The-Dream Calls 'Love King' Hate 'Psychological'; Talks Rumored 4th Album
Though The-Dream’s third album Love King was at the top of just about every music critic's most anticipated albums list for 2010, many felt that the Grammy award winner’s lead single sounded like a weak rehashing. But The-Dream believes his received criticism has nothing to do with the actual music.
“I think it’s more psychological than anything,” he told VIBE at the Def Jam offices yesterday. “Somebody can make a song that sounds exactly like me and people will like it, but when it’s mine, they hate on it and say ‘This sounds like something Dream would do three years ago.’ If it’s somebody else doing my shit though, then it’s hot because they’ve never done it before. They’re like ‘Oh man this dope. This guy is really doing it’ [laughs].
“So I mean that’s flattering, but it’s a psychological thing. We change our minds so much now that we don’t know one thing from another. And the people who comment aren’t people that buy my album. Those are people who just listen and keep it moving. They listen and they free download and they ride on out.”
The 31-year-old also quipped that he embraces the hate received from “Love King,” as a reminder that his prominence is climbing. “I think the more hating you get starts because you’re actually getting bigger,” he says.“I saw a coach the other day and he said something that I truly believe in… ‘Nobody wants to see somebody win that much.’ The ones that are with you even start to say ‘Okay that’s enough’ and then want to explore the human side of you and see if you can fail. But that doesn’t bother me. I love it.”
"Somebody can make a song that sounds exactly like me and people will like it, but when it’s mine, they hate on it"
Dream—who stated to MTV News in March that Love King would be his final album—also addressed rumors of a fourth record in the works that sprang after he tweeted on March 27, “Love/Affair?”
“We was having a conversation in the studio, about how if I would do another album, I would name it Love/Affair. Funny thing is, my computer was open and someone else typed it in. They put it in with a question mark and I was like ‘Why did you do that? They’re going to think it was me,’” he says.
But that doesn’t guarantee a fourth album is en route—unless a certain necessity is met. “I would have a big chance of wanting to do one if I was able to turn it into a movie like Purple Rain. Nobody wants to see someone do another album just lyrically based. When I’m telling a story, I’d much rather have someone see it,” he says. “But I don’t even know if I’m going to do Love/Affair. If I can do the movie than Love/Affair would be the soundtrack to that movie.”
Aside from music, photos of The-Dream’s wife, Christina Milian, and their one-month-old daughter, Violet, were published in Us Weekly yesterday. The new husband told VIBE he’ll “probably end up with eighty kids some type of way.”
The-Dream also premiered the music video for “Love King” yesterday, and is readying two other visuals for the single, featuring Ludacris and Jeezy. —Tracy Garraud
CHECK BACK MONDAY FOR VIBE'S FULL Q&A WITH THE-DREAM
