PATIENTLY WAITING

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his voice, but ph Jones’ name, or even ou may not recognize Ste del-turnedmo the his face. For years, chances are you’ve seen appearing in , line g hin clot ce Eny singer was the face of the e. billboards ads nationwid numerous magazine and his focus has es his modeling career, as s always came Today, Steph rarely discuss say ive nat TX , City ri sou the Mis to sing ever ng shifted to music, a talent tryi n bee e “I’v never nurtured. up in the t natural to him, but was ‘shu of fan my mom was a big since I was a little kid, but time I’d open my mouth she’d be like ‘Shut ery house,’” Steph laughs. “Ev up!’”

Y

MISSOURI CITY, TX

success as his school, but found even less ents as his So Steph sought refuge in tim sen e generally had the sam teachers and classmates ned my mouth. I ope I as n soo as up t to shu mother. “They’d tell me my discipline slips school for singing, and all actually got kicked out of s. class,’” he add said, ‘student disrupting he truly could sing, t Steph even discovered It wasn’t until college tha eding his craving imp was t tha eer deling car sure in the back but by then, it was his mo I’m er, sing a someone I was ures, boy. No one to croon. “Anytime I told pict se the , shut up and take of their mind they was like s. ent took me serious,” he lam ided to take Three years ago Steph dec d his dream owe foll and himself seriously ntion of several to sing, garnering the atte e. He soon tim labels in a short period of e friends—or in hav to ps hel it t tha learned ces. Steph’s pla h hig in r the his case—a bro Davis (of ay DeR an half-brother, comedi non’s Wild’n Out Can k Nic and p sho ber Bar improv comedy fame), was hosting a live e brother littl his e gav show in LA, and se his talents. an opportunity to showca telling jokes, “[DeRay] was hosting and up a comedian ting put him of and instead let me go up to d use he s, for five minute up there and go just every week. I used to bers Steph. em rem la,” pel cap a sing the house; he One night Ludacris was in er’s a cappella heard one of the Texas sing ressed. Five ly imp ant inst was and s sion ses to New York with months later, after a trip is, Steph was Dav e Cliv Luda, Chaka, and signed to DTP. a and Disturbing “I chose to sign with Lud e the only label wer y the e Tha Peace becaus me,” says nge cha that wasn’t trying to wanted my sound el lab er oth ery “Ev ph. Ste artist that’s on to be like every other R&B le puppetwho the into not the radio. I’m artist thing.” s sound is anything True to his claims, Steph’ ” is a term ary din “or but ordinary. But much so that he he readily embraces, so ry and titled his labeled himself Mr. Ordina “I don’t travel e. sam the CD g forthcomin create a certain to try to elf outside of mys ,” he says. “And me to sound that’s not true um Mr. Ordinary, alb my d title I why t’s tha r ordinary [self], because when you are you s comes out. It nes que uni that’s when the r soul never you and comes from the soul // .” lies cartel www.myspace.com/carlos Words by Eric N. Perrin

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