Remey Williams Talks 08105 Project, Camden, NJ and Dream Collaborations
Photo: Marq Newman
Produced by our Contributing Creative Director, photographer Marq Newman, Remey Williams gives us the inside scoop on his latest project, 08105.
Marq: First and foremost, Remey, congrats on the new album 08105. For the people who don’t know the significance behind those numbers, do you mind elaborating?
Remy: 08105 is a zip code where I was born and raised in Camden, New Jersey, and as the saying goes, home is where the heart is. I love Camden! However, everything from home isn’t always sweet, so I had a lot of things that began in my life that I learned from, good and bad. Through my journey, I had to learn to break certain habits as far as relationships or being naive to certain things. I had to have tough skin, and it all stemmed from 08105, so Marq, I’m thankful.
Who were your inspirations growing up in Camden, NJ?
Well, I grew up during the neo-soul vibe. There was Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, and many others like JAY-Z, Stevie Wonder, Qtip Dj Jazzy Jeff, The Roots, and the list goes on and on. It all stemmed from home. On a personal level, my father, my biggest inspiration, was the bass player for The O'Jays, and the bass player on "The Sounds of Philadelphia.” He played on big hits, including "Ain’t No Stopping Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead, “If Only You Knew” by Patti Labelle, "Love TKO" and "Come Go With Me" by Teddy Pendergrass. His discography is nuts. I’m trying to catch up to him. I got a long way to go. My dad is my hero!
Photo: Marq Newman
Man, you’re there! That leads me to my next question. How do you feel about the current state of R&B, and are there any dream collaborations for you?
I feel like it's definitely changed. Of course, it’s not the same as it used to be, but I see some good and some bad changes. The good is that R&B never died. You always hear people say R&B is dead, but you have artists out now like India Shawn, Kenya Dixon, and Alex Isley. But, then I feel like we don’t sing like we use to. For me growing up, it was always healing behind the music. You had Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and Tyrese. The good R&b is still out. I wish it was more, but I believe R&B is coming back. And honestly, I would love to work with Lucky Daye, Ty Dolla Sign —he’s killing R&B right now. The list is so huge. I’d love to collaborate with Summer Walker. She’s killing it too,
How do you feel in a music climate with dance/house music re-emerging? We’ve had artists like Beyoncé and Drake house music-inspired albums. I feel like our culture is getting a tight grip back on what we created. How do you feel about that?
Absolutely! We absolutely originated it. I love it! We called it “wutanging music," where we are from. I’ve always been a fan of house music. It has a great feel to it, it makes you happy, and it gets you moving. There is no way you can sit still listening to house music. I’m going to dig into that, working on house music and r&b.
We look forward to that, and I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Brother, congratulations on the new album, 08105.
Photo: Marq Newman
Photographer, Creative Director & Fashion Market: Marq Newman @marqnewman
Styling: Sean Mayers @thegentlemanslounge
Grooming: Crystal R. Smith @locdinstyle
Editor-in-Chief: Nigel Isaiah @nigelisaiah
