Our own Call4Elliott interviewed BigPlanz as an ENN reporter for YaminMachine. The story is so wonderful, I asked her if I could share it here.


YVETTE'S TALK WITH BIG PLANZ

Hello my name is Yvette and I am such a die-hard Elliott fan that I decided to fly to Richmond for Elliott's hometown concert debut, just to be part of the festivities. When I booked my flight from Sacramento to Richmond, I did not have tickets for the concert, but I made sure I reserved tickets for the Big Planz belated birthday bash for Elliott.

I confess that my initial interest in meeting and interviewing Big Planz, as an ENN Reporter for the Yamin Machine! was sparked by my interest in anything related to Elliott. However, over several weeks leading up to my trip and emailing and talking to BP on the phone, I realized I was fast becoming a Big Planz fan. He came across as a very genuine person and a good friend to Elliott and Elliott's mother, Claudette. As a result of my conversations with BP, I started to view Elliott in a different way. The fan worship aspect of my interest in Elliott started to dissipate and I started to view Elliott as an ordinary man, who had something extraordinary happen in his life. It made me realize that anyone can have experiences that could possibly change the course of their lives in an extraordinary way. I was also proud that Elliott had a friend like BP who was so easy to relate to and also very down to earth.

Conversing with BP over the weeks leading up to my trip, put me at ease about meeting him. Upon my initial face to face meeting with him, I could not help but notice his beautiful smile, warm demeanor and infectious laugh. Big Planz is an individual who easily stands out in a crowd, due to his physical appearance. He has a muscular physique and is also very handsome. During the DC post concert Meet & Greet, even Claudette took notice of BP's physique and alluded to the fact that he is easy on the eyes. I also observed a group of Elliott fans (you know who you are) standing behind BP and pointing at his arms and giggling like teenagers at the same Meet and Greet. It is apparent that BP rightfully gets a lot of attention for his physical appearance, as he should, since the regimen of staying in shape takes a lot of effort. However, it speaks to his character and likability, that his physical appearance quickly becomes a secondary factor in what draws people to him on a deeper level.

Big Planz, or Terry as he likes to be called, is a star in the crazy, fun, strange, fan obsessed, Website world of Elliott Yamin. He is one of many individuals who, as a result of having a close relationship with the E-man himself, has received a certain level of notoriety in the Elliott cyber universe. This universe consists of the top three sites solely dedicated to Elliott, theYamin Machine!, the E-Train and the Yaminions site, as well as, many other fan sites. As a result of Elliott's skyrocketing popularity, Terry has enjoyed increased interest and sales in his first solo project, the gospel CD, Sound Doctrine, released in 2005, which features Elliott on tracks 7, 8 and 9. However, upon listening to the entire CD, it is clear that Terry is as talented as his now famous friend.

There are many adjectives that can be used to describe Terry. He is a husband, father, son, songwriter, hip-hop artist, self-taught musician, self-admitted metro sexual, personal fitness trainer and a respected and gifted record producer. Terry also does not hide that he is in a personal and very satisfying relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is also quick to acknowledge that his spiritual walk makes the success of his first solo CD even more satisfying. He does not speak to Elliott's religious beliefs, but he does not minimize nor hide his own beliefs. Terry has been in the music business for over 15 years and he is the primary musician (writes and plays all his own music) on the majority of the music he produces. Terry has worked with many famous musicians (some are listed in his bio) and is a respected artist and producer. His Sound Doctrine CD is top-notch and the single, Song of Hope was inspired by a conciliatory letter he wrote several years ago to his father who has been absent for most of Terry's life. The Sound Doctrine CD tells the story of Terry's many life experiences and how those life experiences have shaped him into the man he is today.

Terry also produced a single, not featured on the Sound Doctrine CD, which prominently features Elliott, called The Storm, which was created pre-American Idol initially to benefit the Hurricane Katrina Relief fund. Terry was kind enough to share the song with me and it is phenomenal. The song is not a gospel record, but has a deep message about the inevitable storms everyone will experience all throughout their lives. The cut is melodic, but is also uptempo enough to make you bob your head up and down. Elliott is the featured artist on this cut and Terry also does a short rap on the song. Terry also revealed that Elliott is so gifted vocally, that he sang The Storm from the music sheet and nailed it on his first try, so the version recorded was done in one take. The single is scheduled for release sometime in August. Upon hearing The Storm, all I can say is "WOW." This collaboration between Terry and Elliott has hit record written all over it, due to it's mainstream appeal and the heart-felt words of the song, which were written by Terry. Terry is a very talented musician, and I must say I felt very honored that he shared the song with me. Elliott and Terry fans will not be disappointed, and are in for a real treat when The Storm is released.

Terry met Elliott over eight years ago when he was introduced to him by Bryan Rock at the Kickem 2 Da Curb Recording Studios. Terry feels that his friendship with Elliott supercedes their professional relationship, and he refers to Elliott as his little brother. He says he feels that he and Elliott have remained friends for so long, because they have a lot of life similarities. Both Elliott and Terry have a love of music, a down to earth, humble nature and both have experienced obstacles in their lives that they were able to overcome through faith and perseverance. Elliott and Terry, were both primarily raised by strong single mothers and both had sporadic contact with their biological fathers. Elliott has dealt with health problems and at times he and his family struggled financially. Terry's family also went through tough times when he was young and he credits his mother with keeping him and his two siblings on the right path while growing up in a tough neighborhood in Newport News, VA, where he was born on August 10, 1970. Terry expressed that many of the friends he grew up with are either dead or in jail. Elliott and Terry both hold their mothers in high esteem and credit their mothers with their success. If a man is measured by the company that he keeps, then Terry being Elliott's close friend is yet another reason to love and respect Elliott.

Now that I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with Terry, as well as, meeting Elliott's incredibly cool mother Claudette, I am an even bigger fan of Elliott's. At times, the homecoming weekend bordered on pandemonium and it was obvious that Elliott was sometimes overwhelmed with the frenzied nature of the environment. However, when I saw how Elliott embraced Terry at the DC post concert Meet and Greet, I knew that they had a friendship that would endure for many years to come. It warmed my heart to see their interaction with one another, even in the midst of so many fans clamoring to get Elliott's attention and autograph. I feel honored to have met Mr. Thompson, who is such a lovely man inside and out, so now I must amend my opening statement and express that I am Yvette and I am a die-hard Elliott, Claudette and Big Planz fan.

What genre of song IS "The Storm"? Urban/hiphop/soul/r&b/pop/????
We'll need to know once we begin radio requests.... :)

You might want to PM Call4Elliott and ask her - she has heard the whole thing. I'm not sure how often she still comes to this board, but I'm sure she would respond to your PM.

Linda,

Thank you for taking the time to post Yvette's excellent article!!!!!!!!

:)

What a wonderful article offering insight to Mr. Thompson and his relationship with Elliott. I think it speaks volumes about both men in the way they honor their mothers, families and friends. I have to say it puts me at ease to know that Elliott has so many intelligent and truly caring people surrounding him. I think Terry and Elliott's friendship demonstrates the integrity of both men.

I cannot wait to BUY the single "The Storm."

I will forever hope they will continue on their paths together recording more and more music!
ELLIOTT YAMIN, AND BIG PLANZ ARE OUR "SUPERMEN OF SONG AND SOUL!" NKS, R-VA
AND, THEY DEFINITELY BELONG TOGETHER IN MUSIC!

What a great article!! It's good to know Elliott surrounds himself with positive people line Big Planz and that they have such a good friendship. Their collaboration on The Storm must really be something else! Can't wait to hear it!! Thanks for postiing this!! :D

I agree with you wholeheartedly. It seems the glow of fame has deemed for me and the glow of respect for them as individual human beings has been greatly heightened. I for one am pleased with Terry's testimony of faith and their relationship. As you said, I'm very happy Elliott has good grounded people around him to support him. :thumbsup:

This was wonderful to read. It's great to know two people of diverse backgrounds can meet and form a lasting bond. We can all learn a lesson from the friendship between Terry and Elliott; keep yourself open to all people, your life can only be enriched.

Linda, thanks for posting this. Great read!

I agree thanks for posting this! Yvette did a great job!