Whatever
the reason for Olivia’s departure from G-Unit is not so important at
this point, even though we’ll re-hash it for a few. Both sides seem to want to forget the whole debacle and
move on; although the rumors were quite entertaining to say the least.
Either way it’s in the past and Olivia is back on her grind to claim
her place in the R&B world. Even though she claims she never really
stopped doing music, visibility wasn’t strong on the television or
music charts. With a new mid tempo, sweetly hooked single titled “Take
It Off”, she could very well be off to a good start.
When
Olivia first materialized on the scene with “Bizounce” I questioned
just what type of longevity she would have in this industry. She popped
up years later with G-Unit and it seemed like maybe she would gain some
type of stability there. Yet her role seemed a bit choppy and non fluid
within that team as well. The woman did have a great upbringing within
this competitive field. Working under Clive is always a plus. With that
being said she has re-emerged with a new outlook on her role and place
within the industry.
AllHipHop.com: What brought
the desire for a comeback?
Olivia: First of all I didn’t
leave. I was overseas touring and recording, doing things like that.
I just wanted to take a little break so that I could re-brand myself.
Everybody thought I was still with G-Unit, some people still ask me
if I am with them. I just wanted to take some time off to do this whole
album over again. Do some recording and go overseas to perform. That
was the whole point of just chilling; I wanted to get away from the
whole G-Unit thing.
AllHipHop.com: What exactly
happened with G-Unit?
Olivia: It was really just
a bunch of politics. 50 and I had the same manager. We always had conflicts
with him bringing back information on me or him bringing in information
on him. There was no R&B present at the labels; there wasn’t any
at Violator or at G-Unit. 50 really had to do everything himself.
He doesn’t know about R&B, he only knows about rap music. He was
trying to market me as a rapper. We would always have those conflicts
where I would tell him that things weren’t going where I wanted them
to go. He would have to have the last say because he’s the boss. In
the end, he and I talked about it and I told him I really wanted to
leave the label. We had to figure out a way for me to leave it and that’s
when things got funny. Everyone started coming up with stories that
happened and what not. We just let the media go wild. I was just happy
to be off the label.
“Fif
and I haven’t spoken. We both tried to reach out to each other and
it didn’t work out. It’s all cool though. Everything is fine.” -Olivia
AllHipHop.com: You can rap
if you wanted to right?
Olivia: Yes I can.
AllHipHop.com: Is there any
hard feelings between you and 50?
Olivia: No not at all. I still
talk to Banks and Yayo all the time. Sha Money is my big brother. Fif
and I haven’t spoken. We both tried to reach out to each other and
it didn’t work out. It’s all cool though. Everything is fine.
AllHipHop.com: What’s something
you can take from your experiences with record labels?
Olivia: J Records was my very
first label. I was straight out of college and he put people from all
different labels together. People were just learning how to work under
Clive. I was just learning how to work under Clive. There were people
brought in from different labels and I knew I was an experimental project.
I was just happy to be there. That was my first job. I then went over
to Interscope and I met Fif there to do Interscope/G-Unit. That is where
I really learned about the politics of things. I knew exactly what I
was doing and how the industry is. This being the third time I’m ready.
AllHipHop.com: You did a bit
of acting; you want to talk a little about that?
Olivia: Yes. The three movies
are ready. My acting coaches are Tracey Moore and she is amazing. She
trains all the big actors and actresses you can think of in the industry.
The first movie we did was called “Peephole”. The last one we shot
was called “Conspiracy X” with Shawn Baker as the director. Kellita
Smith is in that one, it’s a great movie. It’s about a guy who just got out
of jail and he’s trying to get back on his feet. He ends up running
his own clothing company. Somebody tries to frame him and that is why
it’s called “Conspiracy X”. I’m just happy to be able to get
into new things and pursue different endeavors.
AllHipHop.com: Was the acting
done as another way to pass time?
Olivia: Not at all. Like I
said it was never passing time, because I was overseas. In movies it
just came naturally. It was something my acting coach said was natural
for me. I should go ahead and pursue it. I did a few personal classes
with her and she brought me over to Paradon and we met with a few people
and it kept going from there. Being on stage is kind of like acting
in a way. Instead of me having to sing, I’m acting.
“The overseas audience
is always wonderful. They’re always very responsive and more energetic
and hyper. They’re very friendly and the crowds are amazing.” – Olivia
AllHipHop.com: What was your
experience like overseas?
Olivia: The overseas audience
is always wonderful. They’re always very responsive and more energetic
and hyper. They’re very friendly and the crowds are amazing. The crowds
are larger as opposed to over here. That’s why you may notice more
artists enjoying their time overseas.
AllHipHop.com: The style of
your music will stay consistent with R&B right?
Olivia: Yes, it’s R&B.
It’s going to be a different sound. Most people expect from me what
they heard when I was with G-Unit. That’s just what I had to produce
at G-Unit because that’s what I had to do to fit in. I couldn’t
come straight R&B because Fif wanted me to do stuff with him, or
the guys would want me to do something with them. It’s not like I
could be doing a ballad on a song with them. It had to fit the whole
process that we were doing. You’re going to hear something totally
different, but it is still R&B.
AllHipHop.com: What are some
highlights to look out for on your upcoming album?
Olivia: As far as some of the
producers and artists on the album there is Missy Elliott, Rock Wilder
and Ne-Yo is on there. I got a few new producers including Sham and
Marcus Divine. I have the hot producers and the hot up and coming ones.
I wrote 85 percent of the album. We just had a really good time doing
it. Like I said I’m making sure to do all of the songs that I had
at G-Unit over. A lot of people were asking if any of the songs from
Behind Closed Doors
was going to be on it. I did the whole albumover and I’m glad I did.
AllHipHop.com: You write most
of your own music, who else have you written for?
Olivia: I have written for
other people, but I can’t really say who.
AllHipHop.com: Do you have
a release date for your album?
Olivia: Yes, we’re looking
to do February/March. There is a track that leaked called “Take it
Off”. We’re going to run with that. It was supposed to be the “buzz”
record but it’s picking up quickly so we’re just going to run with
it.“Take It Off”
