Tank - R&B MONEY TOUR

Throughout his 20+ year career, Tank has garnered over six #1 hits and has written and produced for names like Aaliyah, Chris Brown, Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, and more. From his first hit single, “Maybe I Deserve,” Tank has been able to touch listeners that have garnered him a cult following with releases like “Slowly,” “Please Don’t Go,” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” In 2021, Tank celebrated the long-overdue streaming debut of his landmark first three solo albums, 2001’s RIAA gold-certified, #1 debut, FORCE OF NATURE, 2002’s ONE MAN, and 2007’s chart-topping, GRAMMY® Award-nominated SEX, LOVE & PAIN. Rolling Stone acknowledged the historic streaming premiere with an exclusive interview with Tank, writing, “For the first time, fans will also be able to travel through his catalog in reverse, rewinding from 2021 to 2000.” He has continued to expand his world. It encompasses the R&B Money Podcast and YouTube reality show Babbs to the Bone in addition to acting in films such as Lifetime’s Lust: A Seven Deadly Sins Story—which Bishop T.D. Jakes executive produced. Simultaneously, he’s growing the R&B Money label, serving as home to Feather and more.

Before she could utilize her talents for her own solo endeavors, R&B singer, vocal arranger, and songwriter Keri Hilson wrote a slew of songs, many of them chart-toppers, for several popular artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production/songwriting team known as the Clutch. The dynamic songwriter was born in Decatur, GA, only a few miles outside of Atlanta. Addicted to TV talent shows like Star Search and Showtime at the Apollo, she was already plotting out her career in music at age 12. Even though her mother hired a piano teacher to encourage those talents, she mainly wanted to sing; therefore, Hilson converted those sessions into vocal lessons, accompanying the teacher on piano. In her mid- to late teens, she jump-started her career as a songwriter and background vocalist, working under producer Anthony Dent (Destiny's Child, Diddy). Born out of that relationship were two failed girl groups (named Pretty Toni and D'Sign) and, more importantly, a host of connections within the industry for whom she wrote or did backup vocals, including Usher, Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, and up-and-coming Southern rap producer Polow da Don.

After Hilson graduated from high school, she managed to continue juggling all these tasks when she enrolled at Emory University in Atlanta. She eventually moved on from Dent and began working more with Polow da Don. Attending school while actively advancing her music career put a great demand on her, especially from being a member of the extremely versatile Clutch team. But as luck would have it, Polow introduced her to superproducer Timbaland, who wasted no time in signing the multi-talented songbird to his growing Mosley Music imprint in 2006. Over the next couple years, Hilson's songwriting was practically ubiquitous, responsible for numerous hit singles, including Mary J. Blige's "Take Me as I Am," Omarion's "Ice Box," the Pussycat Dolls' "Wait a Minute," and Britney Spears' "Gimme More." She was also featured prominently on Timbaland Presents Shock Value, including the number three Billboard Hot 100 hit "The Way I Are."

With Timbaland and Polow in her corner, Hilson relied on the vast pool of recording artists and producers who needed (and wanted) to return the favor for her Mosley Music/Interscope debut. After a couple pre-release singles and numerous delays, In a Perfect World... was issued in March 2009, shortly after one of its tracks, "Turnin' Me On," had reached the Top 20 of the Hot 100. The album eventually reached gold status, selling over 500,000 copies, and earned Hilson a pair of Grammy nominations. She made another string of guest appearances -- on Nas' "Hero," Trina's "Million Dollar Girl," and T.I.'s "Got Your Back," to name only a few of many -- prior to issuing her second album, No Boys Allowed, before the end of 2010.

- From Allmusic.com

A gifted R&B singer whose cool but passionate style is a solid match for his flexible vocal abilities, Carl Thomas was born in Aurora, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) on June 15, 1972. After graduating from high school, Thomas moved to Chicago to pursue a career in music, and for a while sang with a vocal group called the Fourmula, who scored a minor hit in 1994 with the tune "Pass It Over." In the mid-'90s, Thomas relocated to Brooklyn, New York, and began playing open-mike nights and showcase gigs in hopes of making a name for himself as a solo artist. In 1997, Thomas was spotted at one such performance by Sean "Puffy" Combs (aka P Diddy and Puff Daddy), who liked what he heard and promptly signed the singer to his Bad Boy Entertainment label. Initially, Thomas sang R&B-styled backups on sessions for hip-hop acts such as the Notorious B.I.G., the LOX, LL Cool J, N.O.R.E., and Puff Daddy, and it wasn't until 2000 that Thomas' first full-length album, Emotional, was released. On the strength of the hit singles "I Wish" and "Summer Rain," Emotional sold over a million copies, but it would be four years (marked by plenty of touring and many more guest spots on albums by others) before Thomas released his follow-up. The timing of 2004's Let's Talk About It proved unfortunate; Thomas' brother died as the result of a drive-by shooting shortly before it came out, and the singer opted not to tour as he dealt with the emotional fallout, which compromised the album's promotional campaign. In time, Thomas dissolved his relationship with Bad Boy, and he was briefly signed to Interscope, contributing vocals to "Dumpin'," a track on the posthumous 2Pac album Pac's Life, released in 2006. That same year, Thomas joined Yolanda Adams, Chaka Khan, and Gerald Levert to record the song "Everyday (Family Reunion)" for the movie Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion; the performance earned a Grammy nomination. In 2007, Thomas' third album, So Much Better, was released by the independent Umbrella label. In early 2011, Thomas signed a new deal with Verve Music, and his fourth album, Conquer, was released in December of that year.

- from Allmusic.com