I really enjoy those conversations with previous generations. To hear them tell it, we and future generations ain’t about nothing. No originality, no respect and no talent. Just as enjoyable is when they come around. Those talented few who are able to get their approval get the backhanded compliment that they might be able to survive their heyday.
We flashback to the summer of 1999, when one of my hardcore uncles had to come around and acknowledge a newbie.
The particular song that bought him to speed was “It’s Alright,” then a hidden track on the album. “Ghetto Hymns.” “That boy good,” he admitted. “Who dat is?”
After I hit him with the name, he repeated it with his deep Southern drawl. “Dave Hollah sir.” He got it.
The misinterpretation of the name is apropos. Dave Hollister can hollah, warble or, plainly stated, flat out sing. That fact has been established since his voice was first exposed.
For some, that experience was through the work of the legendary 2Pac, either “Brenda’s Got a Baby” or “Keep Ya Head Up.” For most, it was as an original member of Teddy Riley’s R&B supergroup, Blackstreet.
That union produced what is widely hailed as the signature recording of Blackstreet’s “Before I Let Go,” featuring Hollister on vocals. Soon after, Hollister embarked on a solo career, and his first two solo albums, “Ghetto Hymns” and “Chicago ‘85.” Both went gold and included the top 10 hit singles “My Favorite Girl” and “One Woman Man,” along with classic performances of “Can’t Stay,” “My Feelin’s,” “Take Care of Home” and “Destiny,” and entrenched Hollister as a leading contender for the premier R&B voice going into the 21st century.
Just as important for the Chicago native was the opportunity to be a continuum to the legacy of artists hailing from Chicago. Said Hollister, “When I think of everything and everybody that came through Chicago—Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, Ramsay Lewis, Chaka Khan, Common, R. Kelly—I get chills. That musical lineage makes me proud to be a son of Chicago.”
Hollister is back with his new project, “Chicago Winds … The Saga Continues,” released Oct. 21. The lead single, “Spend the Night,” has reached No. 9 on the urban adult contemporary radio chart and continues to grow, showing that his presence back in R&B is welcome.
“When I started ‘Chicago ‘85 the Movie,’ I had an idea that it would be a trilogy. I work from titles first then the story unravels, and ‘Chicago Winds’ was the sequel that I had in mind. I didn’t know how it would unfold, or if I’ll keep the concept, but that was the way I envisioned it,” he reveals.
The album, produced by Warryn Campbell, was a bit of a revelation to Hollister, who offers, “I see vocal and content maturity. ‘Chicago Winds’ shows overall growth from my prior works in R&B. I’m here as a messenger, to help pull somebody out of a situation they might be going through.”
He realized that, at times, he may have strayed and misused his gift. Said Hollister, “With ‘Chicago ‘85’ and ‘Real Talk,’ I was living like a kid. If I was going through something, I lashed out through my music. And things you go through don’t have to be told to everybody.” In actuality, music was the least of his concerns, as bouts with addiction crept in.
“I was in a different space. I just wasn’t myself. I had to grow up. So I had to leave and take a step back. Going home and staying with my mom, going back to church and strengthening my relationship with God all led to where we are right now.”
With his new persona comes the challenge that many an artist goes through, that being the ability to show growth. Hollister welcomes that opportunity, saying, “I’m at the point in my life where I can’t let people put me and trap me in a box. I’ve done that too long. I know what my path is. I came out of something that I didn’t need to go to rehab for. I had to thank God for not letting me fall, and I gotta tell people about it. So what’s been transpiring now when I mount these stages, I just do me. Either people go with me or get left.”
Grown man music is back. Over and out. Let’s chop it up next week. Till then, enjoy the nightlife.