90s R&B Vibes: Donell Jones on His Iconic Debut and the LaFace Legacy

In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome 90s R&B legend Donell Jones! He shares his early beginnings and influences growing up in Chicago, and his journey through the golden age of R&B music on the LaFace label. Donell opens up about the challenges of being on a label with major talents like Usher, Pink, Toni Braxton, and OutKast, and the patience required as he waited for his moment to shine. He reflects on his iconic debut album, Where I Wanna Be, discussing the extensive work that went into its creation and his hopes for its success. Donell also shares his excitement about new artists sampling his music and the joy it brings him when his work gains renewed popularity plus more. You don't want to miss it! 0:00 - 2:59 Intro 2:59 - 3:20 What made you fall in love with R&B? 3:20 - 3:55 Did you sing in Church? 3:55 - 4:30 How did you get to singing 4:30 - 5:21 What made you want to get into songwriting? 5:31 - 6:37 Being apart of a singing group 6:37 - 7:45 Being signed from singing outside 7:45 - 8:20 Being apart of the untouchables album 8:20 - 9:20 Tell me about being signed with Eddie F 9:20 - 9:55 Being signed solo 9:55 - 11:00 In the hood and knock me off my feet 11:00 - 12:02 Being around the right people 12:02 - 13:10 Did you look at male 90s r&b as competition? 13:10 - 15:20 Where I wanna be 15:20 - 16:02 The first single 16:02 - 16:25 You know wassup 16:25 - 21:47 Deep Dive: Where I Wanna Be 21:47 - 22:26 Do you have a favorite song from that album? 22:26 - 23:21 Do you have any regrets creatively? 23:21 - 24:20 What are your thoughts on where the music business is now? 24:20 - 25:08 Independent artists marketing their music 25:08 - 26:40 How does it feel to have independent but still have a legendary catalog? 26:40 - 27:51 The new generation flipping your music 27:51 - 28:50 Do you have stories of being screwed from publishing? 28:50 - 29:41 Have you ever gotten your heart broken in this business? 29:41 - 30:44 Do you have a team or are you self managed? 30:44 - 31:12 Are your hats apart of your signature style? 31:12 - 31:26 The new style of R&B artists 31:26 - 31:53 Are you mentoring any of the new artist? 31:53 - 32:58 Are you listening to new artists? 32:58 - 34:25 Spotlight being on Male R&B vs Women 34:25 - 35:36 Vulnerability in the R&B Space 35:36 - 36:42 Top 5 R&B Songs 36:42 - 37:60 What’s the last song that inspired you? 37:60 - 40:13 Top R&B Group 40:13 - 40:56 What’s up next for you? 40:56 - 41:35 Karma 41:35 - 43:12 What’s your writing process? 43:12 - 44:30 30 years in the game 44:30 - 44:46 Closing ✅ LISTEN, FOLLOW, AND RATE 🎙️ Hosted & Created by: Ian Von 🚀 Produced by: Launch Pod Studio 🎧 Shot by: Chris Foster Media 🎥 Edited by: Lazy Pickle Studios 📲 Presented by: Revolt Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices