Ever wonder what the gentlemen of Single Ladies listen to when they hit the gym to maintain those chiseled physiques? During some down time with DB Woodside and Terrell Tilford at Essence Music Festival this past weekend, we asked some hard-hitting music questions to get the real skinny!

In addition to recently discovering and becoming a fast fan of UK singer Ellie Goulding, DB revealed that during workouts, he likes to “go back to the classics,” listing off a few rappers of choice — “Tupac, Dre, Eminem” — before taking the stage for EMF’s “What Men Want” panel in the New Orleans convention center. Even more of an anglophile, though, is Terrell Tilford. “I listen to everything, but I recently came across Emile Sandé. I bought her album and it’s on rotation,” Terrell told us of VH1′s recent You Oughta Know artist, also mentioning another UK newcomer, Maverick Sabre, as a talent to hit his music radar. But as far as working out, the actor who plays Sean Clark can appreciate some stateside musicians too. “When I’m at the gym, everything gets it, from Kings of Leon, to Rick Ross, to Maroon 5, to St. Germain.”

Tilford also expressed enthusiam for seeing D’Angelo at Essence that weekend. “That’s a cat that just represented some really great, soulful, seriously good music that I felt like spoke to men and women in a very sexy, contemporary way, so I’m looking forward to that.” D’Angelo killed it Friday night, so we can be certain Terrell’s expectations were met.

In a similar artistic vein, and considering Travis Winfrey’s character Omar and his sister (played by guest star LaLa Anthony) encounter some homophobia issues on recent episodes of Single Ladies, we asked both Terrell and DB what they thought about Frank Ocean’s announcement last week about his romantic relationship with a man.

“I’m a huge fan of Frank Ocean,” Terrell said emphatically. “nostalgiaUltra, incredible. Looking forward to Channel Orange that drops on July 17th — I know all too well.” Released on iTunes a week early last night, Ocean’s debut album has already shot to #1. But in terms of him speaking up about his sexual orientation, Terrell was equally supportive. “It takes a lot of courage. Unfortunately, in terms of our music, it’s still quite misogynistic and homophobic, and I give him amazing props for taking the leap of faith and doing that and really saying ‘hey, this is who I am.’” Terrell’s sincerity continued. “I’m really happy for him, as much as I would be for anyone who’s really compelled to speak out and speak up for themselves, an underrepresented group of people, particularly in this genre.”

DB, the show’s Malcolm Franks, mirrored his co-star’s sentiments. “I heard that he came out. I think that’s courageous, I think it’s fantastic, and I hope more people in the music industry continue to do that, especially in hip hop. I think it’s something that we, as black folks, need to evolve and accept different lifestyles.”

And for those who refuse to “evolve” or continue to stand firm in their anti-gay beliefs, Terrell had some thoughts of his own: “You must be questioning or dealing with some demons in your own life. I just don’t tolerate it. People really need to get over that and step up to the plate. Be your own man, whatever that is to you, and be encouraging and supportive. You’ve got somebody like this that’s taken a huge risk, and how dare any of us judge his life.” Making the #TeamSean and #TeamMalcom decision all the more difficult, one thing’s for sure: DB and Terrell are definitely #TeamFrank, and these statements would certainly make Omar proud.

View full article on VH1 Blog