The RNB Pack: The Home For R&B Music & Live Performances

Short N Sweet Ent

Photo Credit: Something_light_media

On any given day someone can shuffle songs off of their playlist and an R&B song would be bound to pop up. If it is a song from the “Old School” or the “New School”, R&B lovers have come to understand that this genre of music has transformed into many different styles over the years. Through the good or bad times, R&B music has been at the center of our heartbeats and has resonated with various people from different backgrounds.

Vonte, a businessman and entrepreneur from Brooklyn, New York is the founder and creative director of The RNB Pack. He has put R&B music on his back and has found a way to create and showcase artists in a special way. There is nothing like listening to your favorite song by watching a live performance and the RNB Pack has made a way for listeners to get exactly what they are looking for.  

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What is The RNB Pack and how did it start?

The RNB Pack is a live music platform designed to showcase artists and musicians. It’s designed to show post-production greatness. You can have a show all you want but until it comes out, you don’t see the greatness of it. I wanted to create something that uplifts all avenues of putting together a production, on and off the screen. I created The RNB Pack in January of 2021 but I didn’t film the pilot episode until April. The pilot never came but we filmed it again because of the things we learned throughout the process of filming. It was the same artist and we wanted to do it better. If you’re going to present something new, especially in the New York City scene for the first time, then you know we had to do it right.

Where did you draw your inspiration from to create The RNB Pack?

I didn’t and don’t want to mirror anybody but people want to compare us to Tiny Desk and AOL sessions that we had back in the day. I drew my original inspiration from AOL sessions. I wanted to create something that just highlighted R&B because there are a million platforms that highlight rap and other genres of music. I have a rap platform as well and I love it all. I know a lot of good singers and musicians so I asked myself how could I bring them together and make it something legit. I’m already a production guy so I wanted to test how well I can put something together without technically being involved. For “The RNB Pack” I am not playing or singing. I wanted to create something that would see if production was for me. I wanted to see how much I could grow a brand without directly being involved.

There are so many different variations to what R&B music is and how people define it. What is your definition of RNB music?

It’s Rhythm & Blues. There are sub-genres of R&B, like different styles but when it comes down to it, it’s Rhythm & Blues. When you’re singing RNB, you’re either going to have something that people catch rhythm to or that they can be in their feelings about. Even if you have, what I call, aggressive R&B music, you’re still going to have people in their feelings because it is about what you are talking about. You can also have that RNB that you can dance to as well. For me, it’s like a safe space place to be in as far as music. It’s all about the aspect of “vulnerability”. I love that that part of the music because you can tap into your true feelings without feeling less than.

How important is it for you to have a cohesive team?

First and foremost having a team is very important. It can be a team of 2, a team of 3, or a team of whomever you need but having another person that is sharing and bouncing ideas off of each other is essential. You can have all the ideas in the world but sometimes the execution is maybe a little cloudy because you are thinking so much. You need those moving pieces to make everything work.

I want to shout out

Chris & Raquelle from Something Light Media (Goats) they been with me from the beginning and bring my visions to light.

Zaire who is our editor (Goat)

Wav3King is our audio engineer (Goat)

Brianna who is our talent scout (Goat) I am really particular about who I want on the show. The guest has to be ultimately approved through me before they come on the show but she has been great at getting talent on the show.

Nina Woods our music director (Goat)

And I can’t forget the band members. We have had a lot of different members throughout our time. Working with everyone I really started to grow my love for music even more because I love R&B but to hear it live is amazing and on a different level.

What was one memorable experience that you have had so far from The R&B Pack?

Iniko was our biggest episode of Season 1. That catapulted us and people got to know who we are and what we do.

That must have been an amazing time for you and the team. How was it working with Iniko?

Honestly, working with Iniko was one of the best days as a creator. When you see someone online go viral for their music, you’re like Oh man they are out of here and I was thinking there’s no way I’m going to get in contact with them to do the show. Taraji P Henson came out to the song on the BET Awards and after that, I was like it’s over for me but it wasn’t. I was able to make it work and make it happen. When you have something genuine and you’re a good person people are going to rock with you regardless, especially when you have a desirable platform. We may not have the numbers that make it look desirable but you can’t knock the quality. You can’t knock the R&B Pack.

What are some of the struggles that you have with being an entrepreneur?

Money! People think when you get into the entertainment the money is supposed to just come right away. It costs when you want to have a certain level of people that you want to showcase. You want to charge but you don’t want to break the bank because we know that we all live in a struggling artist world. I’ve been doing this for 10 years. If I don’t have a fee for what I do and just allow anybody to come up, that’s when it’s going to water down the platform. I charge because then I’ll know who is serious just as I am. Consistency is also a struggle. You have to stay on top of creating and putting out work. If you are going to step into this world, be serious because there are a lot of us who are putting in real work. At the end of the day, be a person. Be someone who loves the industry and what you do because it will tear you down if you don’t.

Photo Credit: Something_light_media

Where do you see The R&B Pack in the future?

I don’t plan on stopping. I don’t give up on my dreams. It may look like I took a step back but I am always working. I have a real mission which is to be a part of the uplifting of R&B music. I want people to know that this is the stop for R&B performances. This is where you should be coming. I welcome it all. I am working on some new content for the holiday season and have big surprises coming soon.

Click below to check out some of The RNB Pack Season 1 Highlights.

For everyone who has come across the platform, I can’t thank you enough! 

Written By: Shauntay Hallett

Until Next Post... Coach Tay