INTERVIEW: B2K Talks New Album ‘Eclipse’, Growing Up In The Industry, Fatherhood + More

Lauren LaRosa (0:05)

You gon finish or y'all done?

Yes, it's the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club, DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, Envy and Jess are out, but Lauren LaRosa is here, and we got some special guests in the building, the icons, the legends, B2K! What's happening?

Mario (0:21)

And we're back!

SPEAKER_3 (0:23)

And we're back.

Lauren LaRosa (0:24)

Bust Black and Holly favored, man. New album, Eclipse.

SPEAKER_3 (0:27)

Yes, indeed.

Lauren LaRosa (0:28)

It's been 20 years since your last album.

SPEAKER_3 (0:30)

Straight up.

Lauren LaRosa (0:30)

That's crazy. Why did it take so long?

SPEAKER_3 (0:33)

I was thinking the same thing.

Raz-B (0:34)

No, I was thinking the same thing. Fellas.

Mario (0:38)

I mean, timing definitely played a role. You know what I'm saying?

I don't know. I don't know. We've said a lot of things about, you know, why we are back together and doing music, because obviously touring was super successful for us. But to take it to the music, to take it to that next level is definitely about the fans. And y'all speak on that.

SPEAKER_3 (1:02)

Yeah.

SPEAKER_5 (1:02)

I mean, it's the fans. It's everything that I think you guys were able to see us go through publicly. You know, that played a big part in us growing. While people thought that, you know, it was kind of like ruining us, I think it was building us as men to be able to be here in this moment and reconcile and then do what we needed to do to show our appreciation for all of our fans who supported us, you know, not only as B2K, but Amorion Solo-wise as well.

SPEAKER_3 (1:30)

What's different for y'all this time, this time around, with the album, all these years later?

Raz-B (1:34)

I would say, individually and collectively, we are aware.

We A&R'd this project. We all brought some amazing relationships to the table.

SPEAKER_3 (1:43)

I see y'all in the writing credits. I mean, and we've been dropping heat. We gon get that publishing this time around, you know?

Mario (1:48)

Yeah, business intact. Yeah, I would also say, we had fun.

SPEAKER_3 (1:55)

That's a good word.

Mario (1:56)

Yeah, we had fun. We were able now to speak from a different level of experience. So the song, I would co-relate to just a great dish that's flavorful and is marinated and well seasoned. You know what I'm saying? So that's what the music feels like. And it's a wide array of assortments, you know what I'm saying? Of feels and vibes.

Raz-B (2:17)

Here we go again, I told you.

SPEAKER_5 (2:19)

We always talking about food and chicken.

Lauren LaRosa (2:25)

You got to season it, Charlamagne.

Mario (2:27)

Hold on, let me interview these dudes, right?

SPEAKER_5 (2:30)

And it's just like, yeah, it's tramiculous. It's less particular, fresh and serendipitous. I'm like, when did y'all graduate from the TI University? Like, you know, they're expeditiously. I'm like, okay, I got to go look that up. So what did you say? Okay, he said, what that word mean?

Lauren LaRosa (2:45)

Was there ever a point where y'all felt genuinely like y'all would never record another album? Like, you already probably had closed that book, like it's first they've never had.

Raz-B (2:53)

Maybe.

Mario (2:54)

For me, for sure.

Raz-B (2:55)

He probably closed it. I think he closed it as well.

Mario (2:58)

I definitely closed it, but I closed it too.

SPEAKER_3 (3:00)

Yeah, I closed it. Yeah, we was in the studio.

SPEAKER_5 (3:03)

Because me and him are, we, he's a Scorpio, I'm a Leo, so it's like, we don't really look back.

Mario (3:08)

That's facts.

SPEAKER_5 (3:09)

You know, I'm not messing with you no more, brother.

SPEAKER_3 (3:12)

You know what I'm saying?

Mario (3:13)

So I was like, nah, I'm optimistic.

SPEAKER_3 (3:17)

Okay.

Lauren LaRosa (3:18)

So you and Raz was, Raz said he was-

SPEAKER_5 (3:19)

I seen it.

SPEAKER_3 (3:20)

I was already here. I mean, you never get rid of him.

SPEAKER_6 (3:22)

I told them in 2021, I said, we're going to be on the road again.

Mario (3:25)

We're going to be working again as a group.

SPEAKER_6 (3:27)

I see it already.

Mario (3:28)

Like I have a very in tune, what do you call it?

SPEAKER_3 (3:34)

Discernment and intuition.

Mario (3:36)

Yeah.

SPEAKER_3 (3:37)

Charlamagne is like that.

Lauren LaRosa (3:38)

Why did you feel like that?

Raz-B (3:39)

I forced a hand, you know what I'm saying?

I found the money, you know what I'm saying? We make sure the trademark was good as a collective, you know? But no, seriously, it was a lot of, you know about the work we had to put into it to get to it. But being able to understand that there was a bigger purpose while I was putting in this group. I grew up in the church. I grew up in foster homes. I grew up in group homes, and I had to understand that I was given the opportunity to do something great. So when it got took it from me, there was things that I needed to learn. I needed to humble myself. I needed to grow. I need to take accountability. Now I can sit here and say, okay, B2K, boy, the kings, here we are. We got our thoughts under the captivity of Christ. Let's go to work. How can we inspire our kids? How can we inspire the generation? So like the fellas were saying, the evolution was the album, you know what I mean? And this album speaks of albums. We call it Eclipse, aka No Skips. Please listen to me.