Biography/History of
Novel
Novel (n): a narrative of considerable
length and complexity, portraying characters and dealing especially with
human experience through a connected sequence of events Novel (adj):
Strikingly new, unusual, or different, especially in conception or
style; original and of a kind not seen before It's a fittingly
double-edged moniker, for a man whose ‘pen game' is much sharper than
any sword. Indeed, Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson is a bit of a paradox. His
forthcoming debut on Capitol Records, The Audiobiography… is a study in
creative duality: equal parts sung and rapped. A daring opening salvo,
given urban music's penchant for pigeonholing artists. Yet as Novel
opens up, and his life's path and inspirations come into focus, his
music seems less contradictory, more complementary. A product of
luminary musical lineage—grandson of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Solomon
Burke, son of former Motown VP Mickey Stevenson-- Novel is unequivocal
about his own niche: "I consider it hip -hop."
Fair enough. But audiences have a nasty habit of determining on their
own what is and isn't hip-hop. And for his amorphous identity, Novel
languished through label rigmarole. Ironically, this shuffle mirrored
that of his adolescence, a bi-coastal back-and-forth between parents.
Eventually, Capitol Records, under the umbrella of Dallas Austin's Rowdy
imprint, made Novel a home. "Capitol heard my music and totally got it,"
Novel beams. "They said, ‘We know you're not just a radio artist. You
have a story here that we have to build.' They were the first label to
say that." So before The Audiobiography… moves a single unit, Novel is
already a smashing success. He's here, he's releasing music on his own
terms, and he's found solace in his own skin. Who then is the author
behind the compelling Novel?
Born in Los Angeles, which he still claims as his home turf, Novel and
his mother Melanie Burke bounced from house to house, finally landing
way over yonder in North Carolina. From there, Novel moved to the unique
creative nexus of Philadelphia. "I first learned how to write songs in
Philly," he recounts. "I got put onto Donnie Hathaway, Nina Simone, and
stuff I'd never listened to before. I was like, ‘Wow, this is real
music.' Philly's got a different vibe, it's creative and soulful." Ever
the nomads, Novel and h is mother pressed on, with stints in Kansas,
Connecticut, Philly reprised, until their return to North Carolina.
There, Novel's placid veneer, ground away by family unrest and the
uncertainty of his life's path, finally fractured. He was kicked out of
high school, and admonished by his mother to go live with his father in
California.
Ironically, this move would impact Novel as much professionally as
personally. See, as Vice President at Motown Records, Novel's father
Mickey had A&R'd legendary acts –Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the
Temptations—and written song standards such as "Devil with a Blue Dress
On," "Dancin' in the Street." His shadow was long, and his reputation
imposing. "I was angry when I first met him," Novel reveals. "I'd go
back and forth between living with him and my mom. Eventually I started
getting into music more heavily, and we bonded for the first time during
a conversation over music. We discovered we had something in common. I
was closest to him when I was creating, because that's all he knows. I
figured I wanted to be closer to him, so I decided to use him as my
manager, since those were the best times we had together. But he was
tough; he made me sign a contract, and I had to submit a demo like
anybody else."
Eventually, the working relationship between father and son fizzled, and
Novel, his record in limbo, left California via car, destined for his
sister's home in North Carolina. Homeless and destitute, he reached out
to longtime friend and now-manager, Dave Gates, president of Dallas
Austin's Rowdy Records. "So I'm driving and I call Dave, and Dallas
picks up the phone by accident," Novel says. "He tells me to stop in
Atlanta and produce a couple records, to see what happens while Dave
works out my deal. I was sleeping in the studio, and whatever checks I
was getting I was sending to my kids. After a year there, working so
much, things started picking up on their own."
It was a welcome change for Novel, a man who'd once been signed as a
rapper to benchmark hip-hop label Rawkus –"If you can't rhyme , they
aren't signing you"—where he met lasting ally and A&R Mike Heron. Novel
had also tried shopping separate demos to labels: one of rap, the other
of song. He ignored repeated industry advice to concentrate on one genre
at the expense of the other. Always confident in his ability, and just
now galvanizing his identity, he kept busy producing and writing for
some of the game's biggest stars:
Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis, India. Arie,
Joss Stone, and
Beyonce. Channeling principal influences
Prince and
Lauryn Hill, Novel was intent on authoring the next chapter of his life
in his own voice. Finally given his chance under Dallas's auspices, all
of his creative energy, his long-germinating frustration, his very soul
would pour into the aptly-titled The Audiobiography...
An ambitious record, not simply for its content but also that it's all
parts Novel: songwriter, singer, MC, producer. The Audiobiography… is
entirely self-made, save a few collaborations with Dallas Austin,
producer No I.D., and DJ Toomp. "Wild West" is a song/rap amalgam,
detailing all-too-common childhood woes: a young boy bullied by his
peers, a young girl born into a dysfunctional family: "Lisa/ Daughter of
a preacher/her mother drinks and her father beats her." Though
cautionary tales like the se stand on their own, Novel knows a hip-hop
audience may question his veracity. To that end: "I only write about
things I've seen, experienced, or just conceived. And I incorporate
other people's experiences along with my own. I've had people in my
family who've been physically abused. I've seen so much in the past--
death, murder. In all the places I've lived, it's a lot easier to find
something tragic than it is to find something good."
Novel merges his storytelling chops and ample life lessons on the
striking, sweeping ballad "Velvet Sky." Stark, palpable descriptions—"
blood stains/white chalk/yellow tape/someone crossed"—pierce the velvet
sky, which to Novel is "a metaphor for a gloomy day, a dark day." The
entire song, though based in reality , is conceptual. And that is the
unique essence of Novel. "It's about a crime scene, and instead of being
descriptive of the actual crime itself, I talk about the colors you see
at the scene. It's all about the colors, the red and blue lights you see
in the ghetto during a tragedy. It's a double-entendre about how
beautiful colors can be."
Elsewhere, "Song Cry" is an equally clever, two-fold reflection of
Novel's upbringing. "I sampled my dad's music. It's about me growing up
without a father for much of my life. I ran away from home a few times,
and when I'd come back, my mom would tell me that it's ok to be a man
and still cry. With all the stress, I was trying not to cry, and instead
I'd just leave." But lest The Audiobiography… seem entirely somber, look
to "The One." It opens with ethereal, strummed guitar, and unfurls as
unabashed uplift, pleading for peace and unity. "I was sitting in the
studio, and I started thinking about previous relationships and things I
hold dear to me," Novel waxes. "To me, the song is about a relationship
with someone you love like a woman, but it can be about your kids, God,
whatever else that's important to you. At the end of the day, it's just
about bringing everybody together as one."
With Novel's resolve-testing past and zealous subject matter, he knows
to expect instinctive labeling as a conscious artist. Fittingly, he's
unbothered. "I'm comfortable because most conscious artists get caught
up and boxed in this one particular area, and feel like they can't do
wrong, they can't make any mistakes. We're all human; I have my flaws, I
make mistakes, so I try to keep it, ‘This is me, this is my life, this
is who I am.' I want to talk about social issues but also about women,
having fun, enjoying life. I'm trying to bring it all together without
being too contradictive-- but that's what makes us human, a little
contradiction. I think its better when you're vulnerable, so I let the
world know this is who I am. I don't mind being called conscious."
Bio courtesy of
ThinkTank Marketing
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