Alter Ego

Tyrese covers a long and thorny path

R&B singer Tyrese Gibson — referred to as Tyrese — began his career at the age of 14, performing in local talent shows around his home in Los Angeles' Watts section. He and his siblings were raised by a single mother, after their father left when the singer was only 4. It was during his childhood that Tyrese started looking to music as an outlet, flowing out beats even before R&B started to call. Now he looks to Kanye West and Lauryn Hill as inspirations in defying musical boundaries. Singer/actor/model, Tyrese, released his new double album of hip-hop and R&B entitled Alter Ego. His new music shows fans another side of him. Listening to Alter Ego, even the most cynical of R&B and hip-hop audience would have to admit that Tyrese has a real talent. Alter Ego demonstrates that Tyrese is a legitimate R&B and hip-hop person with a lot more skills than many people are expected. Tyrese is a very talented person, because he has not only a good figure, he has a voice and he really knows what he wants from his life.

A homecoming to the R&B fans and an introduction to the hip-hop

Tyrese's highly anticipated new double album Alter Ego will serve a dual purpose - a homecoming to his R&B fans around the world with one disc full of soon-to-be-classic hits; and an introduction to the hip-hop world as he unleashes his rapper alias Black Ty on the other disc. Alter Ego reportedly features collaborations from hip-hop heavyweights such as Snoop Dogg, Paul Wall, Chingy, the Game, Guerilla Black, and Kurupt. Producers include R. Kelly, Bryan Michael-Cox, Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch. Every track on the R&B part caters to the ladies, with some songs being quite good. The first single, One, about a man pledging his heart to a lover and vowing to be forever faithful, is sure to find its way into weddings. Gotta Got You, which is produced by and features Lil Jon, is sexy mid-tempo bedroom romp music. Also, Morning After is an exquisite expression about the euphoric feeling that comes with waking up after a night of passion - and then engaging in some more passion. And the zodiac-inspired R. Kelly-Tyrese duet Sings of Love Makin’ (Part II) is maybe the R&B portion's best-written song. Releasing his hip-hop disc Tyrese opens before his listeners as a good rapper: “This rap thing has been in me in a little box and I had to open it up.”

Tyrese is at a point in his career where he can take risks

On his fourth album Alter Ego, Tyrese Gibson seems intent on proving many things, among them: that he's still not a professional artist, even though he's focused more on acting than singing in recent years; that he still has the talent to create successful R&B records; that even though he sings love songs, that doesn't mean he's soft and he's a b-boy at heart; and that he's got enough rhyme 'skills to fill an entire CD. Tyrese also feels he's at a point in his career where he can take risks. “This album is definitely a little more incomplete," says Tyrese. "I feel like my R&B career is in a box. There's only so many songs that I can sing about. I choose to not want to sing about the streets, I don't want to sing about what I went through with my friends, jealousy and envy and hating. I don't want to sing about none of that stuff. I want to sing about love. I want to sing about relationships, sex - the things that I know”. The singer is wrapping production on the action film Transformers, which is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Michael Bay. In addition, Tyrese is developing film scripts through his multimedia company HeadQuarters Entertainment and co-writing the book Fly on the Wall with author/inspirational speaker.