Novel (musician)
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| Alonzo Stevenson | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Novel |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genre(s) | Hip Hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper/Producer/Singer/Songwriter |
| Label(s) | Rowdy Records, Capitol Records |
Novel (Alonzo “Novel” Stevenson, born in Los Angeles) is an American hip-hop artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a rapper, singer, songwriter and producer.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] The Early Years
Alonzo “Novel” Stevenson is a bit of a paradox. His forthcoming debut on Capitol Records, The Audiobiography… is a study in creative duality: equal parts sung and rapped. A daring opening salvo, given urban music’s penchant for pigeonholing artists. He’s a product of luminary musical lineage—grandson of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Solomon Burke, son of former Motown VP Mickey Stevenson. Born in Los Angeles, which he still claims as his home turf, Novel and his mother Melanie Burke bounced from house to house, finally landing way over yonder in North Carolina. From there, Novel moved to the unique creative nexus of Philadelphia. Ever the nomads, Novel and his mother pressed on, with stints in Kansas, Connecticut, Philly reprised, until their return to North Carolina. There, Novel’s placid veneer, ground away by family unrest and the uncertainty of his life’s path, finally fractured. He was kicked out of high school, and admonished by his mother to go live with his father in California.
Novel's father, Mickey Stevenson, A&R’d legendary acts – Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Temptations—and written song standards such as “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” “Dancin’ in the Street. His shadow was long, and his reputation imposing. Eventually, the working relationship between father and son fizzled, and Novel, his record in limbo, left California via car, destined for his sister’s home in North Carolina. Homeless and destitute, he reached out to longtime friend and now-manager, Dave Gates, president of Dallas Austin’s Rowdy Records.
[edit] The Present
It was a welcome change for Novel, a man who’d once been signed as a rapper to benchmark hip-hop label Rawkus –where he met lasting ally and A&R Mike Heron. Novel had also tried shopping separate demos to labels: one of rap, the other of song. He ignored repeated industry advice to concentrate on one genre at the expense of the other. Always confident in his ability, and just now galvanizing his identity, he kept busy producing and writing for some of the game’s biggest stars: Alicia Keys, Kelis, India.Arie, and Joss Stone. Channeling principal influences Prince and Lauryn Hill, Novel was intent on authoring the next chapter of his life in his own voice. Finally given his chance under Dallas’s auspices, all of his creative energy, his long-germinating frustration, his very soul would pour into the aptly-titled The Audiobiography... Eventually, Capitol Records, under the umbrella of Dallas Austin’s Rowdy imprint, made Novel a home, looking to build him as an artist, with or without radio.
[edit] The Future
An ambitious record, not simply for its content but also that it’s all parts Novel: songwriter, singer, MC, producer. The Audiobiography… is entirely self-made, save a few collaborations with Dallas Austin, producer No I.D., and Krucial Keys. With Novel’s resolve-testing past and zealous subject matter, he knows to expect instinctive labeling as a conscious artist. Fittingly, he’s unbothered.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo Work
| Title | Label | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Audiobiography | Rowdy/Capitol | 2008 |
[edit] Collaborations
| Title | Artist | Label | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand To The Side | Talib Kweli | MCA | 2002 |
| Can This Be Love | Yasmine | MCA | 2003 |
| Purify Me | India.Arie | Motown | 2005 |
| Bossy | Kelis | LaFace/Zomba | 2005 |
| Sick & Tired | Monica | Motown | 2005 |
| Roll With Me | Sammie | Rowdy/Universal | 2006 |
| Slow | Sammie | Rowdy/Universal | 2006 |
| Addiction | Stacie Orrico | EMI/Virgin | 2006 |
| Frustrated | Stacie Orrico | EMI/Virgin | 2006 |
| Baby Girl | Stacie Orrico | EMI/Virgin | 2006 |
| Brush Em Off | Stacie Orrico | EMI/Virgin | 2006 |
| Dream You | Stacie Orrico | EMI/Virgin | 2006 |
| Easy To Love You | Stacie Orrico | EMI/Virgin | 2006 |
| Wait | Stacie Orrico | EMI/Virgin | 2006 |
| Tell You Something | Alicia Keys | J Records | 2007 |
| What We're Gonna Do | Joss Stone | Emi/Virgin | 2007 |
| Music | Joss Stone | Emi/Virgin | 2007 |
| Whatever It Takes | Leona Lewis | SONYBMG UK | 2007 |
| Myself | Leona Lewis | SONYBMG UK | 2007 |
| Back Down | SugaBabes | Island UK | 2007 |
| With You | Tweet | Bugsby Group | 2007 |
| Anymore | Tweet | Bugsby Group | 2007 |
| Alright | Knives Out | Sony Pictures | 2008 |
| I Can't Be Without You | Nikki Flores | Epic/Sony | 2008 |
| Love | Nikki Flores | Epic/Sony | 2008 |
| More | Epiphany | 785 Records | TBD |
| I'll Holla | Epiphany | 785 Records | TBD |
| Microphone Crack | E-40 | Warner Bros. | TBD |
| Eyes For You | Esmee Denters | Tennman | TBD |
| All Over You | JC Chasez | Jive | TBD |
| TBD | Joel Ortiz | Aftermath | TBD |
| Trust Him | Tiffany Villareal | Aftermath | TBD |
[edit] Past Work
- Mixtape hosted by DJ Green Lantern
- worked on two songs off Joss Stone's album Introducing Joss Stone
