It looks like Uncle Charlie Wilson will be busy showing the young bucks how it’s done. The singer-songwriter recently opened up to The Huffington Post in an exclusive interview to talk about his new move to make music with Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.
At 61-years-old, the lead singer for the Gap Band has seen it all, conquering drug addiction and even beating cancer. Yet despite it all, he has made it clear that he doesn’t intend on slowing down anytime soon. Perhaps that is why he has such a legion of diverse and very dedicated fans.
In the past, Charlie Wilson has collaborated with much younger musicians and likely helped them mold their sound. Justin Timberlake and Snoop Dogg have shared the studio with Wilson as have Lupe Fiasco and Lil Kim. He has had a hand in the music industry for more than four decades, first creating hits as the front man for the Gap Band, and now in his many side projects. He told The Huffington Post about the likelihood that fans will see a new track from him and Justin Timberlake and Snoop Dogg:
“Well, we’ll see how that is… We hadn’t been together in like six or seven years. And so, for all of us to get back and be on a track and do videos or whatever, we talked about it, laughed about it… we just gotta see if that’s going to work, because everybody’s so busy.”
In a new album that is in the works, Charlie Wilson also talks about working with Kanye West and Pharrell. The collection of songs, which will feature other collaborations which are yet to be announced, is set for a tentative release in 2015. On working with Kanye and Pharrell, Wilson explained:
“I know Kanye was getting married, and so we had to get through that. And I know Pharrell is touring. So we’re just waiting for everyone to free up and then we’re going to get started with what we gotta do.”
Besides music, Charlie Wilson has also become very passionate on a philanthropic front. He currently is involved with several charitable causes, ranging from cancer awareness to supporting the men and women in the armed forces. As a survivor of prostate cancer, Wilson has lent his celebrity to the cause and encourages men to get tested and be on the lookout for early signs of the disease. In his interview with Huffington Post , Uncle Charlie addressed his decision to work with Lupe Fiasco on the track “Mission” as a means to bring further awareness to early detection:
“I’ve been talking about my cancer since 2008. I don’t know if the youngsters were listening to me or not. I know millions and millions of men were listening to me, but now, the 18- to 25-year-olds, I don’t know if they were really listening to me, because they don’t think they can be touched by this disease or any disease for that matter. So for him [Lupe] to speak about it and keep it 100, I believe that’s a good thing.”
For more details on Uncle Charlie’s new album as it unfolds, keep visiting us here at The Inquisitr .
[Image credit: Indy Hip Hip]
