“They were able to build that legacy,” he continues. Not only did they know music but they had been successful at music, so you could take their word for it.” “They were able to give us all these amazing musical moments because they knew music. Reid and Laface Records, they were able to do that very thing,” says the 46 year-old musician. “As someone who truly has lived R&B music, we are the only ones who can curate the space. His experience as a background singer, featured artist, and ultimately a solo act has given Tank the tools to effectively create a network of like-minded individuals, with a focus on R&B preservation. I think that’s the only way that we’re truly going to move forward.” So, there’s only so much I can do behind the microphone. “Somebody has to make sacrifices and go have tough conversations, and build real bridges to make sure that R&B has more places to go. The kind of time that I need to do that, I can’t do it always being in album cycles, and in tour mode,” Tank tells ESSENCE. “I have a goal to build an army of singers, songwriters, and producers. R&B Money may be his last solo project, but he still has so much more to give. He believes that in order to sustain the integrity of his genre, he must take a step back from the recording process and reach out to the young and talented artists waiting for their opportunity to shine.
Today, he releases his final full-length studio album, but not for the reasons that one may think. Decreasing record sales and a lack of representation is hurting the artform that produced acts such as New Edition, Usher, Boyz II Men, and Lucky Daye, among others.įor upwards of two decades, Tank has managed to put out records consistent to the sound of R&B, beginning with his debut, 2001’s Force of Nature.
While rap has risen to the top of popular culture, traditional R&B, from the male standpoint, seems to have suffered. Tank, one of R&B foremost artists, believes that many of today’s top rappers sound like singers, and vice versa. In recent years, the lines between the various genres of Black music have become blurred, specifically that of Hip-Hop and R&B.
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