His Name Is Joe  

Private jets, Mariah Carey collabs, snortable caviar, all the major label excess that money and contra could buy: Joe had it like that back in the day. But this is not a comeback story.

He’s no longer with Jive, the label that oversaw his incredible rise to the top of the worldwide pop and R&B charts in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s with albums like ‘All That I Am’, ‘My Name Is Joe’ and ‘Better Days’. But as an independent artist, Joe’s on his grind harder than ever.

The singer’s last album, 2009’s ‘Signature’, topped the Independent Albums chart and climbed as high as #7 on the Billboard 200, an unthinkable feat for an R&B record with no major label support. His next effort, ‘The Good, The Bad, The Sexy’, looks to do similar numbers when it drops in September. “I'm not calling it a comeback album,” he asserts. “I stay current. It's just this independent game is so tricky... You can market as much as you want to, but the promotions side of it is very, very hard. You can do as much as you can, but it's not always guaranteed that everybody's gonna know it's out there.

“The advantage is that you don't have to split too much at the end of the day. The percentages are a lot better for you, especially if you're doing most of the work anyway as a recording artist. The percentages should be balanced a little differently anyway. But also just the relationships you build - you build much stronger, tighter relationships. I could definitely count that as an advantage of being on the independent side.

“I always give Jive credit, because without them putting that advance and that initial money behind me, I might not have become what I am. But who knows? God blessed me to be in the position that I am, and I always give him the credit, you know?”

While his older albums featured guest spots from the likes of Nas, Busta Rhymes and G-Unit, Joe’s independent releases have steered clear of hip hop. “Hip hop has changed,” he explains. “You and I both know that. Hip hop has changed quite a bit... You could put in a Rakim tape and it was on. Even Dr Dre, his albums were on a whole other level. It's been watered down a little bit. Hip hop is singin' now. They're not rappers anymore. Which I don't mind, there's nothing wrong with that, but there was a time when the emphasis of hip hop was really on the poetic side of it.”

He may not have love for modern hip hop, but he approves of the next generation of R&B stars. “You know, I love Chris Brown,” he admits. “He's just one very talented young man. He's today's generation's version of MJ, that's no question. There will never be another Michael, but he's the one who's close enough to him. I like Bruno Mars, too. He's different and dope... there are quite a few carrying the torch. I'm not mad at it.”

Of course, there’s every chance you’re only reading this interview to pick up some tips for wooing the ladies. Take it away, Joe... “I don't like to take 'em too slow,” he confides. “You may miss out, going too slow. But you can't move too fast, either. You certainly can't move too fast. You gotta have a certain couth, a certain swag, a certain way you move. It's just the way you are. Sometimes you can get anything done if you're just that smooth with it early on.  “But I'm a long term guy. I look for a situation that's going to be there for me in the long run. Some relationships are not meant for you. You have to find the ones that really work for you.”

Assuming you follow Joe’s advice, you should have no trouble bringing your new lady back home. Obviously, you’ll want to have a Joe record on when you get there... but which one? “Oh, man, that's a good one... I would say 'All That I Am', but for some reason, 'My Name Is Joe' says it perfectly because of the introduction. I actually introduce myself on the record, so I think that'd be a nice album to get it started.”

Hang on - how would Joe introducing himself to your girl help you? Like we said, the man’s always on his grind.

Joe plays The Jubilee Hotel on Friday September 9.