Get ready for a “Damn Good Time.” Ne-Yo protégé Candice Boyd teams up with French Montana for her sizzling Rodney Jerkins-produced single and its accompanying music video.

Co-written with her mentor, “Damn Good Time” allows the San Bernardino, Calif. songstress to let loose. “I done had a week, I know you can see it,” she sings. “But I beat it / And now I don’t care about nothin’ but a damn good time tonight.”

Meanwhile, French tells his girl to “ride the wave,” while delivering his trademark ad libs over a sample of Tamia’s 1998 hit “So Into You.”

“The track is supposed to remind you of the weekend, a day off, and releasing the stress by hanging out with friends and family, going to the club, having a couple cocktails,” says Candice. “The treatment of the video is slightly different, but the song is supposed to give you that good feeling.”

Rap-Up spoke with Candice about “Damn Good Time,” her Epic Records deal, lessons from Ne-Yo, and more.

Watch the video and read our exclusive Q&A below.

What made French Montana perfect for “Damn Good Time”?
He has that sound right now and he just signed with Epic. I just signed with Epic, so it was the perfect collaboration. It was just his whole sound, his whole flavor, and I think he killed it.

How did all these talents come together for the single?
I’ve never met Rodney Jerkins, but I’ve always been a big fan of his, especially throughout [his work with] Brandy. With Ne-Yo, I’m signed to Epic, yes, but I’m also signed to his production company, Compound. So, of course, it’s always first dibs when it comes to me and Ne-Yo. With French, he just signed with Epic, so the stars just kind of aligned.

Speaking of the Epic signing, what can fans expect from your Epic debut?
You can expect a lot of realness, a lot of uncut originality. Its definitely a new feel, a new sound. Not knocking anyone else that’s out, but it’s time to bring R&B back the way it’s supposed to be, not just rap, but rhythm and blues. That’s what you can expect.

Do you have a title for the album yet?
We don’t have a title for the album. Honestly, I have like 300 plus records. I don’t really know what I want to put on the album yet. I have a lot of fan favorites. I have a lot of things I’ve thrown out there, such as “Just Chill” with Eric Bellinger and [“Rosecrans”] with [The Game], DJ Quik and Problem on their album Rosecrans. So right now, we just have an eclectic style of music that I have to figure out how to put in order to portray it to the world.

You mentioned the Ne-Yo connection. What have you learned from Ne-Yo so far?
Patience. Patience, patience, patience. Ne-Yo is very humble. He takes his time. He’s very observant. He’s relatable. I’ve watched him take his time with the fans and take his time with the music, although it only takes this ni**a five minutes to write a record. I sit and watch him and try to learn. I’ve definitely learned a lot when it comes to writing, formatting a song, what makes people feel good, what makes people sing along. I’ve learned a lot from him.

There’s a lot to learn at Epic too. It’s become such a destination for major players, including Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled, and Diddy. What does Epic’s lineup represent to you right now?
It represents real hip-hop, real R&B. When I say real hip-hop, I’m not excluding any of the greats, but I feel like they’re definitely branching those artists, such as Snoop and Dre, I see that in the artists that are at Epic, as well as the new artists we just signed, such as Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey. I feel like [L.A. Reid] is just trying to bring back that real music, that real R&B and hip-hop. That feel good music. I’m excited to be a part of that team.