The Biz With D: Interview w/ Case + Tracey Lee

Born Case Woodard, R&B star Case inherited his musical gifts from his father who was once a member of 70’s funk band Cameo. The oldest sibling of 3, the New York native grew up in a strict household and although music was the bond that tied him and his father together, it would also tear them apart. Case’s solo career took off in 1996 with the release of "Touch Me, Tease Me" (with rapper Foxy Brown and R&B singer Mary J. Blige) from The Nutty Professor soundtrack, going gold and reaching #4 on the R&B charts and #63 on the Hot 100. His self-titled debut Case soon followed along with the minor R&B hit singles "More to Love" and "I Gotcha." Case followed the success of his first album with the release of Personal Conversation in 1999. The album featured the hits "Happily Ever After" (which reached #3 on the R&B charts and #15 on the Hot 100) and "Faded Pictures," (released April 20, 1999), which featured R&B singer Joe and reached #3 on the R&B charts and #10 on the Hot 100. "Happily Ever After" featured Beyoncé in the video as Case's love interest. The album's third single, "Think of You" managed to only reach #50 on the R&B charts and Personal Conversation achieved platinum status.

In 1997, the lyrics to Tracey Lee’s smash, The Theme (It’s Party Time) could be heard in every club from the east to west coast, and Tracey could be seen on national television shows such as BET Rap City: The Basement, HBO’s ARLI$$ and more. From the success of a popular single, there can be ups and downs, as Tracey found out shortly after the release of his first album, Many Facez. Now, let’s start from the beginning ...