Moments With: Charlie Wilson
Moments With: Charlie Wilson
Photo Credit: Ginny Suss for Okayplayer

"We Were Dangerous Together" - Charlie Wilson on Working with Roger Troutman, Kanye and More

Uncle Charlie speaks on his misunderstood relationship with Roger Troutman, breaking bad habits and losing a job to Rihanna.

Whether you remember him as one-third of The Gap Band or the vocal muscle on your favorite rap anthem, Charlie Wilson has surely earned his spot amongst R&B royalty.

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A career that spans decades and genres alike, Wilson (or Uncle Charlie, as some of his rap-game progeny have come to address him as) was a particularly fitting subject for Moments With, our new series that finds icons sharing formative memories from impactful lives in music. Tucked into the live room of New York City's Reservoir Studios, Wilson was all-smiles running through his rolodex, detailing his time working with Kanye West on "All Of The Lights" and how a well-intended suggestion from his wife put him in the backseat in favor of Rihanna's brawny vox on the 2010 smash. Elsewhere, he lists his favorite gospel singers and speaks to a deep creative kinship with the late Roger Troutman, whose band Zapp was often viewed as a rival to the "Outstanding" group, though they were close and "dangerous" collaborators throughout the '80s.

READ: 4:44 Is Officially Shawn Carter’s First Classic Album

Watch Uncle Charlie tell his tales on Moments With above and hit the link to pick up a copy of his new album In It To Win It.

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