Since you have access to a lot of celebrity women, are there any that have caught your attention? Maybe I’m a little old school, but I just feel like they’ve got too much going on. Not in a bad way, but they’re busy as hell and I’m busy too, so if we were in a relationship at some point somebody would have to give in. And it’s not going to be me. I’m all for the woman having her life and being independent, but I am old school and I want home cooked meals and that’s not going to be the case when you’re dealing with a celebrity or fame. Trying to make somebody choose between you and their career isn’t fair.
SEX ISSUE
San Francisco, CA singer, songwriter, and producer J Valentine may not be a household name yet, but along with his Song Dynasty production team (which includes singer Tank), he’s written records for the likes of Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, LeToya Luckett, Pleasure P, Omarion, Tyrese, Mario, and N’Sync. “My favorite thing is to write records and produce records for other people,” he explains. “I never really chased fame.” Even though he prefers being a low-key celeb, he doesn’t eliminate the possibility of pursuing a career as an artist a la Ne-Yo or The Dream, and has plans to drop his own album later this year. Do you have a special somebody at home or are you just out having fun? I had a girlfriend but I’m single now. I’m selective, though. Groupies aren’t my thing. I would be lying if I said there hasn’t been situations in the past, but that’s not really what I go after. What do you go after? Of course the first thing is physical attraction, but I like conversation. I like a woman with some sense. Not always book sense, but common sense also. The saying that “common sense isn’t common” is a very true statement. A lot of people don’t get it, and I can’t deal with a dumb pretty woman. Physically what’s your type? I love women’s bodies. You can be skinny and sexy or you can be thick and sexy. It comes in different shapes and sizes and I’m attracted to both. I like a woman that’s fly; a woman who can dress. There was some controversy recently when the rapper Maino claimed video model Rosa Acosta wore “cheap shoes” and it turned him off. Are “cheap shoes” a turn-off to you? It doesn’t have to be name-brand shit to look fly, if you know how to make it work. I’ve seen girls that have on a gang of expensive shit looking foolish. You can’t buy fresh. Everybody doesn’t look good in everything. I’m from the hood where girls used to have on cheap jellies and make it look like something even with their feet fogged up cause it’s hot outside. As long as you’re clean and are presenting yourself right, you ain’t got to paint the red bottom on for me. You say you’re selective, which is almost a rarity now. Because even if you listen to the radio, every song is about meeting at the club and hooking up the same night and that type of thing. That’s not my thing. I try to at least spark up conversations to see what they’re about. Niggas act like diseases ain’t floating around. I’ve got to know you. It ain’t my thing to just see a chick in the club and throw her in the car. It’s more personal to me. As far as the music, I guess that’s a sensitive subject to me because I do write music. But it is what it is - entertainment. You don’t have to take it literally. A lot of the cats that are rapping and singing are bold face liars, and I know because I’m really in the studio with them. I know what’s real so I don’t think people should live their lives off records. Do aggressive females turn you off, or if they give it up too soon? Lately it seems like women don’t understand the fact that men do like to chase. It’s not cool to just throw yourself at us. That’s not sexy to me. There is no ideal timeframe as far as getting intimate because we’re all adults and you can do as you please. I don’t judge a female off of that. 12 // OZONE WEST
Do you think achieving a bit of fame and celebrity status has made it easier to meet women or made relationships more complicated? I haven’t really reached fame level yet. I’ve been a writer and producer for a minute, so maybe some women are looking at me with money signs on my forehead. I’ve been dealing with that for a minute so that’s why you try to get to know people. If you ask questions, they’re gonna tell you something. You can find out a lot just from having a conversation. There are certain things that set off alarms to me. But, I don’t look at women as being gold diggers anyway. I think it’s natural for a woman to want to be taken care of. If they’re doing the right things, why wouldn’t you want to take care of somebody you care about? If [money] is the only reason they’re there, you have to watch out for that. But if you care about somebody, they’re family. I look out for my family. If I care about you I’ll make sure you’re good, but I’m not gonna frivolously just fly somebody I met out to Bora Bora. It ain’t gonna happen. Do you have a favorite porn star? I fuck with the porn every now and then to see what’s poppin’. I don’t really know their names like that, but the girl with the pink hair, she goes hard. What’s the most creative place you’ve had sex? Outside is always good if you can find a little cut somewhere. I’m big on fashion, so I stay out in the boutique and the malls. I ain’t never mad about sliding off into a dressing room. Have you ever been caught in the dressing room? I’ve never been caught, period. Well, wait. I take that back. I got caught when I was in high school by my brother’s baby mama, getting some head. But if you lock the door it takes away from the excitement. What do you think about the groupie tell-all books? That whole kiss-and-tell shit is whack. At some point you’ve got to grow up. As people in the music industry, you do have to be a little more careful and cautious of who you’re dealing with. But you don’t always know. A female might be super cool but if you don’t call her back, now she’s doing a YouTube video. And it’s so easy to lie now. I believe you should deal with people face to face and y’all deal with it or bury the hatchet. What’s your style in the bedroom? I’m tastefully aggressive. I want to make sure a woman feels comfortable with me but also knows that I’m in control of the situation. All women are different, though, so it depends on what she wants. Have you seen a difference sexually between different races of women? I think it’s more of a rhythm thing with black women; at times it’s almost like you’re dancing. I haven’t really been around the world yet so I can’t comment on women from different countries. I think that women from other countries [outside America] are more open with their bodies, period. American women are a little more guarded. I think in a lot of other places they don’t get labeled as a “hoe.” I think they’re a lot freer. Do you have any safe sex advice for our younger readers? Strap up and be selective. You definitely don’t want to catch the monster, so you always want to be safe. If you’re lucky you might just have a baby, and that’s a whole other thing. Do you really want to have a baby by somebody you don’t know? I actually said on Twitter one day, “Shout out to the girl who trapped a broke nigga on accident.” If you’re chasing a nigga down for $150 a month in child support, I feel sorry for you. What do you have coming up musically? I’m putting out my album this year, called I Swear To Tell The Truth. Keri Hilson, Tank, and Twista are on the album and I’m doing a duet with Chris Brown. We just did Tank’s first single with a verse from Drake for the remix. We just did a deal with Atlantic Records for our company, Song Dynasty. We’re working on Keri Hilson’s album and LeToya Luckett’s album and we just did some stuff for Mario and Jamie Foxx. We just did seven songs for Pleasure P; he’s transitioning into Marcus Cooper. Ron Isley just came home and we wrote some records for him; I was super excited about that because I grew up on him. We’re just trying to make sure R&B is here and alive. //