“They’re what?” “Are those Negroes serious?” “Aw. HAYELL. Naw.”

If that was your initial reaction to the news that St. Paul, MN’s Mint Condition was going to be featured on the hit TV One series, Unsung, then you weren’t alone. But that doesn’t mean that the band doesn’t feel some kind of way about the opinions, or that they appreciate the implications of creating a premature demise.

“First of all, I’m gonna start out by rebuking what those people said, especially about something happening to us, in the name of Jesus,” says Rick Kinchen.

The bassist and three of the other Grammy-nominated collective are chatting with Knowshi shortly before their Dallas show at downtown’s legendary Majestic Theatre and are very adamant about Unsung being a positive career move, not career ender. “TV One had probably probably done every possible act that they could have already and now they’re trying to include younger people and bring something else to the party.”

Stokley Williams, the lead vocalist and frontman of the band, is even more blunt: “I kinda feel sorry for em’. But you know what they say about opinions—they’re like @$$holes, and everybody has one. Most of them stink. We’re glad that we have some fans that took it so personal, but…(click here for the rest of the chat)