R&B Veteran RL Talks Bouncing Back After Losing Life Savings, Writing for Other Singers, and Possibility of a Verzuz Battle

R&B veteran, RL, is back with a new EP called, The Letter J.

The four-track collection samples Jodeci, Janet Jackson, and Jon B, so it’s definitely a treat for traditional R&B lovers. RL promises to shoot videos for each song.

This musical effort serves as an appetizer to what the singer has in store. In an exclusive conversation with Two Bees TV, the singer announced that he’s working on an Afrobeats album that will release in Africa, as well as a collaborative project with Naughty by Nature. “We’re actually getting ready to shoot the videos for the NEXT by Nature project, which is probably gonna be 4, 5 songs. Which is Next and Naughty by Nature because that’s who discovered us,” he said.

RL revealed that NEXT had about 70 songs that were “mixed and ready to go” but will never see the light of day because Tweety is finally at peace in his life after struggling to find what makes him happy.

But the group always have their classic hits like “Too Close” and “Wifey” they can serenade crowds with and secure a bag once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

When asked about the possibility of NEXT joining a Verzuz battle, RL said he “wouldn’t want to do one.”

“I think it’s subjective, again, our records went somewhere else. If I asked you right now out of all the groups from my genre and my era, if I ask the average consumer, we’re not one of their favorite groups. We’re not the first two or three groups they think of which is cool,” he said starting around the 24:44 minute marker.

He added, “out of all these groups if you turn on the radio, 9 times out of 10 … you’re gonna hear “Wifey” or “Too Close.” These records have definitely been embedded in most American DJs warm-up sets, but RL thinks the group isn’t recognized enough to do a Verzuz battle.

RL was open to a virtual performance and he has lots of new music to perform for it.

Check out the full interview below: