Declaring this the year of the gentleman was a bold yet smart move for Ne-Yo, who rails against the mundane with the release of his latest CD, Year of the Gentleman, and the third installment of the Hennessey Artistry Concert Series which kicks off tonight in Los Angeles.
As curator of the entire series Ne-Yo was pegged to pick and chose a diverse line up of performers whom he deems worthy of the Hennessey stage.
“They got me in this curator role,” says the self-proclaimed gentleman. “The whole thing is about diversity. The cool thing about Hennessey is that you can go to a dinner party with a bunch of suits and stiffs or you can go to the hood and see it there too. They can play both sides of the fence like that.”
“In a perfect world, if I had my choice, I’d go get people like Fall Out Boy. I’d go get Carrie Underwood and have her do something. I’d get Pharrell and have him do something, and then I’d turn around and get Plies and have him do his thing,” admits Ne-Yo who is paired with LL Cool J for the inaugural show. Other performers include Ashanti, Eve, DJ Irie, Fat Joe and Musiq Soulchild
“They’re diverse,” says Ne-Yo of the scheduled line-up. “Just like my new album, Year of the Gentleman, [there is] something on there for everybody. It’s got something for the hood, something for suburbia and even something for the kids that listen to Avril Lavigne.”
The singer/songwriter attributes much of his personal evolution on Year of the Gentleman to Sammy Davis Jr. and the members of the Rat Pack. “I’ve always done things my own way. Being a fan of Sammy Davis Jr. and the whole Rat Pack era is why I always try to keep it clean as far as appearance. With this album I’m putting the magnifying glass on it and realized that there were certain areas of being a gentleman that I needed to work on,” says Ne-Yo.
After two multi-platinum CDs, movies and a stable of top charting hits The Urban Daily couldn’t help but ask Ne-Yo to share the secret to his success by identifying the key elements of a gentleman like himself.
“A gentleman is patient. A gentleman is diverse. A gentleman is classy. He’s got unadulterated and unarguable swag. A gentleman knows what it is to dress the part. A gentleman knows never to let them see you sweat. A gentleman knows he not perfect but he’s damn close,” chides Ne-Yo who has made headlines lately for chastising other male R&B singers who act like less than a gentleman and winning a highly publicized lawsuit against R. Kelly.
“Making an assessment of cats in the game and looking at men in general, there are certain elements of being a gentleman that we all need to work on. We need to bring chivalry back. We need to look out for that cat that is gonna press his shirt before leaving the house. That’s really what Year of the Gentleman is all about,” says Ne-Yo.
“I’m not saying that a three piece suit makes you a gentleman, but jeans hanging half way off your ass definitely does not make you a gentleman. There is a certain element of class that is supposed to go with it. You feel me?”
We read you loud and clear. Year of the Gentleman hits shelves this week.
Hennessey Artistry Concert Series:
September 17 – Ne-Yo with special guest L.L. Cool J in Los Angeles
September 25 – Ashanti with DJ Kiss and DJ Sky Nellor in Chicago
September 27 – Eve with DJ Jus Ske and DJ Irie in Detroit
October 1 – Ne-Yo with special guest Fat Joe in Miami
October 4 – Musiq Soulchild with DJ Rashida and DJ Ruckus in New Orleans
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