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Tre’s Natural Contrast Part I
By: Raven Ekundayo
Editor@eXcapethematriX.com
I didn’t want this interview to be the same. I was going to be on location in DC for this interview so I wanted to take advantage of being in the Nation’s Capital. I contacted Tre’ Thomas, The up and coming wonderkin of the Gospel community, and asked if he would be cool with conducting the interview at the Lincoln Memorial. I found out that’s his favorite Memorial in the Capital. Perfect! After talking on the steps of the Lincoln we made our way to a bench in the shade (It was SO hot outside.) We discussed his faith, Katrina and his latest project “A Natural Contrast”.
Raven – You were born in New Orleans Louisiana. What made you decide to move to DC?
Tre’ – I moved to the DC in 1999 to go to school at Howard. I came in as a Radio/TV/Film Major with a concentration in TV Production. So that’s why I initially moved to DC. I needed to get as far away from New Orleans as possible….
Raven – Wow….Is it because of the music that you stayed in DC or…..
Tre’ - No. I think DC kind of grew on me. I kind of like the pace of it. It’s much faster than New Orleans. Everything comes to DC; I mean it’s the Nations Capital. That’s why I wanted to stay. In my time here my fan base has grown so I don’t want to leave that.
Raven – Now seeing how you’re originally from New Orleans, what are your feelings as far as Katrina? How did it affect you? How did it affect your family? Do you think the Government did as much as they could due concerning what happened?
Tre’ – Ummmm. How I felt about Katrina or how I feel about it now? I think it was one of the most devastating things that anyone could have experienced. I definitely impacted me because it impacted my family back home. They evacuated in time….
Raven – Thank God for that.
Tre’ – Yeah Thankfully. We did suffer some structural damage to our home but we were able to kind of bounce back afterwards, but because of the economy in New Orleans my Dad’s job moved to Pittsburgh. So my whole family relocated.
Raven – Wow. So all of your family is up here now?
Tre’ – Yeah. So it was a really hard thing to go through. Even though I was in DC at the time it was just really hard because….I mean I can’t really describe what it’s like to see where you grew up completely destroyed.
Raven – Did you go back afterwards?
Tre’ – I think I went home that summer….I can’t remember exactly. It was a few months afterwards. I know that I drove down from DC….
Raven – Wow.
Tre’ – Yeah. I wanted to see what it was like. When I got there I just cried cuz it was crazy. The Government? I think the response was really slow. (Long Pause) I’ll leave it there….
Raven – Say what you feel. That was my reason for asking.
Tre’ – They were very slow. They put the blame everywhere but never took the blame for their….
Raven – For their lack of action….
Tre’ – Yeah, so that was the frustrating part of it. It just didn’t make sense for all those people to be stranded without food or water for so long. You look at people in different countries who get immediate assistance and you look at people here in our own back yard and we just leave them there.
Raven – I hear you and agree 100%. Ok. Let’s get onto to something more positive, your music. Lets’ make sure we’re clear. You are a Gospel artist?
Tre’ – I am a Gospel artist.
Raven – Ok. Now with that being said, because of your age. Well, this is the thing. We live in a society where it would have been a lot easier for you to have gone the R&B or Pop route. What kid of road blocks have you run into because of your decision to do Gospel?
Tre’ – That’s a good question. Road blocks are….because I am a Gospel artist and because my style is very R&B influenced, there really isn’t a genre perse to put me into. I mean you have your Kirk Franklin’s and your Yolanda Adams or Fred Hammonds who have crossed over with their sounds, but their sounds are still inspirational and all that good stuff. So it’s kind of hard to say Tre’ Thomas is contemporary Gospel or is he Urban or is he inspirational. It’s hard to put me into a category that already exists. What I’m trying to do is create a genre of my own. That’s a road block. I mean even though I have a fan base it’s gonna be hard to create something. It’s not impossible. If you look at The Hawkins Family or Richard Smallwood, Those people started something completely different in their time so I just have to figure out in my time how I make that work. That’s one road block. Another one is having the support of the church while trying to make an impact in the secular realm. That’s an interesting challenge. Also wondering how the secular world will react to me. I mean because of the approach to my music I don’t think it will be hard but they may still be like “What is he doing? What is that?” But I believe those are hurdles I can get over.
Raven – Ok. Now Richard Smallwood is a mentor to you. How exactly did you relationship with him come to be?
Tre’ – Well actually he’s my God Father. He’s like my dad. I remember specifically confiding in someone about the calling that I had and I really wasn’t sure what it was. I just felt something. This person saw the whole music thing in me and so they were like “Let me introduce you to someone who may be able to guide you”. So they introduced me to Richard. Now when I meant him I was just standing there like “Why am I talking to you?”
Raven – Lol
Tre’ – I never thought we would be so close. He has really taken me under his wing. He’s taught me a lot about the industry. What to do, what not to do. He’s taken me on the road with him. I’ve learned so much and it’s because I learned form him.
Raven – I hear you. Now you’ve been blessed to sing with a lot of artist in the Gospel community. Tell the ETM readers who some of those people are and what are some of your most memorable experiences with them?
Tre’ – In the DC community?
Raven – No. In general.
Tre’ – Oh ok. I’ve worked with Maurette Brown Clark out of Baltimore, I sang for Lucinda Moore who’s out of Connecticut who sings with Hezekiah Walker, Lacresia Campbell. Of course I’ve sung background for Richard Smallwood….
Raven – You’re on his latest right?
Tre’ – I’m on his latest project entitled “Journey: Live in New York”. I think that was probably the most memorable experience. Richard called and said he needed me to go into the studio with him to help him on this song. This wasn’t the 1st time it happened so I really thought I was going to do background vocals, which I’m totally comfortable with. So we got there and he handed me a sheet of paper and said “Learn this”. I was like “This is the chorus that everybody’s going to sing?” He was like “No, it’s the verse”. I said “Why am I learning this?” He said “Because you’re going to sing it”. I was like Ooooohhhhh. So when we actually went to record it I was so terrified it took me at least 45 minutes to get it.
Raven – Just to get it?
Tre’ – Yeah. I was terrified. It’s really intimidating doing something with Richard because he’s a perfectionist and knows what he wants. So that was the most memorable moment. That song wasn’t supposed to be on the project. It was only suppose to be for the night of the recording. After the night was done he said he wanted to put it on the project. I was like “Wow”. So it was great.
Raven – For the ETM readers explain who Tre’ Thomas is. For those readers who are looking to have a closer relationship with God, what’s your advice to them?
Tre’ – Who is Tre’ Thomas? He’s a very down to earth person who doesn’t come with any fluff. I don’t want to say real. Real is so cliché’ now. People who say they’re being real aren’t.
Raven – Amen Amen. Those are usually the most fake people you know.
Tre’ – Right. People are drawn to people who are consistent. It’s not even about being real. It’s about being consistent. That doesn’t mean that you’re consistently happy or you’re portraying something. It’s that you’re consistent in being who you are. I’m just regular. I’m not trying to be something I’m not. I just want to be me. I have issues. I have bills to pay. You know what I’m saying? Those are the realities of life that people relate to. I just want to be someone people can relate to and at the same time, because they relate to me they listen to what I have to say. My message is God loves you and he cares, not matter where you are, no matter what your issues are. If you’re not in church, he loves you and he cares, if you are in church, he loves you and he cares. I mean it’s a universal message to everybody and I want to take that to everybody.
Raven – That’s good stuff. Now….before I go into my next question. Do you consider yourself to be religious or spiritual?
Tre’ – I’m very spiritual. I grew up in the church. Like it was everyday of my life. I think the only time I wasn’t in church was like a Friday or something like that. So I know religion. I grew up Bap
tist. They were very very religious. Me moving to DC, I’ve had some challenges in the church to the point where it’s pulled me away from religion and built my spirituality. It was so much so to the point where I was out of church for a year ½. I wasn’t going back at all. That’s how hurtful everything was. Religion is not what….I mean Jesus was not religious. So I think people miss the mark when….
(A little girl comes running past and almost knocks into us while we’re sitting on the bench. Tre’ stares at her as she runs away. He and I laugh and he tries to remember what he was saying)
Raven – That’s fine, because I need to get to the actual question anyway. What are your views on different types of religion? What are your views on how some people worship to what some call the same God, and how some see it differently according to what you practice. What are your views on atheism?
Tre’ – That’s a very challenging question. 1.) Because you don’t even want to get to the point where you judge people; However, I do have a burden for people knowing God. A burden for them knowing THE God and THE Christ. With that being said it becomes challenging because different faiths have different views on who God is and who Christ is or what they’re purpose is. All that you can really do it….because see I don’t want to judge anyone. So all I can do is be consistent in who I am and hope that what I’m saying will plant a seed and it will get someone to hopefully look into what I’m being consistent in. I mean, you know, all of my people are cool. I know people who practice Buddhism, I know people who are atheist. I know Jehovah’s Witness. I know everybody. But I think there’s a reason for that.
Raven – Right right.
Tre’ – The only thing I can do is be consistent.
For the Tre’ Thomas fans and for those of you who are interested in knowing more about this talented brother, be sure to check back in the month of July. In Part II of this interview we’ll discuss how the Elders in the religious community view his music, how his event promoting the cd went (ETM and Richard Smallwood were in the house) and what eXcape the matriX means to Tre’ Thomas.