Story by DeWayne Rogers
Images by Michael Melendy for Steed Media Service
“I will never do anything to hurt you.
I’ll give all my love to you.
And if you need me, baby, I’ll come runnin’
only to you”
–Keith Sweat circa 1989, “I’ll Never Do Anything To Hurt You”
T wenty years and 25 million albums later, R&B soul singer Keith Sweat is still keeping his promise to the many fans who consistently lobby for a fresh sample of his signature vocals. The Harlem born singer finally acquiesced, and is now back with his first studio set since 2002. As Sweat prepared to add another chapter to an already impressive body of work, the singer sat down with rolling out to provide a glimpse into the life and mind of a man who still has so much to give to a waiting world.
What was the inspiration behind your new album,Just Me?
The album was always in the works — it was just a matter of me figuring out who I was going to do it with. I kind of waited around until I found the right home for the project, and that was it.
In the interim, you experienced great success with your syndicated radio show, ‘The Sweat Hotel.’ Was there any apprehension on your part to return to the music landscape considering how much it has changed over the years?
No, there was no apprehension on my part. I feel like as long as I do me, and make real Keith Sweat music, then I’ll be fine. There was a time when I used to try to change with the times, and try to be like the artists who were hot at the time. But that’s not what the people want to hear from me. They want to hear Keith Sweat.
Your résumé is quite impressive. Do you ever think about all that you’ve been able to accomplish over the years?
Sometimes I forget that I’ve had so many records and experienced so much success. It’s gotten to the point where I could listen to a CD that I might have done five years ago, and think, ‘Where did that song come from?’ I won’t even remember it, because when I go in the studio, I record the song and then move on to the next one. I’ve learned that there are a lot of people who get caught up in themselves, and want you to know what they’ve done. But I’ve never been that way. I don’t get caught up in what I’ve done. Once I complete a project, I then focus on the present and the future, and try to figure out what I can do to enhance what I’ve already done.
Did the passing of LSG group member Gerald Levert affect the way you view your own mortality and cause you to begin to think about your own legacy?
Yes it did. Right now people call me a living legend, and they blame me for a lot of the babies out there. People even tell me that they lost their virginity to my music, and all types of other things. So, to hear what they are saying about how my music brought them through different times says a lot. And then to look at Gerald Levert and what he was able to accomplish, and to have people say our names in the same breath, says even more. I used to listen to Gerald Levert. I used to want to be on stage like Gerald Levert. [And] then to get the opportunity to work with him, and have people consider us both to be living legends at the time, I mean what more can you say about that? When he passed, I saw how the world was literally shook up by his death. To know that when I pass, that I’ll have that same impact on the world if, God forbid, something happens to me, says a lot about what I have accomplished. It takes a lot to affect millions and millions of people, and I have been able to do that.
You produced and developed artists like Dru Hill, Silk, Kut Klose and so many others. Do you consider yourself a modern architect of music, considering the way you have been able to mold acts and guide them to greatness?
I think I am because I opened doors for a lot of groups. I was the first person to write the freaky stuff. I wrote Silk’s ‘Freak Me.’ So for me to write that song, one that I never thought they would play on the radio when I first wrote it, is a door opener by itself. I thought the song would be played in the strip joint, and everywhere else except the radio. But when both black and pop radio started playing it, and it went to No. 1 on the charts, then a new thing was started. Accomplishments like that just make me reflect back on how many doors that I have opened for artists, because when people saw a group like Silk, they knew that there was a certain standard that I had set which had to be matched. It feels good to know that so many people opened doors for me, and that I in return opened doors for them.
It’s on Tonight
Have you ever wondered what a romantic evening with Keith Sweat would be like?
Well wonder no more, as Sweat laid out his official blueprint for romance.
Sweat: “The Keith Sweat game plan for a romantic evening would be to bring them right here [to his home] and play some Keith Sweat music. I’m not going to take them to a restaurant for a candlelight dinner. I can do that all right here. I’ll have it all set up at the crib, then I’ll bring them down to the studio, and play my new music for them. And then we’ll take it from the couch to the bed, and in between them spreads. That’s the Keith Sweat game plan.”
Word Association with Keith Sweat
Here are the first things that came to Sweat’s mind when faced with the following topics.
Heroes: “Martin Luther King Jr., Gerald Levert, my mother.”
The black community: “Needs to come a little closer together.”
Politics: “They tell you what they want you to hear to get elected.”
R&B: “Was on a decline, but is now on an upward motion.”
Legacy: “Frankie Beverly and Maze.”
Keith Sweat: “Real brother.”
The hit resume for Keith Sweat spans over 20 years. Here’s a closer look at some of Sweat’s notable triumphs on the Billboard charts.
Year Song Chart Peak Position
2008 Suga Suga Suga Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 36
2002 One On One Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 44
2001 Real Man Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 73
2000 I’ll Trade (A Million Bucks) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 36
1999 I’m Not Ready The Billboard Hot 100 16
1998 Come And Get With Me Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 6
1997 Come With Me Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 27
1996 Nobody Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1996 Nobody The Billboard Hot 100 3
1996 Twisted Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1996 Twisted The Billboard Hot 100 2
1994 Get Up On It Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 12
1994 When I Give My Love Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 21
1994 How Do You Like It? Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 9
1992 Why Me Baby? Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 2
1992 Why Me Baby? (pt.2) Hot Rap Singles 4
1991 I’ll Give All My Love To You Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1990 Make You Sweat Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1990 Make You Sweat The Billboard Hot 100 14
1990 Merry Go Round Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 2
1989 Don t Stop Your Love Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 9
1988 I Want Her Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1988 I Want Her The Billboard Hot 100 5
1988 Make It Last Forever Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 2
1988 Something Just Ain’t Right Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 3
