Carl Thomas

Hot Sounds, Hot Rides Rock Miami At VMA Kickoff Jam

23 Aug 2004 11:58:00 EDT

Event featured music by Mario Winans and Carl Thomas; tricked-out cars by Ludacris, Good Charlotte, G-Unit and others.
By Abbey Goodman

Mario Winans performs at the VMA Kickoff Jam in Miami on Saturday (Aug 21)
Photo: MTV News

MIAMI — What better way to show that the MTV Video Music Awards are in town than to have the Moonman reimagined, Miami-style?

Guests at the VMA Kickoff Jam, a free outdoor concert at Margaret Pace Park featuring co-headliners Carl Thomas and Mario Winans, were greeted by a 30-foot-tall astronaut made, in honor of Miami's reputation for cars with boomin' sound systems, out of car parts.

Local artist Robert Chambers fashioned the sides of the space helmet out of car rims (embellished with cutouts of dollar signs and hundred-dollar bills), while the front was made out of a car's back windshield, complete with a wiper, that opened and closed. The gloves and boots of the space suit were illuminated by brake lights, and the body of the suit had two pink, neon-outlined "buttons" made out of stereo speakers; below it was a hatch that opened to reveal a complete sound system. The Moonman had a belt made out of a car's grill that was decorated with mufflers, and a tailpipe that stretched up his back and blew out smoke. And even though it strayed from the car theme, the Moonman's MTV flag was pure MIA: neon-pink and blue.

Quduus from "TRL" introduced Carl Thomas and Mario Winans, who performed short four-song sets.

Thomas came dressed for the occasion in a cream suit with an unbuttoned pink-and-purple-striped shirt underneath. He opened with "Emotional," took quick a breather to dedicate the next song to the ladies, and then launched into "Make it Alright."

Before he performed "Summer Rain," Thomas said that his next number was his mother's favorite song, so it means a lot to him as well. Then, he opened up a bit: "I'm usually not the type of person to air insecurity," he said. "I'm more guarded with matters of the heart, but the one time I had a chance to [share my feelings], I wrote a song." And just before he performed his hit "I Wish," he said with a laugh, "I've been surprised at how many people have been in love with someone trifling before."

Then Mario Winans took the stage, dressed casually in jeans, a black short-sleeved shirt, sunglasses and a big cross necklace. He opened with a solo version of "I Need a Girl (Part 2)" and then moved into "This Is the Thanks I Get" before announcing that his next song, "Never Really Was," would be his new single. Finally, Winans asked, "How many of y'all just don't really want to know?" as the opening bars of "I Don't Wanna Know" played behind him.

Besides the performances, there were plenty of other attractions to keep the crowd occupied, like free sno-cones, cotton candy and Burger King's Whopper Mountain, an inflated, climbable hamburger.

Lining the perimeter of the park were tricked-out cars designed by Ludacris, Chingy, Good Charlotte, Bam Margera, G-Unit and Xzibit.

They were all Saturns — either Vues or Ions — and, in addition to the customization, all were decorated with Moonmen. The cars also boasted 15-inch flip-down LCD screens and, with the exception of Ludacris', two others in the headrests of the front seats. (Cris' only had one because the passenger seat of the car was removed, but more on that in a minute.)

Ludacris' ride came with an Xbox, a public-address system, a neon-orange dashboard, back seats and floor mats covered with what was called "polar-bear fur" (it was actually faux), and, as mentioned above, the front seat removed to make room for a cooler.

Chingy's car had yellow-and-red flames along the sides and his name in "Superfly" script. Inside, there was a yellow shag carpet, satellite radio, a PlayStation 2 and 12-inch subwoofers.

Bam Margera's Viva La Bam-mobile was a silver Ion with hot-pink accents like a skateboard spoiler and a symbol that combined a heart with a pentacle on the hood. Inside, there was satellite radio, a stick-shift handle made out of skateboard wheels, and, more esoterically, a fake bat (hanging upside-down) connected to a strobe light.

G-Unit's ride was the most pared-down of the lot. The black Vue was hooked up with both an XBox and PlayStation 2, while the same car interpreted by Xzibit had a big silver "X" on the side, crocodile-print leather seats and four 12-inch speakers.

Finally, Good Charlotte's silver Vue had bright-green accents, the group's brass-knuckles insignia on the side of the car and the title of their forthcoming album, "The Chronicles of Life and Death," painted on the back window. The interior was outfitted with an XBox, an additional LCD screen in the dashboard and a complete digital mobile recording studio.

Other acts at the jam were Missy Elliott's protégé Lil' Briana, decked from head to toe in Chanel (white logo pants, a black harness, white-fishnet fingerless gloves and goggles on her head). She also sported a big, bedazzled belt that read CandyGirl, after her collaboration with Trina, "Kandi."

Also on hand were Spanish rock band Clave, a Spanish-speaking reggaeton group 90 Millas, salsa ensemble Sonora Carruseles, reggae band Morgan Heritage and reggae singer Tanya Stephens, who offered the most thought-provoking advice of the night: "Girls, if you cheat on your man, make sure to cheat on him with a guy that looks like your man, so if you get pregnant, at least your child can have a comfortable life."

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Usher Makes Record-Breaking Debut Atop Albums Chart

31 Mar 2004 11:55:00 EST

Crooner's Confessions sells nearly 1.1 million copies in its first week.
By Joe D'Angelo, with additional reporting by Shaheem Reid

Usher (File)
Photo: Arista

Having sold nearly 1.1 million copies of his new album, Confessions, in its first week, Usher will rise to the top of next week's Billboard albums chart, leaving a stream of broken records in his wake.

With those numbers, the R&B star has the highest opening-week sales of any album released this year, and the seventh best of the SoundScan era, behind 'NSYNC's No Strings Attached (2.3 million) and Celebrity (1.8 million), Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (1.7 million), Backstreet Boys' Black & Blue (1.5 million), Britney Spears' Oops! ... I Did It Again (1.3 million) and Backstreet Boys' Millennium (1.1 million).

But the accolades for the smooth-crooning ladies' man don't stop there.

Usher wins the distinction of having the highest first-week total of any R&B artist in SoundScan's 13-year history — his sales numbers crush those of R. Kelly, who sold more than 543,000 copies of TP-2.com in 2000, and Destiny Child's Survivor, which moved 663,000 in May 2001. It's also the best one-week total of any male artist since Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000.

Usher's follow-up to 2001's 8701 also has the highest first-week figure of any album released by Arista Records, trumping the total of the Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumously released Life After Death in 1997, which sold more than 689,000 copies. Confessions also betters one-week sales of the Arista-released soundtrack to Whitney Houston's "The Bodyguard," which sold more than 1 million copies in December 1992.

The success arrives a week after the 30-year-old label dissolved into Jive Records.

"To see that this album has sold a million in one week is history," Usher said. "I'm happy, I'm privileged. It says a lot for what R&B is capable of. I don't think that everybody could do it. It's not something that is very easy to do. I can't say that it has happened based off of just this one album. All of the albums in the past, all of the support of the people who have been with me through this journey, and the new people I am introducing myself to, have made it possible."

Usher's first #1 album, fueled by the strength of its first single, "Yeah!," and plenty of press (see "The Road To Confessions: How Usher 'Shook A Million' "), also sold nearly three times the first-week totals of his previous four releases, including 1999's Live, combined.

The 15th installment of the Now That's What I Call Music! series, featuring contributions from Britney Spears, Chingy, Eamon and Jessica Simpson, will come in at #2, having sold more than 343,000 copies; followed by Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits at #3, with more than 168,000 copies sold.

Carl Thomas' second album, Let's Talk About It, will land at #4, propelled by its single "Make It Alright." The R&B singer's follow-up to 2000's Emotional sold more than 138,000 copies in its first week.

The four new releases force Norah Jones, whose Feels Like Home held the top spot for six consecutive weeks, down to #5, with more than 121,000 copies sold.

Fly or Die, the second album by N.E.R.D., will come in at #6. The 119,000 copies it sold in its first week is a huge improvement over Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams, and vocalist Shay's debut LP, 2002's In Search Of ..., which bowed in at #61, with just 20,000 copies sold.

Rounding out next week's top 10 will be Evanescence's Fallen, stepping back four places to #7 (with more than 93,000 copies sold); Kanye West's The College Dropout, slipping two spots to #8 (87,000); Jessica Simpson's In This Skin, falling five spots to #9 (86,000); and Kenny Chesney's When the Sun Goes Down, moving from #7 to #10 (74,000).

Master P's Good Side/ Bad Side, the No Limit leader's follow-up to 2001's Game Face, just barely misses the top 10, sticking at #11 with more than 68,000 copies. It places ahead of Cypress Hill's seventh album, Till Death Do Us Part, at #21; Aussie rockers the Vines' second album, Winning Days, at #23; and Dirty South rapper Pastor Troy's By Any Means Necessary at #30.

Other notable releases on next week's chart include "The Punisher" soundtrack at #33; Knoc-Turn'al's The Way I Am at #36; Soil's Redefine at #78; the Descendents' Cool to Be You at #143; Widespread Panic's Night of Joy and Iron & Wine's Our Endless Numbered Days tied at #157; Blonde Redhead's Misery Is a Butterfly at #180; and the soundtrack to "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" at #198.

For a feature on Usher, check out "Usher: Souled Out."

This story was updated on March 31 at 2:54 p.m. ET

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Da Band, Da Boss Both Part Of Busy Bad Boy Release Schedule

26 Feb 2004 04:50:00 EST

Carl Thomas, Mario Winans, 8Ball & MJG, New Edition all readying LPs.
By Shaheem Reid

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs (file)
Photo: Bad Boy

P. Diddy is keeping it simple when it comes to titling his next LP. Diddy has named his project PD5, and it's due in November, according to Universal Records.

Technically, it'll only be his fourth album of all-new music (Diddy also has remix album under his belt, adding to his PD5 equation), and neither Universal nor Bad Boy had any word on who the man Farnsworth Bentley calls "The Chairman" will be working with.

In the interim, Diddy certainly has enough projects to keep him and his staff busy. Carl Thomas just shot a video for a track called "Make It Alright" from his second LP, Let's Talk About It. That opus goes to stores March 23.

Another soul crooner under the Bad Boy umbrella, Mario Winans, also just completed a clip. His "I Don't Wanna Know," which also features Diddy, should be airing in the next couple of weeks, and his album, Hurt No More, is slated for April 27.

Meanwhile, Bad Boy's wildest act, Da Band, is working on a second album. So far they've been in the studio with Tony Dofat and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, but they're looking forward to opening the project up to more producers.

"The first album was fire, but this one is real beautiful because we got more experiences now," said Young City a.k.a. Chopper. "Man, you just gotta hear it. You would think we live right next door to Satan, how fire this album is gonna be."

For the third season of "Making the Band 2," the group did not have Lucifer as their neighbor, but Diddy was their roommate. All six members lived in his Manhattan mansion.

"You had to be on point," said Babs. "You never knew when he would pop up."

Before Bad Boy's Da Band drops this summer, look for new albums by 8Ball & MJG and New Edition.

Season three of "Making the Band 2" premieres March 4 at 10 p.m.

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Coalition To Throw Benefit Concert For Families Of Chicago Club Tragedy Victims

17 Mar 2003 05:42:00 EST

Tribute concert to feature performances by R&B singers Carl Thomas and Syleena Johnson, rapper Mikkey from Cash Money Millionaires.
By Minya Oh

Carl Thomas
Photo: Bad Boy

Plans have been announced for another benefit concert to aid the families of the 21 victims killed almost one month ago during a stampede at Chicago's E2 nightclub. A local coalition of hip-hop promoters and urban entrepreneurs will hold the Triumph Over Tragedy Memorial Benefit Concert at Chicago's Isaac Hayes Restaurant on March 26.

The event will feature performances by a number of Chicago acts, ranging from R&B singers such as Carl Thomas and Syleena Johnson to rappers such as Mikkey from the Cash Money Millionaires, to spoken word artists including Def Poetry Jam performer Malik Yusef.

According to an event spokesperson, the Triumph Over Tragedy committee hopes to continue public service works for the Chicago inner city community long after March 26, but the immediate goal of the benefit is to raise funds, both via donation and ticket sale proceeds (see "Talib Kweli To Host Benefit Concert For Families Of Chicago Club Victims").

All funds raised at Triumph Over Tragedy will be handed over to the E2 Fund for the 21, a charity set up in Chicago by Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH coalition, the Salem Baptist Church and Seaway National Bank. This fund, which aims to help the families of the 21 victims, was organized in the days following the February 17 disaster, and has since raised over $90,000, including a $63,000 donation from R. Kelly and a $15,000 donation from producer Kanye West. Denise Rogers of the Salem Baptist Church said that $4,000 from the fund has already been handed out to each of the 21 families, and that the fund would continue collecting donations until the end of the month.

Last week, the Chicago Public School System announced that it had created its own charity, the E2 College Fund, to establish long-term scholarships for the approximately 35 children who lost parents in the tragedy. The college fund has already raised $60,000 and is being overseen by Chicago's Harris Bank and the Community Bank of Lawndale.

Look out for your own safety, and check out "How To Keep Yourself Safe If There's A Crowd Crush Or Fire At A Club."

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Mixtape Mondays: Cutmaster C

6 Jan 2003 05:23:00 EST

Veteran DJ includes recording of 50 Cent's recent phone call from jail on new mixtape.
By Shaheem Reid

Cutmaster C
Photo: Cutmaster C

Name: Cutmaster C

Mixtape: Live From Central Bookings, Tha Holdin' Pen!!!

Hometown: Queens, New York

Joints to check for: "Get Off Me" by Foxy Brown, "Night Shift" by Freeway featuring Carl Thomas and Memphis Bleek, "2 Seater" by Nas, "We Ride" by Grafh.

Previous mixtapes: Holiday Jump Off: Part One, Holiday Jump Off: Part Two and Holiday Stickup

The 411: Not even a little jail time will stop this mixtape's advertised host, 50 Cent, from getting on and hollering at the streets. Last week in New York, while cooling his heels behind bars for a gun charge (see "50 Cent Appears In Court On Gun Charges"), 50 reached out from central booking via a collect phone call to Cutmaster C. C lets the public hear pieces of their talk, where, among other things, 50 told the DJ what led up to his and the G-Unit's arrest outside of the Copacabana; Dr. Dre and Eminem's reaction to his run-in with the law; and why he'll never give up being king of the mixtape circuit. During another taped conversation that appears on the CD, the Queens MC is a little more jubilant after getting bailed out of the pokey.

"We got a relationship with 50 Cent and he gave us a call," said Cutmaster, who is also dropping a DVD in conjunction with 50 on Friday. It will contain interviews and performance footage from the wordsmith's various shows. "We was definitely going to make it happen, we had a CD already supposed to come out with 50 and he was like, 'We gonna make it happen from jail.' I made the mixtape in 24 hours. The streets is loving it. There's some real exclusive stuff on there."

Cutmaster, a 10-year vet who is signed to Dirty Money Management along with DJ Whoo Kid, also drops another exclusive verbal exchange elsewhere on his mixtape: a recording of a live battle between Swizz Beatz's rhyming pal Cassidy and Roc-A-Fella's Freeway.

Newcomer DJ June also has a mixtape filled with bangers. Besides two freestyles from up-and-coming MC Scrapa, there are really no exclusives, but he laces his CD with certified party-starters like the remix to "Make It Clap" by Busta Rhymes, Eve's "Satisfaction" and the B2K collaboration with P. Diddy, "Bump, Bump, Bump."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Mondays, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

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Busta Borrows From Gilligan, Encourages Wildin' Out On New LP

25 Nov 2002 04:09:00 EST

It Ain't Safe No More, featuring 'Make It Clap,' drops Tuesday.
By Shaheem Reid

Busta Rhymes
Photo: J Records

If Kevin Bacon can tie people together through various degrees of separation, Busta Rhymes can connect places with song. Just ask him about his new single "Make It Clap."

"Whether you in church, whether you in a strip club, whether you at an opera, applauding at a basketball game, wherever it is, pretty much every scenario that's a feel-good scenario gets an applause," Busta said Friday about the inspiration for his first single from It Ain't Safe No More, due Tuesday. "Clapping represents a feel-good energy, so for me it made sense to do this record and channel that feel-good energy. That's a traditional approach for me, giving people records that bang in the party."

Since he debuted the song a few weeks ago, Bus has received kudos for keeping the bar raised in music video making. No million-dollar budgets this time, however. He decided to scale down and go with a comedic approach, which included Busta acting as a corrupt preacher with a Jheri Curl.

"It's really all in the idea, not in the money," he explained. "Like how D'Angelo did that 'Untitled' video, it was one shot, cost-effective."

The Flipmode Squad general was keeping a close eye on the budget Monday as he, Spliff Star and special guest Sean Paul shot a video for the remix of "Make It Clap" in New York.

"That's gonna be a much more edgy and raw type of video," he said. "I already have a big-looking video, now I'm gonna do a much more cutting edge, street type of approach."

The Bussa Bus/Sean Paul allegiance was formed when the tandem worked on the remix of Paul's "Gimme the Light."

"It came out so bangin' that we was like, '"Make It Clap" got a reggae feel in the bounce to the beat, so let's see what [a remix] sounds like.' ... The energy was right. We was bouncing off each other like trampolines."

Another cut off It Ain't Safe No More, "Call the Ambulance," was made with slam dancing, elbow throwing, rabble rousers in mind.

"Most of the time in those street parties like the Tunnel and [club] Speed, real underground spots, we're used to hearing that muthaf---ers had to get carried out the club, whether they getting rushed by a crew or the bouncer had to flatten somebody for getting stupid. It's even iller at a concert when n---as is wildin' out in the celebration of the vibe. At the end of the day it's just me giving n---as another one of the records to wild out on."

"I Know What You Want," featuring Mariah Carey and Flipmode Squad, finds Busta in a much more benevolent mood, showing love to his girl and singing.

"Throughout my career I sung on several records," he explained. "For me, I don't mind to try and experiment with different sh--. I felt good vibing with Mariah in that way. When she listened to [me singing], she said it would be cute.

"We made a lot of joints [dissing] women, and we make the joints focusing on the chicken heads of the world, but there are a lot of worthy women who are putting up with a lot of sh--," added the co-star of the upcoming action-drama "Narc." "You put your mom through sh--, you put your girl through sh-- — we gotta show them love for hanging in there. Rah Digga came with a point of view of appreciating her man."

Busta, who said he'll be going on tour in January, left the singing up to Carl Thomas on "The Struggle Will Be Lost." But don't be fooled by Thomas using the same melody as the theme from "Gilligan's Island." Busta was dead serious when recording that track.

"For me, I'm gonna always deal with a higher science in addition to partying and bullsh---in'," he said. "We gonna have fun, but we gonna deal with a jewel every now and then. I feel that's a responsibility."

Identifying the strife of the times we're living in led to Busta's bleak It Ain't Safe No More album title.

"Since 9/11 it's been a consecutive and consistent chain of events that just represents nothing but hazardous and harmful sh--," he said. "In that aspect, we're reflecting the vibe of what was taking place in a society level through the music. In addition, I felt like it almost wasn't safe to be an artist doing your thing in any kind way, because each MC is going at each other's heads."

Click here for a complete listen of Busta Rhymes' It Ain't Safe No More

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Lil' Wayne, Big Tymers, Bubba Sparxxx On 'Undisputed' Disc

13 Aug 2002 03:47:00 EDT

Soundtrack also features Trick Daddy, Carl Thomas, Petey Pablo.
By Corey Moss

Big Tymers
Photo: Universal

There's no disputing Cash Money Records is on a roll, and on August 20 the hip-hop label is looking to ride the momentum of the Big Tymers and Lil' Wayne to another high chart debut with the "Undisputed" soundtrack.

The album features tracks from the Cash Money stable, along with friends ranging from Trick Daddy to Carl Thomas to Bubba Sparxxx to Petey Pablo.

Cash Money Millionaires Lil' Wayne, Big Tymers, Lac and Mikkey collaborate on the soundtrack's first single and title track. Director Terry Heller (K-Ci and JoJo) recently filmed a video for "Undisputed" at the Nashville State Penitentiary, where much of "The Green Mile" was shot.

"Undisputed" the movie, which opens August 23, stars Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames as boxers behind bars who are thrust into an underground prison boxing match. Master P also has a small role in the film (see "Master P, Lil' Romeo To Tour After Finishing Movie Roles").

Undisputed track list, according to Universal:

Cash Money Millionaires - "Undisputed"
Big Tymers - "We Drop It"
Trick Daddy - "Let Me Ride"
Lil' Wayne - "Real Talk"
Carl Thomas - "How Did I"
Bubba Sparxxx - "Hungry"
Mikkey - "Everyday"
Teena Marie - "Shorty Down"
Gilly f/ the Major Figgas - "So Gangsta"
Boo and Gotti f/ Baby Da #1 Stunna - "Ride Together"
Stone, Gilly and Lac - "I Walk It"
TQ - "Think About You (Looking Through the Window)"
Erick Sermon - "If You Don't Know by Now"
Petey Pablo - "Que La Cosa"
Benzino - "Go Hard"
Cristina - "Daddy's Little Girl"
Baby Da #1 Stunna f/ Kandi, Duke and Big Gee - "Bout My Paper"
The T-Players - "Time Has Come Today"
The B.E.C. - "In Here"
Universal and the B.E.C. - "If U Wanna Know"
The Result - "Man Up"

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Bad Boy Looks Good: Diddy Wins Three Urban Fashion Awards

14 Jun 2002 07:47:00 EDT

Snoop Dogg takes home New Urban Fashion Celebrity Line trophy.
By Shaheem Reid

Snoop Dogg
Photo: Walik Goshorn

Hip-hop celebrities will have to clear some more space on their mantles — another award recognizing their culture was birthed Thursday night.

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and his Sean John clothing line won three times at the inaugural Urban Fashion Awards (click here for photos), while Carl Thomas, Foxy Brown, Lady May, BET's Ed Gordon, Blu Cantrell and Snoop Dogg, who performed, were among those in attendance at Avery Fisher Hall in New York's Lincoln Center.

The Doggfather, who debuted his own Barbie-like doll, beat out Busta Rhymes' Bushi, Jennifer Lopez's J. Lo, Nelly's Vokal and Outkast's self-titled apparel brands with his Snoop Dogg Clothing for the New Urban Fashion Celebrity Line award.

Mary J. Blige won Female Urban Fashion Aficionado. The queen of hip-hop soul was up against Gwen Stefani, Eve and J. Lo. Lopez wasn't shut out altogether, however — she was given the award for New Designer of the Year.

Fashion mainstays Karl Kani and Russell Simmons, who were also on hand, received special recognition outside of the show's 24 categories. Simmons was given the Urban Fashion Humanitarian Award and Kani was presented the Urban Fashion Pioneer Award. Tommy Hilfiger received the Urban Fashion Lifetime Achievement Award.

Winners of the 2002 Urban Fashion Awards:

Menswear Design - Sean Jean
Womenswear Design - Baby Phat
New Designer of the Year - J. Lo
Outerwear Design - Avirex
Athletic Sportswear - Jordan Nike
Female Denim Design - Baby Phat
Male Denim Design - Roc-A-Wear
Accessory Designer of the Year - BCBG
Fashion Stylist of the Year - Misa Brim
Retail/Buyer of the Year - Macy's
Advertising Campaign of the Year - Sean Jean
Male Fashion Model - Tyson Beckford
Female Fashion Model - Roshumba
Female Urban Fashion Aficionado - Mary J. Blige
Male Urban Fashion Aficionado - Sean Combs
Male Runway Model - Dahil
Female Runway - Alec Wek
Fashion Journalism - Alez Aktar and Elena Romero (tie)
Fashion Photography - Jonathan Mannion and Ronnie Wright (tie)
Magazine/Publication of the Year - Vibe
Excellency in Makeup Design - Nzinga
Excellency in Hair Design - Trey Majors
International Award - Phat Farm
New Urban Fashion Celebrity Line - Snoop Dogg Clothing

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Carl Thomas Coming Back ... Even Though He Never Went Away

17 May 2002 12:01:00 EDT

Carl Thomas: Love and Serious Things is due in July.
By Shaheem Reid

Carl Thomas
Photo: Bad Boy

It just doesn't stop for Carl Thomas.

It's easy to forget that it's been a couple of years since he dropped his monster single "I Wish" and his platinum Emotional. He's been a constant on the radio alongside the likes of Ghostface Killah and Faith Evans and has appeared on LPs from superstars like Lil' Kim as well as forgotten rappers like Amil.

He's been doing "a million and one things," he said, hanging up the phone with a rep from J Records who told him Clive Davis wants him for one of their projects. "The most prevalent thing is dealing with the album, you know. I had a lot of ideas during the first album I didn't get to express. A lot of things I wanted to try I never got the opportunity to try. This past year has been just building and researching more of my own sound."

Thomas said he's been working with producers P. Diddy and Mario Winans, Mike City, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, and Andre Harris and Vidal Davis (Michael Jackson's "Butterflies"), but he didn't get a chance to collaborate with singer Rob Thomas as he was planning.

"We talk periodically, but definitely we plan to still write together," he said. "We're definitely going to get it up in the future. I'm glad I made the connection. [Matchbox Twenty] started recording again and are about to have something out real soon. Real soon! Before my single I think."

In the first week of July C.T. plans to start a House of Blues tour and release an appetizer from his project. The four-course meal is due in early fall.

"The album is entitled Carl Thomas: Love and Serious Things. There's been a lot of serious things going on around the world, and I have been just ... glued [to the TV] — foreign events as well as domestic events. I've been absorbing those things. A lot of those different situations, hopefully I can exhale them through the speakers.

"I'm trying to make this album more visual in people's heads," he continued. "More of a vivid picture. I think I did a real good job of painting the picture with songs like 'I Wish,' 'Emotional' and 'Supastar.' I want to do a better job on this album. I'll have something to shoot for."

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Carl Thomas

Faith Evans Says Grammys Are Good, Kissing Strangers Is Bad

27 Feb 2002 07:54:00 EST

Singer is up for her second Grammy, thanks to 'Can't Believe' with Carl Thomas.
By Shaheem Reid

Faith Evans
Photo: Bad Boy

Faith Evans is hoping she can place another Grammy on her mantle Wednesday night, next to the one she got in 1998 for her guest spot on Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You" with 112.

As the Newark, New Jersey-born singer tells it, her nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for "Can't Believe" with Carl Thomas may never have come about if she hadn't been so persuasive in convincing Thomas of the track's promise.

"I didn't realize that people would pick up on the record like they did," she said, "but I knew it was a really good record. I even probably tried to do a little bit of convincing to Carl in the beginning because he didn't totally understand. I was like, 'You're crazy! This is a good record.' It's definitely a good feeling that people agree."

Faith had to pretend that it felt good to have a stranger caress her while filming her latest video, "I Love You."

"The video shoot was cool," she said. "I was comfortable, but at the same time, with some of the more physical scenes I was nerved out. But I made it through. I fake it well."

Adding to Faith's anxiety was the fact her husband and manager, Todd Russaw, was on the set watching her feign making out with another guy.

"That's what made me so nervous," she said, smiling. "I guess I wasn't expecting as much physical interaction, and [the actor in the video] was serious about his part. He was really kissing and stuff, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' But we made it through, and it came out how I wanted it to come out. It was convincing."

For a look back at previous big Grammy winners, red carpet photos and much more, visit our Grammy News Archive.

Stick with MTV News for complete coverage when the Grammys are handed out on Wednesday. You can catch the action live from the red carpet on "Backstage at the Grammys" beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on MTV, and get up-to-the-minute news and reaction from the stars on MTVNews.com throughout the night.

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