Nate's got a great business head-and he does a great job of protecting Boyz II Men from the pitfalls of the flaky music business. Just ask any successful recording artist what has been the most important lesson learned in his or her career, and they will most assuredly say the business aspect of music. Every artist should know the why's and how's of securing and maintaining a recording contract, creating a professional image, and doing concerts, and promotional tours. and let's not forget that knowing how much money should be earned from record sales is a big part of being "up" on the business, no matter how pompous that sounds. However, these things aren't learned in school textbooks; the educaton comes out of having had certain experiences (good or bad). Once something has been experienced, the lesson learned is retained for a much longer time and is more meaningful than if the artist had learned by rote. Many personalities are found in recording groups, but there is always someone who has an incredible head for business. In the popular R&B/pop group, Boyz II Men, that person is the Philadelphia-born and bred Nathan Morris.
That is not to say that the other group members aren't concerned about the business of their music careers; that trait is most pronounced by Nathan. Nate's commonly known as the protector of the group, but one look at him will tell you that those business wheels are always turning. He just looks as if he's in deep thought about some business transaction. But Nate's most concerned about the group's image and they way that their fans and the music industry executives percieve them.
A case in point is the group's (especially Nate's) disdain of the recent 8x10 glossy photos that were chosen for distribution to countless press outlets. Nate notes to the press members who interview him, "Whatever you do, if you get these photographs of us wearing those black and white suits, please don't use them. They are too drastic a change. They show us being a bit too mature-looking. We're very concered about how we look, what we wear and how we present ourselves. We really get into that. We always ask ouselves, 'Is it a jean or shirt and tie day?' We don't just put on shows, we're so concerned about our image. We always think about what would be the best thing for us or how will something affect our next step. We set ourselves up for the future in whatever we do." His being concerned about the group's image is in the direct keeping with his nickname "Alex Vanderpool," taken from a hip but classy character portrayed years ago on the ABC soap, All My Children.
Nate is a definetly a caretaker who's always looking out for what is ultimately good for the group. When members of other groups look out only for #1, Nate does everything with his homies in mind. His #1 concern is businss - in addition to the performance componet. He says, "Recording professionally is not an area where you just get onstage and perform and release videos. The group has to be involved in the business because if you don't someone else will. They'll be in your business for their own purpose. We're businessmen first."
Although Nate places his business acumen first and foremost in everything he does, he is still cool. He chills out from the rigors of his music career by writing music and fixing things. One of his favorite pastimes is going to Sears to buy nails and saws so that he can fix whatever needs repairing at the time. (Hmm, maybe he deserves a guest-starring role on Home Improvement). He plays any kind of sports and collects baseball caps just for fun. Well-rounded but cool as a cucumber - that's Nathan Morris.