By Sun Singleton

“Not being afraid to be vulnerable enough to look at life, to take inventory” is the way that enigmatic singer/songwriter/musician Cody ChesnuTT describes his musical process, but “unafraid” could just as easily describe his singular outfits (flowing, embroidered capes, rakish fedoras, marine helmets) or his decision six years ago—on the cusp of fame—to put distance between himself and the music industry. His debut double album, The Headphone Masterpiece (recorded in its entirety on a four-track in his bedroom), was just gaining commercial momentum with its edgy, lo-fi blend of garage rock, reggae, blues and sultry soul. ChesnuTT got a big boost exposure-wise from hip hop band The Roots when they collaborated with him on his song “The Seed” for their 2002 album Phrenology and released it as a raucous, sped-up version re-titled “The Seed 2.0.”

The catchy tune was featured in a few films that year, and ChesnuTT appeared in its MTV Music Award–nominated video. In 2002, the Atlanta, GA native was also nominated for the prestigious Shortlist Music Prize and made a high-profile appearance in the Michel Gondry-directed music documentary Dave Chapelle’s Block Party as well as receiving an avalanche of kudos from critics and esteemed musicians.

But ChesnuTT eventually grew fed up with the fast-paced bustle of Los Angeles and relocated with his wife and unborn child to semi-rural Tallahassee, FL, where he lives today. He seemed to all but disappear from the commercial music scene since then, apart from recording in private and jamming at festivals. In 2004, ChesnuTT embarked on a small tour he called “The Live Release”—a curio of live performance art in which he sang a series of new songs, playing acoustic piano and guitar. He magnetized the crowd’s attention with his piercing gaze and a powerful voice. In between songs he entertained the small crowd with a quasi-mystical narrative that was somewhat difficult to follow. Though he forbade any applause between songs, he warmly shook hands with each audience member afterwards.

Like his musical hero Marvin Gaye, ChesnuTT’s songs excavate his inner life with poetic candor, making streetwise, funny observations about black machismo, romantic love, and the nature of freedom and lust. Growing appreciation for ChesnuTT’s genre-defying music is flourishing online now thanks to YouTube videos of his songs. (Gondry directed an animated video for ChesnuTT’s song “King of The Game.”) Fans new and old cite their favorite lyrics in the comment section, and viewer hits for his songs number in the hundreds of thousands.

Recently, the soft-spoken musician talked exclusively to Soulsummer.com about leaving the L.A. rat race, his long-awaited new album, and a potential collaboration with R&B futurist Janelle Monae.

SS: Can you talk to us about what you have been up to away from the spotlight? Why the move to Tallahassee?

Well first and foremost, it was a great refuge. It’s a small town of maybe 300,000 people. And you have the universities and community colleges and a lot of government activity because it’s the capital. But aside from that, it’s really laid-back and rural. We live about 15-20 minutes away from the downtown area on a patch of land that’s back in the woods. It was ideal for me just to get my head clear and get my walk right with the creator.

SS: Did you worry at all about losing career momentum by leaving L.A.?

I’ve let myself be open to grow and not be afraid to step away from whatever measure of success had been accomplished with The Headphone Masterpiece and The Roots.
I felt a transition comin’ on from the last body of work and what that man was all about. I mean, I’m completely surrounded by trees and I get a chance to walk around and just meditate in the woods and peace and quiet. Plus we had a child in 2003, and it was great to raise him [here]. It was just perfect for what I needed at that time, gettin’ away from L.A. and the touring and the rat race.

Cody ChesnuTT “What Kind Of Cool Will We Think Of Next (To Hide Behind)?”

SS: Are you still in contact with The Roots? Do you still consider yourself to be an Okayplayer artist after those brief years of collaboration?

I haven’t spoken with them in a while. It’s really been a minute. The last person that I talked to was a brother by the name of Rich Nichols that’s a key member in their production in the Okayplayer family. But I haven’t spoken with Thought or Questlove in a minute. I’ve never been up on the website as an official Okayplayer artist. But being that we have such strong ties and we had such a great relationship during that period I would say, you know, in an indirect way I would say yes. It’s something that I feel good about. I like what they stand for and I don’t have any unpleasant memories of the experience. I would consider myself an extended member of that family.

SS: You and the musician Martin Luther have also worked together a lot in the past. How did you two meet?

I met Marty through [actor] Saul Williams actually. I was doin’ a show at a spot called the Temple Bar in LA., opening up for Saul. He was like, “Well man tonight felt good, so why don’t we just take it to San Francisco?” And so we did. He and Marty already knew each other from Morehouse. Marty was at the gig. Saul called me up to the stage and he called Marty up. And Marty gave me a huge bear hug on stage. The people had been talking about how we were kindred spirits, and how we reminded them of each other. We really hit it off as men, as brothers and artists with very similar backgrounds, a lot of the obstacles and personal challenges that we had were similar. We were very supportive of each other, and our families have embraced. So it runs much deeper than the music, you know. We really have a true bond, and you don’t find too many of those in the industry. Things are very fair weather and y’know, fleeting, depending on what the circumstances are.

SS: 2009 was a year of great milestones and losses with the election of our first African-American president and the death of superstar Michael Jackson. How did Michael’s passing affect you?

Huge loss man, a huge loss. I mean, you talkin’ about the first light that hit me, you know what I mean? Like Michael Jackson man… the Off The Wall album—and I’ve told many people—was the first time I actually sat down and looked at an album, really studied the liner notes, the lyrics, the whole layout. That was the first time I really just felt that light, like, “Wow, this is somethin’ special.” Thriller was fantastic but it was somethin’ about Off The Wall that touched me in a very special way. So it was a huge, huge loss for me. Michael Jackson is a huge reason why I do what I do today.

SS: What’s next for you in 2010?

The new album is gonna be titled Landing On A Hundred, that’s the working title right now. I’m talking with the Wondaland Arts Society, the brothers that work with Janelle Monae in Atlanta. That would be my ideal situation, but it’s contingent upon their schedule, and how soon I wanna get the music out, and what’s going on with Janelle Monae’s release, because they’re really involved with what she’s doing.

SS: Any possible collaborations with the artist herself?

We’ll be looking at a possible collaboration as well, doing a very classic song. So hopefully we can get that out in the beginning of the year. The last time I did it myself in my bedroom but now I wanna stretch it out a little bit more.

Cody ChesnuTT . Marvin Gaye . Okayplayer . R&B . rock . Soul . The Roots Featured