Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second and third albums, ''

2000 Watts ''2000 Watts'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Tyrese. It was released by RCA Records on May 22, 2001 in the United States. The album features the singles: " I Like Them Girls", "What Am I Gonna Do" and " Just a Baby Bo ...

'' and '' I Wanna Go There'', were released in 2001 and 2002; respectively, the latter contained the lead single " How You Gonna Act Like That", which became Gibson's highest-charting single, reaching number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His fourth album, ''

Alter Ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...

'', explored hip hop, while he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for his fifth album '' Open Invitation'' (2011). Gibson's sixth album, '' Black Rose'' (2015), debuted at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, becoming his highest-charting album. He has sold over 4 million records in the United States. Gibson had his first starring role in

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be ...

hood film '' Baby Boy'' (2001), and then began appearing as

Roman Pearce ''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The following is a list of character ...

in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Gibson reunited with Singleton for the action film '' Four Brothers'' (2005), and plays Robert Epps in the ''Transformers'' franchise. He appeared in the

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

Ride Along 2 ''Ride Along 2'' is a 2016 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tim Story and written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. It is the sequel to the 2014 film '' Ride Along''. The film stars Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Ken Jeong, Benjamin Brat ...

'' (2016), and appeared in the superhero film '' Morbius'' (2022).

Early life

Gibson was born and raised in

Watts, Los Angeles Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California. It is located within the South Los Angeles region, bordering the cities of Lynwood, Huntington Park and South Gate to the east and southeast, respectively, and the unincorporated co ...

, California. His mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson ( Durham), raised him and his three older siblings as a single parent after his father, Tyrone Gibson, left.

Music career

Beginnings

Gibson's career began when he auditioned for a Coca-Cola commercial at the suggestion of his high school music teacher. An appearance in a 1994

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

advertisement, singing the phrase "Always Coca-Cola", led to bigger fame. It also led him to other appearances, such as for

Guess A guess (or an act of guessing) is a swift conclusion drawn from data directly at hand, and held as probable or tentative, while the person making the guess (the guesser) admittedly lacks material for a greater degree of certainty. A guess is als ...

and

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( /hɪlˈfɪgər/; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upst ...

1998–1999: ''Tyrese''

Gibson was signed as an artist to

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

in early 1998. Afterwards, he released his debut single "

Nobody Else ''Nobody Else'' is the third studio album by British boy band Take That. It would become Take That's last studio album to be recorded before they disbanded in 1996. The album includes the singles "Sure", " Back for Good" (which remains the gr ...

". It quickly rose on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 36. On September 29, 1998, he released his self-titled album '' Tyrese'' at the age of 19. It debuted on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' charts at No. 17. In late 1998, Gibson became the new host of the weekday music video show ''MTV Jams'' on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and a host and VJ for the channel. Afterwards, he released the second single from the album " Lately". It made it to No. 56 on the ''Billboard'' charts. Then, the album's third single and highest-charting single " Sweet Lady" became the album's biggest hit, reaching No. 9 on the R&B charts. The single earned Gibson a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance. The album eventually went on to be

certified Platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. Gibson, along with singers Ginuwine, RL of

Next Next may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare * ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage * '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film Lit ...

, and

Case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to ca ...

, were featured on the soundtrack of '' The Best Man'' on the single " The Best Man I Can Be".

2000–2001: ''2000 Watts''

On May 22, 2001, Gibson released his second studio album ''

''. The first single off the album was "

I Like Them Girls "I Like Them Girls" is a song by American singer Tyrese Gibson. It was written by Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Phillip "Silky" White, and J. Valentine for Gibson's second album ''2000 Watts'' (2001), while production was helmed by Mason and T ...

", which reached No. 15 on the

Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. The album went on to be certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

, selling over 500,000 copies. The third single off the album, "Just a Baby Boy", with

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

and Mr. Tan, was featured on the soundtrack to the film '' Baby Boy'', Gibson's first major acting role.

2002–2004: ''I Wanna Go There''

After

was disbanded Gibson went on to sign to

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

. There he released his third studio album '' I Wanna Go There'' on December 10, 2002. His first single from the album and arguably his most successful single to date " How You Gonna Act Like That" debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 7.

2005–2010: ''Alter Ego'' and hiatus

On December 12, 2006, Gibson released his fourth studio album, ''

'', his first double-disc album. It was also his first album in which he debuts his rapping persona. The first single off the album was "One" debuting on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 26. The album itself is considered Gibson's lowest selling album to date. In 2007, Gibson, Ginuwine, and

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful ...

founded TGT.

2011–2012: ''Open Invitation''

After taking time from music to focus on his family and his highly successful acting career, Gibson decided it was time to return to music. In 2011, he signed himself and his newly founded label Voltron Recordz to EMI and announced he was working on a new album titled '' Open Invitation''. On August 16, 2011, Gibson released the lead single "Stay". The music video for the single featured fellow actor, friend and ''Baby Boy'' co-star

Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson ( ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in '' Baby Boy'' (2001). Sh ...

. It peaked on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart at No. 11. The second single "Too Easy" featured fellow actor, friend and rapper

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

. It peaked on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 38. The third single "Nothing On You" peaked on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 61. ''Open Invitation'' was released on November 1, 2011. It debuted on the US ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart at No. 9, sold 130,000 copies in its first week and has gone on to sell over 400,000 copies. In 2013, the album earned Gibson his third

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination at the

2013 Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET ...

for Best R&B Album.

2013–2017: TGT and ''Black Rose''

In early 2013, it was announced and confirmed after much speculation that Gibson, Ginuwine, and

would be releasing their debut collaboration album, to be distributed by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

. In 2014, Gibson released the album '' Black Rose''. A double album set was released in 2015. On July 10, 2015, ''Black Rose'' was released and had debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 77,000 copies, making it Gibson's first number one album of his career.

2017–present: ''Identity Theft''

In October 2017, Gibson worked on a project titled ''Identity Theft'', also returning to the alter-ego Black Ty. The album focuses more on his hip-hop roots, predicting that it will "change hip-hop." When Gibson competed on season five of '' The Masked Singer'', interim host Niecy Nash introduced his character as "Porcupine," only for Gibson to tell her that his character preferred to be called "Robopine."

Acting career

Gibson has a recurring role in two of the highest-grossing film series: ''

Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...

'' and ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, ...

''. His first role was in

's '' Baby Boy'' in 2001.

''Fast & Furious''

Gibson plays

in the ''

'' film series. He first played Pearce alongside his best friend, the late

Paul Walker Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...

, in 2003's ''

2 Fast 2 Furious ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' is a 2003 action film directed by John Singleton from a screenplay by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, from a story by Brandt, Haas, and Gary Scott Thompson. It is the sequel to ''The Fast and the Furious'' (2001), and is ...

'', his second collaboration with Singleton. He returned as Roman Pearce in '' Fast Five'' (2011), ''

Fast & Furious 6 ''Fast & Furious 6'' (titled on-screen as ''Furious 6'') is a 2013 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Fast Five'' (2011) and is the sixth installment in the ''Fast & Furious'' franc ...

'' (2013), ''

Furious 7 ''Furious 7'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 7'') is a 2015 American action film directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013) and '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006), and ser ...

'' (2015), ''

The Fate of the Furious ''The Fate of the Furious'' (alternatively known as ''F8'' and titled on-screen as ''Fast & Furious 8'' internationally) is a 2017 American action film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Furious 7'' ...

'' (2017), and '' F9'' (2021).

''Transformers''

Gibson portrays Sergeant Robert Epps in the ''Transformers'' film series. In 2007, with the cast of

Josh Duhamel Joshua David Duhamel (; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor and former fashion model. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera '' All My Children'' and later starred as Danny M ...

John Turturro John Michael Turturro (; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his contributions to the independent film movement. He has appeared in over sixty feature films and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers, ...

, Megan Fox,

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ...

and

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. He came to prominence in the late 1960s with his Academy Award–nominated performance as Joe Buck, a would-be gigolo, in ''Midnight Cowboy'' (1969). During the 1970s, h ...

, with star Shia LaBeouf, ''

'' went on to make nearly $710 million worldwide. It was directed and co-produced by

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use ...

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

served as the executive producer. Gibson reprised his role in the sequels '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009) and '' Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' (2011). Gibson was supposed to return as Epps in '' Transformers: The Last Knight'' (2017), but was unable to appear due to scheduling conflicts with ''The Fate of the Furious''.

Other films

In 2005, Singleton and Gibson collaborated for the third time when Gibson co-starred in the action-crime drama '' Four Brothers'' alongside

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Mark Wahlberg, multiple accolades, including a B ...

. Gibson went on to star in the action-drama ''

Waist Deep ''Waist Deep'' is a 2006 American action drama film directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good. Plot Ex-con Otis Samuel Sr. or "O2" on account of his ability to vanish from a crime scene like oxygen, has done his t ...

'' with

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Cousin Skeeter'' (1998–2001). Good received further ...

. In 2008, he co-starred opposite Jason Statham in '' Death Race''. In March 2019, Gibson joined

Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Gold ...

in Sony's

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

spinoff '' Morbius''.

Writing

In 2009, Gibson co-created a three-issue comic book titled '' Tyrese Gibson's MAYHEM!'' after being inspired from his visit to

Comic Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

. On May 8, 2012, Gibson released his first book, titled ''How to Get Out of Your Own Way''. It went on to be a ''New York Times'' bestseller. On February 5, 2013, Gibson co-authored his second book along with close personal friend Rev. Run titled ''Manology: Secrets of Your Man's Mind Revealed'', which also went on to be a ''New York Times'' best seller.

Personal life

Gibson was married to Norma Mitchell from 2007 to 2009, and the couple had one child, a daughter, born in 2007. He married Samantha Lee on February 14, 2017. Their daughter was born on October 1, 2018. In December 2020, Gibson and Lee announced they were divorcing. Gibson has described himself as a born-again Christian. In 2017, Tyrese purchased a $4 million home in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

Discography

;Solo albums * '' Tyrese'' (1998) * ''

'' (2001) * '' I Wanna Go There'' (2002) * ''

'' (2006) * '' Open Invitation'' (2011) * '' Black Rose'' (2015) * ''Beautiful Pain'' (2022) ;Collaborative albums * ''

Three Kings The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the ...

'' (2013)

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Theme park ride

Awards and nominations

;

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

, - ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, Tyrese Gibson , Favorite New R&B/Soul Artist , ;Black Movie Awards , - , 2006 , ''

'' , Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role , ;

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

, - , rowspan="2" , 2002 , "

Just a Baby Boy "Just a Baby Boy" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg featuring guest vocals from American R&B singer and actor Tyrese and rapper Mr. Tan, taken from the soundtrack '' Baby Boy''. The song was written by Snoop Dogg, Tyrese and Kevin "DJ Bat ...

" (with Mr. Tan and Snoop Dogg) , Best Song , , - , '' Baby Boy'' , Best Actor , , - , 2006 , '' Four Brothers'' , Best Ensemble , ;

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

, - , 2000 , "Sweet Lady" , rowspan="2" , Best R&B Male Vocal Performance , , - , 2004 , "How U Gonna Act Like That" , , - , 2013 , ''Open Invitation'' , rowspan="2" , Best R&B Album , , - , 2014 , ''Three Kings'' with Ginuwine and Tank as TGT , , - , rowspan="2" , 2016 , rowspan="2" , "Shame" , Best Traditional R&B Performance , , - , Best R&B Song , ;

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

, - , 2002 , ''2000 Watts'' , Outstanding Hip-Hop Artist , , - , 2002 , '' Baby Boy'' , Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture , , - , 2002 , ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'' , Outstanding Performance in a Variety Show , , - , 2012 , ''Trumpet Awards'' , Pinnacle Award , ;

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

, - , 2001 , '' Baby Boy'' for 'its innovative concept and ensemble acting' , Special Mention Award ;

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the p ...

, - , 2013 , "TGT" with Ginuwine and Tank , New Artist of the Year , , - , 2012 , "Stay" , Song of the Year ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Tyrese 1978 births Living people 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American rappers African-American Christians African-American male actors African-American male models African-American male rappers African-American models American contemporary R&B singers American hip hop singers African-American male singer-songwriters American male film actors American male models American male pop singers American soul singers American male television actors American male voice actors Florida A&M University alumni J Records artists Male actors from California Male actors from Los Angeles Male models from California Models from Los Angeles People from Watts, Los Angeles Rappers from California Rappers from Los Angeles RCA Records artists Singers from Los Angeles Singer-songwriters from California TGT (group) members VJs (media personalities)