On the latest episode of People’s Party With Talib Kweli, Torontonian singer Melanie Fiona stops by to discuss to detail her exploits as a music industry veteran, reminisce on her early days performing with Drake, talk about her cancer-fighting organization, “Hope On Wheels,” and swap stories with the show’s host about their experiences with mercurial musicians Kanye West and Prince.
“Kanye West is such an interesting talking point,” she says, “His insane genius has always been there from The Glow In The Dark Tour (2008)… I was the only R&B artist on that tour… It was a great honor to be part of that.” She details Kanye’s perfectionism throughout the tour, his obsession with fashion, and the “huge” compliment he gave her as well as the advice that stuck with her throughout her career: “Never be afraid to do what it takes to have people remember you.”
Melanie shares more advice she received from another musical genius in Prince, with whom she performed at a party for BET’s Debra Lee — a party that, incidentally, Kweli DJed. And while Prince had plenty of critiques for Kweli’s technique and song choices (“I didn’t put on this outfit to be cursed at all night by rappers”), Melanie says she cherishes her interaction with him from that night, saying that despite feeling nervous that she didn’t do a good job, he embraced her and said, “I had no idea.”
People’s Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli with big-name guests exploring hip-hop, culture, and politics. Subscribe via Apple, Spotify, or Youtube.