January 29, 2005 @ 9:30 pm

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Avant - Here To Stay

Timothy Allen

Since its release in March 2002, Ecstasy has been certified gold, selling 800,000 copies to date, on the strength of its two singles "Makin' Good Love" and "Don't Say No, Just Say Yes." But Avant has virtually been missing in action this year. He hasn't received the media shine you would expect for an artist whose debut album went platinum. MTV's not playing his videos. BET has relegated his videos to Midnight Love.

Avant exploded on the music scene in 2000, with his platinum debut album, My Thoughts. That year he received the kind of media attention that most new artists would envy. He immediately hit the charts with two big singles "Separated" and the Rene and Angela remake "My First Love." He was the much-hyped first artist signed to Magic Johnson Music, the new record label of NBA great Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Touted as the "new voice of ghetto soul" - with strong similarities, vocally and physically, to this generation's top male R&B singer, R. Kelly - helped him get even more shine. The lack of exposure during the sophomore album push is puzzling. Avant is a platinum selling artist for Magic Johnson Music. Until recently, he was the only artist on the label. Singer Yasmeen joined the Magic Johnson roster in early 2002. Expectations would be that Avant would have received a full-fledged promotional campaign when Ecstasy was released in March 2002. So what's up at Magic Johnson Music? In defense of his label, Avant states, "They're doing business the best way that they know to do business, and I'm just out here fighting like a slave." When asked if he believed his label should put a better effort behind his product, he responds. "To me, it's more like a business thing, 'cause you know Magic is doing a lot of different things right now, so it's not just one thing being focused on. I want more of a push from the label to get my face out there more." He feels no hard feelings toward his label, but he does see the need to get in the public's eye more. And he is driven to do just that: touring vigorously and participating in as many promotional events as possible. "I gotta' hustle. You gotta' get out here and pat your feet. It's about getting out there and letting people see you. You can't expect the label to do all the work, you gotta' get out there yourself. I just got to focus on my music and getting it out there the best way that I can." More than anything at this point in his career, Avant needs to focus on defining who he is. Although Avant has produced a string of R&B hits, interest in Avant has often been paled by interest in his associations. His duet partner on two hit singles, KeKe Wyatt was arrested for stabbing her husband with a knife on Christmas Day of last year. The R. Kelly comparisons have dogged him throughout his young career. Often making Avant the punch line of a number of R. Kelly jokes, in the wake of that singer's legal troubles. And his label owner is an NBA legend, business mogul, and ever-growing media darling. Yes, Avant is going to find it hard to get any light standing in that many shadows. Getting the attention that he needs to further his current album and his career is going to be no easy feat. With no love from MTV and video play only on BET's after-hours Midnight Love, expanding his audience is going to take a lot of work. In a time when all R& B video exposure has been reserved for artists under 21 years of age (B2K, Mario, Destiny's Child), what's an R&B lover man over the legal drinking age to do? The latest projects of Joe, Case, and Donell Jones have all been stifled by this trend. Will Avant's project be another victim? "The music has changed. I just think us in R&B are going thru a cycle. This pop cycle [in R&B] will run its course, but there is always a place for what I do. When you're trying to get with somebody or remember somebody, you just drop on some R&B. I don't care what else is happening, it will always be here. When you're going thru a cycle, you just gotta' know how to deal with it. You gotta' be strong enough to go thru' the cycle and come thru' the cycle as a champion. My outlook on life is turning negatives into positives. That's why I know I'm gonna' be in this R&B game for a long time, and giving people great music."

Article tags: WEB, EXCLUSIVE, Avant, Here, Stay 

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