EXCLUSIVE: Stevie J Keeps “Everything Fly” And Real In TV One’s ‘Uncensored’

Source: Courtesy / TV One

Acclaimed producer, songwriter, and popular television personality Stevie J is the subject of the latest episode of the TVOne series Uncensored and sat down for an exclusive interview before the episode’s premiere.

Via TVOne’s Uncensored series, which gives celebrities and entertainers the chance to talk about their lives and careers in an unfettered fashion, begins its new season, the next episode is sure to get social media and everyone else talking with veteran R&B and Hip-Hop producer Stevie J in the chair.

If you mention Stevie J to anyone these days whether they’re tapped into entertainment or not, there will be some recognition. His career as a producer is undeniable, having won a Grammy Award as part of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Hitmen production team with Bad Boy Records.

The Buffalo, N.Y., native started out as a singer and first worked with legendary R&B band Jodeci before joining The Hitmen.  He went  on to work with many more top-charting musical artists including Jay-Z, Faith Evans, 112, Simply, and countless others

Stevie J has also become a defining figure in the genre of reality-show television thanks to his appearance on Vh1’s Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta series for three seasons beginning in 2012. His presence had its share of infamous moments and led to him having two spin-off series, Stevie J & Joseline: Go Hollywood, which focused on him and former fiancee, Joseline Hernandez, as they worked towards securing a film deal in 2016, leading to Leave It to Stevie which explored his life as a single man in 2018.

Throughout it all, Stevie J became a figure that many feel they understood based on what they’ve observed. In his episode on Uncensored, it’s clear that there are many layers to the man. Hip-Hop Wired had the chance to talk with Stevie J at length in advance of the episode’s premiere.

Hip-Hop Wired: What was the experience like sitting down for Uncensored to talk about your life and career the way that you wanted to?

Stevie J: I woke up the day of the initial interview with TV One right, and I was emotional. I was wondering why I couldn’t contain myself when I woke up in the morning. I just felt happy that I was getting an opportunity for my story to be told, for people to get an understanding about me, and to dig a little into my life for people. I felt really happy and grateful.

HHW: How do you handle navigating all of these different situations that occur being in the spotlight in your career and personal life, how do you navigate that with the demeanor and positivity that you do?

Stevie J: I just keep my faith up. I talk to God a lot, I talk to my parents and stay close as I possibly can to those that show me love and have positivity in their lives. That’s how I keep everything fly in my life, I just have to keep positivity and loved ones around, no negativity, and I can get through it. Now I find myself conversing a lot with my mom and my dad, even more than I have ever in my whole life because I value the relationship I have with them.

HHW: You’re a hit producer, Grammy Award winner, notable TV personality but it’s most apparent that the role you love best is being a father and grandfather. Tell us more about that experience.

Stevie J: Well, my dad raised me so being a father means a lot. Just watching my dad sacrifice, he took care of his sons and his daughters. So by me having kids, and I had them early…in the earlier years of their lives, I wasn’t around. I was chasing the dollar, I would get ’em flown in, go see them for a few days, it wasn’t like I was around. But when I had Eva and Bonnie, my 12-year old and my 5-year old, I vowed to spend all of my time with them and to raise all of my kids collectively. I can’t make up for lost time, but I can be better each and every day. That’s what I chose to do, what I choose to do, just be a good dad every day. It’s not an Instagram thing, a social media dad thing, it’s a real dad thing and I do my best at it. I’m not perfect but each day I want to be even better.

HHW: When people get to see this episode, what would you want in that lasting impression to be taken away?

Stevie J: That is a great question, and I’ll answer it like this. What I want people to take away, is what they didn’t know about me. I want them to know that I’m relatable. When they saw me on Love & Hip-Hop, they didn’t know how I was, sh*t I didn’t even know how I was then, you know what I’m saying? I wanted to get the attention of the Gen-Zs and the Millenials. I got the 90s and the 2000s locked down as to how I think and what I think, I want them to understand my musical accomplishments, and that the best is yet to come. I just want them to see that I’m a dad who cares about his family. For every action there’s a reaction, right? I just want them to see why I reacted the way that I have in my life and my career.

The latest episode of Uncensored featuring Stevie J will air on TV One on Sunday, March 13, at 10 P.M. EST. Check out a trailer for the episode below.

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Photo: TV One