P. Dub makes music history with Warner Bros. deal
By Bill Beene
Of the St. Louis American
St. Louis artists aren’t only making music, they’re making music history.
First, Nelly becomes the first rap artist to drop two albums on the same day – and then see them chart at No. 1 (Suit) and No. 2 (Sweat).
Now, P. Dub, who calls Nelly and the St. Lunatics “the Jackson 5 of rap,” has become the first artist to nab deals as a rapper at a major label then as a singer at another.
After parting with Universal Music Group a few years back, P. Dub kept his head up and on the national grind until his indie label, Wilflo Music (named for his father and mother, Willie and Flora), hooked up with Warner Bros.
That means the rumor that it was only a rumor that P. Dub has a deal with Warner Bros. is itself merely a rumor.
P. Dub rapped to the American Friday while waiting in a California bank to deposit seven figures.
“Thank God for letting me know who I wasn’t, so I can now respect who I am,” an ecstatic P. Dub said of hanging up his rap cap for a singer/businessman brim. “I love the fact that everyone embraced my transition.”
The R&B crooner/songwriter said he got what God wanted him to get out of Universal – how to take over radio and start a business. But he admits the road was rough.
There were days when he couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep and couldn’t hit the mall – not good for a grinding, charismatic pretty boy in the music game.
That changed when he hooked up with his boy and manager, Hudson “Big Hud” Baxter, in L.A.
At the time, Big Hud was putting it down as DJ Quick’s road manager. The veteran rapper/producer mixed P. Dub’s setup single, “What You Sitting Down For,” produced by the STL’s Muzic Doctorz.
“Quick loved P. Dub’s sound,” Big Hud said. “He called it a hot, new sound and was taken aback by P. Dub.”
P. Dub rocked the House of Blues in L.A. with Quick on December 6 of last year and is counting on those new fans and the ones he amassed singing across the country to drive his sales.
Big Hud is predicting a million sold out of the gate for P. Dub’s album release. The two are pushing Warner Bros. for a fourth quarter 2005 street date.
“Quick is a genius, and when those two, along with the Muzic Doctorz, get together, it’s unbelievable,” Big Hud said. “The Muzic Doctors are coming up with some hot beats which take him to the next level.”
“He’s phenomenal,” Muzic Doctorz’s 88 said of P. Dub. “I feel like I’m working with Mozart or Beethoven. Our chemistry is so good.”
P. Dub and the MDs created “What You Sitting Down For” while on the road in a Little Rock hotel. Because of that experience, P. Dub and the MDs opted to drive to LA for Wednesday’s BET Awards instead flying.
They definitely have the loot to fly, but P. Dub said they’re looking at some new sights to get some new ideas.
According to the Big Hud, they had better keep their eyes open because some L.A. thugsters held fast to the old idea of straight jacking.
On Sunday, award-winning producer Jazze Pha was robbed at gunpoint and made to strip in a restaurant in the company of a couple of women and an 18-man entourage. The stickup kid reportedly got away.
“Crazy things go on out here when you have a major event. Who knows what’s going to happen – we hope nothing, but anticipate everything,” said Big Hud, who also is head of security for bling-bling rapper Mike Jones during the BET Awards and subsequent festivities.
Big Hud began his career in celebrity security in 1988 as the infamous R&B bad boy Bobby Brown’s personal bodyguard. He has also played the same role for P. Dub, but will soon hang up the security badge and stick to managing.
Of managing P. Dub, he said, “Being a former athlete like me, he knows how to train and practice. And, when it’s time to play, he knows how to play the game. He took the body shots of the business and took it like a man. Now, to come back and be the new sound in the music industry is awesome.”
What’s this new sound? It’s P. Dub’s fresh R&B with a hip-hop flair that doesn’t sound like all the rest of the R&B jazz.
The single, “What You Sitting Down For,” bodes well as an immediate, feel-good club hit with P. Dub’s serenely smooth vocals and melody.
Flipping from rap to singing, P. Dub said, is “like playing both sides of the ball. If you can play running back, you should be able to play d-back.”
Though a rapper at Universal, P. Dub showcased his singing skills on his CD. And, on the last song on his upcoming Warner Bros. Album, he’ll spit a few verses and showcase some St. Louis artists.
Warner Bros. A&R rep Naim Ali said, “We are very excited to have Willie Moore Jr., aka P. Dub, join the Warner Bros. family. He is a great artist, songwriter and businessman.”
Last week, the Post-Dispatch reported that P. Dub’s deal was a rumor, but it’s a fact-checked truth and a piece of recording music history.
“I never get into the media and what y’all do, and I never listen to rumors,” P. Dub said. “It’s the truth – I’m in the bank right now.”
