From managing a legendary artist (Missy Elliott), to TV production with Love & Hip Hop, to two incredible upcoming tours, Mona Scott-Young continues to be a force in the music industry. YouKnowIGotSoul caught up with Mona to talk about her work with Missy Elliott preparing for the upcoming “Out Of This World Tour” alongside Ciara and Busta Rhymes, as well as her TV series turned tour “The Queens of R&B” with Xscape, SWV, Total, Mya, and 702.
On the Love & Hip Hop Franchise
YKIGS: So I’m excited to get into this because as someone who listens to R&B on the regular, including artists who you have worked with and are still working with, and we’ll get into that for sure, you’ve been in the game for so many years. And while I’m going to keep this interview, mostly music related, because we’re going to talk about the tours and everything that you have going on, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you about the Love & Hip hop franchise and where you are at this point, did you ever envision it becoming as successful as it’s become?
MSY: I say all the time, no. I’d be lying if I said I did. When we watched that first episode, I knew there was something special there. But I think it just it came at the right time in reality television where people were hungry to know every single thing about artists and celebrities and get that bird’s-eye view of their lives. It was just a combination of elements that created magic. To see it still going strong, I don’t even know what it has been now, 14 years, 15? I’m always in awe. I’m always amazed. But I think it’s a testament to the cast, the way they open up with their stories, the fans still loving the engagement that they have with them. So very lucky and blessed.
On The Evolution of R&B:
YKIGS: You said evolving, and that’s something that I wanted to touch on. Having been in the industry for so long, since the ’90s, how have you adapted? There’s been a shift in music and specifically in R&B, and working with Missy Elliott, and having started with her and been with her for so long, how have you adapted to the shifts in the industry?
MSY: I mean, the great part about working with a talent like Missy is that she’s always ahead of the curve, right? And so in order to keep up, I’ve got to be right there along with her. So it has allowed us to move and change and grow with the times and the changes. I mean, everything is in this business. We’ve seen RnB be at its height, and they were all that RnB is dead or real hip hop is dead. Then we’ve seen it all come back around in newer and better forms, but just constantly, again, keeping the ear to the street, staying on top of the trends. My kids grew up in this business, so I had the good fortune of having an in-house focus group, where even when there were things that I didn’t know, I’d say, Okay, guys, is this cool? Is this hot? Who is this kid? What is the new movement? I recently worked closely with Swiss Beats and Busta Rhymes and an artist that they were developing, her name is Scarlett. That was like an entirely different world because here was this young girl who made her entire album on her own by just finding beats on the internet
On Missy Elliott’s Impact on Music:
YKIGS: Even just mentioning staying power and just being grounded in the music and having those roots. You mentioned Busta Rhymes. We know Missy Elliott has those roots. Those roots are deep. All these years later, her music is still resonating with people. It’s still when they announced the tour between between Missy Busta Rhymes and Cierra, there was so much excitement around it. You can tell that the people truly, truly, truly value music that can stand the test of time and bring them back to however they felt when that music was just released.
MSY: That’s what it’s supposed to do. It’s supposed to connect emotionally. It’s supposed to represent something, happiness, joy, love, and So Misty and Busta, both Cierra even, have such a great body of work. But then when you talk about them on the stage, you know that they’re going to deliver. They’re going to bring a performance that is on par with the music that they put out all those years. So you’re going to get your money’s work. It’s going to be a show, a spectacular show.
YKIGS: So you’ve got another tour on the calendar as well. I’ve noticed I’ve been following you on social media, and you’ve been doing a lot of promo for this one, the Queens of R&B tour.
MSY: I am so excited. You know, It’s always, for me, a real challenge when I’m able to take the different things that I do and find a connection and build a bridge. I love a good movement. Having done the TV show and creating that Queens of RMB brand, again, rooted in music, but delivering it through the platform of television and then taking that brand and being able to leverage it into a tour, that’s an exciting thing for me. I love business opportunities that have ancillary and tangential opportunities and revenue stream. The Queens of R&B brand was something that I did in television, and the whole idea behind the show was to see these ladies come together for a tour. It culminated in one fantastic show, but there was still, for me, a promise that we made to the the audience and the fans that we didn’t deliver on. And so this opportunity to partner with Live Nation, bring the ladies back together, deliver on the show that we promised, and then to add 702 in total and Maya. Again, it’s going to be a fantastic performance. They’re all challenging each other to put their best foot forward because right now, it’s an amazing time for female artists.To have the opportunity to come together in this way. They want to show that women can come together, women can work together, and women can deliver on a level that the fans will appreciate and enjoy and that will resonate. We’ve got a lot riding on this tour, and I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to put it all together
Listen to the full interview here!