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>> How did you end up working with English producer David Alexander, aka Hardfeelings UK? He lived in Tampa and we just happened to meet in the studio. We didn’t know what to do with his music, we didn’t know how to get on it; it was just a bunch of noise that gave me a fucking headache.
We would try to convince him to make an R&B track and he would lie and say he was gonna do it but he never did. And he pissed us off. He pissed us off all the way to the UK, and pissed us off all the way to finding a label deal, and then when we had our first European tour, we wasn’t pissed off anymore.
Will you, Shunda K and Shaun B keep working together? No, that’s it. Jwl.B is yo highness of Yo Majesty. I stand alone and grateful, humble as I can be, thanking the good spirits that I made it through all the hardships, the eight years, the ups and downs. And I didn’t tap out. I didn’t quit. This is what I do. This is my life – music. Yo Majesty.
I heard Shunda K left because of problems with money? I can’t speak for Shunda K. Shunda K does not exist in my life anymore. Domino never promoted our album in the US, and there was no tour support. It caused so much friction in our group, that’s why people left and shit but, in my opinion, Shunda K couldn’t handle the music industry. Her head got too big, you know, you don’t shit on all the people who helped you get there. Don’t you ever say that you made Yo Majesty when it consists of three other people who worked just as hard as you. Don’t you ever be ungrateful. And so you left, thinking you were going to blow up like Beyonce.
But who’s listening to you? They’re still going to Yo Majesty shows. Why aren’t you showing your fans you appreciate them by having your ass on stage no matter what goes wrong in the group? The fans want to see Yo Majesty. They don’t care about the rest of the bullshit. Neither do I.
I already had a rough childhood, nobody is going to tarnish my dream. Not even my band mates. And if you don’t like it and you want to go. Go. You think you’re better than Yo Majesty? Ok bye. Yo Majesty have me travelling around the world. I have thousands of fans. Why the fuck am I gonna leave that? When I invested eight years? When I went through so much bullshit with these band members, people stealing our money and all this crazy shit. No. I want to reap some benefit.
So you’re going to keep putting out albums as Yo Majesty? Hell yeah. Me and David are going to drop a second Yo Majesty album with our friends. Beth Ditto says she’ll do a collaboration with me, Santogold the same, Spanky. Yo Majesty has a lot of friends around the world and we’re going to get our friends and make a hot ass album.
By the end of the Fabric gig there were all these wild-eyed young guys upfront, leaping and pawing at you. Do you often get that kind of reaction? Yeah. From all guys – young, old, toothless, limp dicks, it doesn’t matter.
Do you get different reactions from men and women? My energy, my performance, who I am as a woman on stage breaks the boundaries of all bullshit. Everybody’s having a good time, nobody cares about nothing but goddamn, this is some good music! We havin’ a good time, let’s hear the next track!
Do you consider what you do feminist music? I just think of it as party music when it comes to Yo Majesty. My solo stuff is soulful music, but really when it come to Feminism and all that, I fit in the category, I’m a female. All that other important shit fits in there because I have titties and a vagina. 
Yo Majesty online
Jwl.B on myspace
Interview © 2010 Wheel Me Out. No part can be used for any purpose without prior consent. Please contact editorial@wheelmeout.com
