It’s been nearly seven years since Maxwell released part one of his Grammy award winning BLACKsummer’snight series. After the long wait, he is gearing up for the release of part two, blackSUMMERS’night, later this year. In his interview, Maxwell tells Essence about his 20th anniversary of Urban Hang Suite, living life and the release of blackSUMMERS’night.
Read excerpts from his interview below.
On Urban Hang Suite: I can’t believe that 20 years after doing something that I started when I was 21, would even mean anything, or even stand the test of time to the point where I would have an interview and it would be a mentioning point. It’s exciting for me to know that we made those choices back then, and they still kind of live in the hearts of people to this day. What’s really great about it is that I work with all of the same people, and I’m working with all of the same people on the new album that’s coming out this year. It’s always been a family type of thing, and I think that that’s what, maybe, has made it special. I never veered off and decided to go super pop and say, “Okay, I want to get on pop radio, I’m just going to go work with that producer, and I’m going to flip my style so that I can really make that big money and be everywhere on TV.” I just stayed with my crew, and here we are…We’re writing this new album. It feels, to me, even better than what we did twenty years ago.
On blackSUMMERS’night: I’m so hyped about the new album coming out, which is so exciting for me, because it’s fresh and it’s different, but it is what I do. It doesn’t make you feel like, oh, yeah, that’s going to come out in 1996. You’re not going to feel that. At least I hope you don’t. (Laughs.) People are like, “Why does it take so long? Why does it take so long?” Because there’s always a part of me that’s like, “Nah.” You know? I know I started the record, but have I lived enough of what I need to live to view it with the emotion that it needs, and then release it? I can sometimes feel like it’s okay to wait. It’s like … It’s not that I just want to torture people, because I know there are a few people, like, “When’s the album coming?” They see me posting things, and living, and they’re like, “What the hell is this about? Why are you running around, flying to Africa on safari? Where’s the album?” They don’t realize that living my life is what makes what they may get what it’s going to be sounding like. They think it’s … some factory or something. It never worked like that for me.
On upcoming projects: There are even more exciting things. My connection with this new movie that Nate Parker’s just released, Birth Of A Nation, that just broke the record at Sundance. I’m doing the soundtrack for that. It’s an inspired soundtrack, and I’m super excited about that.
Read more on Essence.
