Fresh off the success of their live-streamed 20th-anniversary concert, R&B duo David Chance and Dante Jordan of Ruff Endz continue to serve up style along with smooth vocals. With a career of writing, producing, and performing music and tours spanning over 20 years, Ruff Endz has signed on with SRG-ILS Group/Universal Music Group and is looking forward to bringing their soulful sounds and brand-new music to fans. Their new record will debut March 2021. theofficialruffendz.com
What is the origin of your name, Ruff Endz?
[Dante] Ruff Endz is grinding, meaning you do what you have to do like a side job to get money to go to school. It also comes from our neighborhood. You know you got your good places on this side, you got your medium places, then you got your rough ends on the other side of Baltimore.
Who inspired you to get into music?
[David] My family was the family that sang together at the table--harmonizing, beating on the table. I got an ear for music at a young age. My mom was an opera singer in Guyana; my dad was in a singing group that toured Guyana with Harry Belafonte. We grew up on contemporary Christian music and sang those. All of that was school for me, and all of that is coming out in my music now.
Did you dream of being a star when you were young?
[Dante] I looked at it as a goal. Not a dream, because the dream is not there when you wake up. A goal is attainable. So yes, I had a goal.
How did you meet Dante?
[David] We grew up together in West Baltimore as kids. My family migrated from Guyana, South America. My dad was a pastor and my mom was a missionary. He knew my family was the church family down the street. I'm the baby of 10 children. Dante has two sisters. We were the family giving food away and serving breakfast to the poor, and he was out there doing his thing and hustling. We were very different, yet we sensed this brotherhood. So, there was this dynamic, and we became best friends.
Did you always want to perform?
[Dante] I was into dance but didn't want to be out front and was comfortable in the back row.
With Ruff Endz, you are very out front now! How did you conquer your performance anxiety?
[Dante] The first time they put me out front instead of on the back row, I was terrified. Terrified. I was in a dance group called BMW (Boys Most Wanted.) We performed at a talent show in Baltimore when the show's producer told me that they lost their male vocal act, which wasn't true. He had heard me sing and thought he would trick me into getting out front. I tried all kinds of crazy excuses to get out of stepping out there on stage. When they called my name, my heartbeat was all I could hear. It was crazy. I opened my mouth, and out came, "Always and Forever." I had to conquer that fear. I just had to get through it. After that, I started singing with a group of older men, and we performed at schools doing "Stop the Violence" campaigns.
How did you form Ruff Endz?
[David] The friendship and our mutual love for music started Ruff Endz. We started chasing the dream in high school. We connected with a gentleman named Oji Pierce, who introduced us to David McPherson, who, at that time, was Vice President of Sony, and he signed us. He is the same guy that signed Backstreet Boys and a lot of other groups. He saw the vision. We did a song called "Love Crimes" with Oji, and that was the song David heard and fell in love with. He flew us to NYC to the offices of Sony, and we were like, "Oh my God! From the streets of Baltimore to NYC!"
When did you know you were famous?
[Dante] I was in London and running to get into the van when I hear my name. I stopped and turned, and he says, "Chi! Chi from Ruff Endz!" And there was this tall, white businessman from around the world, not from my world, who knows about me. I was astounded. Our music that we did in some little room reached a person that I would have never met. That's when I knew.
Tell me about your last tour and what's coming up.
[David] The group broke up for about ten years, but we've been touring and traveling for the last couple of years. We returned to Australia and the UK and were scheduled to go to Germany with Montell Jordan and R&B legend Keith Sweat, but our tour was canceled due to Covid. We have rescheduled that for 2021. We are excited to go on to Kenya for two weeks in December on our "The Escape to Wakanda Tour."
What do you love about performing?
[David] I love the live band. The bass player, the keyboard, the drummer--bringing to life all the instruments, the background singers, and it is magic when it all comes together to create one sound.
Is there a favorite memory of being on tour?
[Dante] Our very first tour was a black college tour. Before we hit it, no one knew who we were, so we had to prove ourselves every night. Halfway through the tour, the video of "No More Shopping Sprees" started playing for the first time on "The Box" (music video channel). Before we got to the end of the tour, people started recognizing us. When we got to the last places, everyone knew us. It was crazy. The funny thing is that song came out in 2000, and when the pandemic hit, the song had a resurgence. Six-year-old kids were doing dances to it on TikTok.
Are you currently writing songs, and what have you been doing while not performing?
[David} We both collaborate. I am a producer and create the music and arrangements. We did a lead song for a movie called “Gun Hill,” and I produced it. We were doing songs for tv shows and movies. We did a couple of songs in “David Makes Man.” And we have been working with other artists.
What have you learned about making music?
[David] Passion and purpose are synonymous. I was told I was going to do good things with music since I was six years old. So, I am. We stand for a positive message. All our albums are rated "P" for positive so that you can play it around your kids and family. We want to bring music that has a standard and stands for something.
After 20 years, what do you attribute your longevity and success to?
[Dante] Definitely God. I think it’s also continuing to grow, meaning maturing and gaining a better sense of how relationships, friendships, and business works. I have had a love and a passion for creating and performing that has grown over the years. We both continue to work on self-improvement and self-development because we know it is the way to make the group better. I would also say our success is from gaining wisdom from God.
What was the best music advice you've been given?
[David] Keep writing. We were young writers when we wrote "Love Crimes," but many other songs needed work. David McPherson, from Sony, was trying to help us develop our writing skills. He said, "I know you guys are artists, but you are writers, and songs are what sell. We can put anyone on a song, so develop that skill." It was the greatest advice I got.
How does it feel to have three million views of your music video?
[Dante] That is three million people that we have been able to connect with. It is overwhelming that three million people tapped into a moment we did.
Who do you admire?
[David} I look up to God. My faith is something that has kept and directed me. It’s been a rock for everything that I’ve done up until this point.
What do we not know about you that the fans would find interesting?
[Dante] I am a die-hard outdoorsman, fisherman, stay out for two days, build a hut out of wood, build a fire, survivalist. I love it. If I weren't here today, I would, for sure, be fishing.
