After establishing himself with three increasingly sophisticated and libidinous solo albums for Blackground Records, he teamed with the “Pony” rider and Tyrese in TGT, the R&B supergroup whose debut Three Kings topped Billboard’s R&B album chart in 2013. With its sultry-sounding production by Cardiak and decidedly NSFW chorus, “When We” was steamy even by the standards he set with bedroom-ready ballads like “Please Don’t Go” and “Sex Music.” Clearly, Tank-who was born Durrell Babbs in Milwaukee in 1976-learned some valuable lessons on setting a mood when he first broke into the music business as a backup singer for Ginuwine. He certainly left no doubts about the kind of heat he can generate with “When We,” a 2017 single that became his biggest hit in a decade. One of the smoothest operators in modern R&B, Tank is a master at keeping his cool even when he’s turning up the temperature.
