It just so happened that as Tank’s R&B Money was released to a warm response from listeners, Sean “Diddy” Combs sparked a conversation about whether or not there is still life in the genre. A question posed by Diddy regarding R&B being dead took over the internet as people, fans and professionals, debated the hot topic. There was a time in music history when the industry was existing on the back of R&B and Soul, but these days, the genres don’t carry as much weight as they once did.
Tank was stopped by a TMZ cameraperson and asked if the reception of his record proves that R&B is alive and well. “It proves that R&B is not dead for me,” answered Tank. “But it doesn’t prove that R&B as a whole is not dead.”
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“We are still disconnected from the mainstream—shout out to you, TMZ, for giving us this mainstream look and continuing this conversation in the mainstream, but we need more of that. Not just me, not just [Chris Brown], not just Usher, we need all of us. We need more. When can a song like [Boyz II Men’s] ‘End of the Road’ or [Jodeci’s] ‘Forever My Lady’ be at the top of the 100 charts for a male R&B singer? When? It should be now. So, shoutout to Puff.”
Tank agreed that R&B as a whole has “been on a decline,” as the cameraperson suggested, and added, “Give us our space back.”
Jamie Foxx’s appearance at Tank’s R&B Money release party had fans clamoring for more music from the multihyphenate star. Tank said that he, too, has been “begging” Foxx to drop new hits for years, but it seems that for now, the actor’s focus is elsewhere.
Check out the brief chat below.