa, of Consciousness Magazine, gets inside the mind of fellow Scorpio, respected industry peer, and creator of a unique music niche entitled ‘edgy soul’ for an in-depth discussion regarding more than just music, but of life altogether.
Hector De La Rosa: What does music mean to Malone?
Malone: Music means everything. It is the soundtrack of life. There is no place in the world you will not be able to listen to music unless in a library. Music can be heard in the elevators, arenas, stadiums, basketball games, to the dentist office. Music provides us not only escapism but an outlet to express ourselves both as an artist and listener. If you do not know how to express your love to a certain someone you turn the dial of a station to hear a love song. If I were to give up sight or sound as two of my senses, I would rather lose my sight than sound.
HD: What are the misconceptions of Malone as an artist?
Malone: [The masses] think that I am rich. They assume I have more than I have. They do not understand the struggle of becoming relevant and staying relevant in a very dark and shady music industry. People are not aware it is more business than it is music. They adopt the notion that because I am with celebrities I am supposed to live a certain lifestyle. In the end of the day, it is all about the grind. It is a job. People need to understand that I have to work this hard to survive whether I am writing and singing music or hosting events. I am my own boss at the end of the day.
HD: Describe the musical niche you created yourself in R&B titled ‘edgy soul.’
Malone: I would describe it vocally and visually as gospel infused meshed with a colorful tone. One would hear the sounds of Bob Marley, Kim Burrell with the soul and tone of Dave Hollister, Carl Thomas, and Stevie Wonder. Visually, it is real funky and cutting edge. An artist whose artistry falls in the ‘edgy soul’ category would be Erykah Badu.
HD: How is Malone unique from other musicians?
Malone: I can honestly say many artists like to conform to super stardom. I am the typical male next door. I do not put on a façade so what you see is what you get. I am passionate about music. I am trying to pave a way for future artists to walk on while they are busy trying to conform and not create their own lane. Therefore, I am not trying to conform to standards. I am staying true to myself and my form of music. Perhaps, others are in competition with one another. I am in competition with no one either than myself. I always felt I was special and different from others musically. I am walking my path to greatness!
HD: What are the founding principles of life Malone lives by?
Malone: To give you a brief history of me, I was not always a positive being. I was quick to let things get the best of me. I always stress and worry more than solving and coming up with creative solutions to problems. A great friend told me in life we are all humans. We all have the same needs of wanting love and be treated with respect. As far as my principles, I have to treat people the way I want to be treated. I view myself as a mirror. I feed off of people’s energy. The energy that you receive from Malone is the energy I receive from you. I also like to encourage and inspire people. You never know how a smile can change someone’s entire day. Also, I live by being respectful to others and help as many as I can. Foremost, I want to keep my life 100 percent positive.
HD: What quote or scripture does Malone live by?
Malone: ‘Everything happens for a reason. GOD does not make any mistakes. People in your life are for a season. Trouble does not last longer.’ This applies perfectly because we are living in the times where it is opaque and emotionless. However, it is up to each of us as individuals to be that change in the world. I wake up every day with that mind frame to live like my last day and how now is the time to go out and make the best out of life without regrets. It’s important to leave a legacy!
HD: How does Malone manage to balance personal life with the entertainment/business?
Malone: I have no problems detaching myself and getting away for a minute to clear my head. Every day is work. When I am off the clock, I can come home and be Malone. With my music and artistry, I am still me personally.
Malone: I have been blessed to not burn any bridges in this industry. Though, I have encountered things that were supposed to be one way and did not turned out the way I expected. I witnessed great ideas gone wrong to great advice becoming insignificant. I feel all these things served as lessons in life. It helped me to understand the business and people a slightly better. People sometimes want you when you are hot or think you are on the verge of something. If it does not come fast for them, they will leave you within a heartbeat. I am a loner at the end of the day so it is not heartbreaking when dealing with their absence. It is not the end of the world for me when friends turned to enemies. Again, it is a blessing. If I do not deal with them now, why deal with them when the blessing comes. I am fortunate to not have family members ask me for anything besides my time. However, I will add that I did have an encounter with a distant relative who felt since I have a personal relationship with Syleena Johnson assumed he was entitled to pass down some information to her via him. What he does not understand is that for me to represent something I would have to believe in it. I do not care who that person is. If that person is selling a product and does not have his or her materials together I will not stand by it 100 percent. There are ways to go about doing certain things. I cannot blame people because they honestly do not know any better. I was one of those people. There are people who do know but want to do whatever they want to do [laughs]. The situation serves as an eye opener in realizing there might be a cousin or two that may pull the same thing on me in the near future.
HD: What does Malone think is lacking in humanity foremost youth and relationships?
Malone: Love! Self-love, self-respect, and self-dignity! It all starts with self. People are too busy worrying about what others are doing taking the focus off on themselves. Everyone can change their mind set to become a better them than they were yesterday. I thought we as people [minorities and urban communities] have overcome by having a first African American President elected into presidency. With such a feat, I assumed my brothers and sisters would want to do better in life. I thought that would be motivation enough to say we have lived to see this day when people have fought and died for their freedom and civil rights.
Malone pauses momentarily as he sheds a tear and continues…
It hurts a lot to see that I was one of those people who did not give a f**k. Seeing how much I changed in attitude and mindset has helped me so much in life to be determined and not be stuck in the entrapment of life. Therefore, self-love and self-respect is everything.
HD: What does Malone want the masses to remember him as a person foremost in his artistry?
Malone: I want to be known as a person of encouragement, inspiration, and of motivation. I want my music to speak for itself and for the public to see the growth of a man and artist. I want for them to see the part of me that tried, the part of me that conformed, and the part of true self-discovery as I found out who I really am as an artist and vocalist. I want all this to be demonstrated in my catalogue of music. I want better not only for me but for all of humanity. I am going to speak into existence that when I reach a broader platform my voice will be able to reach and impact [the masses].
HD: What advice does Malone have for upcoming talent and youth?
Malone: [The masses] heard this a million times…never give up! Whatever you want in life you will have with work and dedication. There were times where I wanted to give up. However, there were times when I took a break and was not enthused about music. I told my personal assistant that I was going back to school but I was still going to do music. If it is something in your heart…you sleep, dream, read, think, and live it pursue it with a passion. Perfect your craft and work ten times harder to separate yourself from the rest.
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