B Slade Releases New Album Deep Purple

B Slade (formerly Tonex) has won six Stellar Awards, a GMA Award, and received 2 Grammy nominations: one for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for his 2004 gold album, Out The Box and another in 2009 for Best Urban/Soul Alternative Performance for his single, “Blend”, from his 2009 mainstream (albeit theoretically Gospel) album, Unspoken. – B Slade

Success stories are very uplifting, especially to people who would see you fall flat on your face. And you are an inspiration to many, no matter their walks of life. How do you stay “feeling good” and putting out such energetic music?

I have recently discovered that people don’t necessarily want me to fail, they’re just insecure with some of their own talent so therefore they pretend that my skill is nonexistent. Sometimes it feels like I have to pretend like I don’t know how to do all the things I do, just so I can comfortably move forward within an industry that celebrates mediocrity. The energy that you find in my music comes from pain and when you’re able to transfer that pain and turn it into a positive energy it makes you stronger. When success or failure comes your way neither one of them have a strong enough bearing to make you quit either way.

Talent, a great record label and an amazing promotional team isn’t always a corollary to being self-sustained and on the top of the pop-charts; being favored by God and having an enduring character is. You have an undeniable gift from God and so many can attest to that. How has your new road traveled helped to encourage you and your family?

Well at first people that knew me didn’t know exactly what I was up to or if I lost my mind or what had happened because I completely changed and went in a completely different direction than what they had assumed was the correct path for me. As I continue to forge on this path, they begin to see that I was serious about exploring a new side and sharing my gift to the entire planet not just the four walls of the church. Even though they still don’t agree with some of the subject matters that I address, when I think back on it I’ve always been candid about what subjects I would and wouldn’t approach. People have always known that I’m gifted even those who don’t particularly like me as a person for whatever reason. That in itself is a very strange notion to me because so many of them have never met me, but yet they hate me. And sometimes it makes me feel sad because it’s like I’m a really nice guy, but you rather believe what others feel or what…

Get the instant digital download to continue reading B Slades’s article.

Article By Patrick Kelly
Contributors: B Slade & Patrick Kelly

B Slade New Releases: Mighty Real & New Album Deep Purple