Anthony Hamilton | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Hamilton in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Anthony Cornelius Hamilton (1971-01-28)January 28, 1971 (age 54) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Anthony Hamilton discography |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | The Soultronics |
Spouse | |
| Website | www |
Anthony Cornelius Hamilton (born January 28, 1971)[1][2] is an American singer. Hailing fromCharlotte, North Carolina, he signed withUptown Records, an imprint ofMCA Records to record his debut studio albumXTC; scheduled for release in 1996, it was ultimately shelved due to its singles failing to chart. He then gained recognition for his guest performance onNappy Roots' 2002 single "Po' Folks", which peaked at number 21 on theBillboard Hot 100 and led him to sign withJermaine Dupri'sSo So Def Recordings, an imprint ofArista Records.
Hamilton's second studio album,Comin' from Where I'm From (2003) receivedplatinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), earned fourGrammy Award nominations, and spawned the 2004 single "Charlene", which peaked at number 19 on theBillboard Hot 100.[3] His third and fourth albums,Ain't Nobody Worryin' (2005) andThe Point of It All (2008), both peaked within the top 20 of theBillboard 200 and receivedgold certifications by the RIAA. He then parted ways with So So Def in favor ofRCA Records to release his fifth and sixth albums,Back to Love (2011) andWhat I'm Feelin' (2016).[4]
Hamilton has won a Grammy Award from 12 nominations,[5] and is also known his song "Freedom" (withElayna Boynton), which he co-wrote and performed for thesoundtrack album to the 2012 filmDjango Unchained.[6]
A Charlotte native, Hamilton began singing in his church's choir at age 17.[7] He attendedSouth Mecklenburg High School, where he performed as part of in their award-winning choir directed by Mark Setzer.[8] In 1992, he met producerMark Sparks, who encouraged Hamilton to leave Charlotte and head toNew York City, where he signed withAndre Harrell'sUptown Records.[7] In 1996, he recorded the albumXTC for MCA Records, which has remained unreleased.[9][10]
Hamilton co-wrote the 1999 hit "U Know What's Up" for singerDonell Jones.[11][12] In 2000, he joinedsoul singerD'Angelo's international tour in promotion of theVoodoo album, where he featured as abackup singer.[13]
Hamilton was first introduced to mainstream audiences with after performing the chorus toNappy Roots 2002 single "Po' Folks", which earned aGrammy Award nomination for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" in2003.[14][15] "Po' Folks" is the second single from the debut album,Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz (2002).[16] Hamilton further collaborated with Nappy Roots on their songs the songs "Sick & Tired", "Push On", and "Organic" from their second studio album forAtlantic Records:Wooden Leather (2003); he also guest performed on the lead single—"Down N' Out"—to their third album,The Humdinger (2008).[17][18] Nappy Roots and Hamilton both guest performed onMark Ronson's 2003 song "Bluegrass Stain'd" from the latter's albumHere Comes the Fuzz.[19]
Hamilton made a guest appearances onTupac Shakur's posthumous albumBetter Dayz (2002)—on the album's second disc version of "Thugz Mansion".[20]
In 2003 he released his debut albumComin' From Where I'm From that featured the hit single "Charlene".[21]
He guest featured onJadakiss' 2004 single "Why",[22] which peaked at number 11 on theBillboard Hot 100 and received aGrammy Award nomination forBest Rap/Sung Collaboration.[5]
After MCA had failed to giveXTC proper release, Hamilton signed with the Chris Dawley's Soulife Records.[23] In the period 1999 to 2001, prior to his 2003 official debut, Hamilton's first compilation album,Soulife was released in June 2005 and was composed of songs recorded .[24] After the record company went bankrupt the recording were shelved. Arista asked Hamilton to revisited the material and with parts re-recorded, a selection was released asSoulife in June 2005.Ain't Nobody Worryin', his third studio album, was released on December 13, 2005 and receivedgold certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Hamilton guest appeared on a song fromthe RH Factor's 2003 albumHard Groove—"Kwah/Home". He appeared onAngie Stone's "Stay For A While" in 2004. He made a guest appearance onblues singer-guitaristBuddy Guy's 2005 albumBring 'Em In, contributing vocals to acover version ofBob Dylan's 1969 "Lay Lady Lay", which featuredRobert Randolph.
At the 2006BET Awards, Hamilton won theBET J "Cool Like That" Award. ComedianDave Chappelle had Hamilton as a musical guest on his showChappelle's Show in episode 6, Season 2 that premiered onComedy Central. In later 2006, he guest performed on Tupac Shakur's "Dear Mama (Frank Nitty Remix)". He made a guest appearance on theUPN showAll of Us in Season 2. Hamilton made a cameo as a soul singer in the filmAmerican Gangster, to whose soundtrack he contributed. During the 2008 BET Awards, Hamilton performedAl Green's "Tired of Being Alone" during a tribute to Green's career. Later in 2008, he was featured onJeezy's albumThe Recession, which peaked atop theBillboard 200.[25]
In July 2011,Jill Scott released her single "So In Love" featuring Hamilton. The song spent 19 weeks at number one on the Urbanadult contemporary charts. In 2012, Hamilton made guest appearances two successful releases forDef Jam Recordings artists:Big K.R.I.T.'sLive from the Underground andLife Is Good byNas, the latter of which debuted atop theBillboard 200.[26] Hamilton also co-performed on thesoundtrack toQuentin Tarantino'sDjango Unchained with his the song "Freedom", a duet with soul singerElayna Boynton. British DJBen Pearce sampled vocals from Hamilton's song, "Cornbread, Fish & Collard Greens" in his 2013 song, "What I Might Do".
In February 2015, Hamilton made a cameo appearance on the television seriesEmpire, where he performed "Point of It All" as part of main character Luscious Lyon's proposal to his girlfriend.[27] The episode aired February 4, 2015. In August 2015, Hamilton made a guest appearance on the song "That One", the first single fromTeedra Moses' second albumCognac & Conversation.
On February 24, 2016, Hamilton performed at the last "In Performance at the White House" hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle as part of a tribute to singerRay Charles.[28] On March 25, he released his sixth albumWhat I'm Feelin (2016), which he describes as an "emotional" cleanse reflecting on some of the hurdles he has faced.[29] The album features guitaristsGary Clark, Jr. andVince Gill, and songs produced by Mark Batson,Salaam Remi, andJames Poyser, among others.[30][31] Hamilton worked with the background singers the HamilTones,[32] who often perform soul renditions of hip hop tracks.[33][34] That same month, Hamilton partnered withCracker Barrel Old Country to release a deluxe version of the album sold online and in their stores.[35] On March 28, 2016, Hamilton performed on NPR's critically acclaimedTiny Desk Concerts, where he performed his the singles "Amen", "Best of Me", "Cool", and "Charlene".[36]Chris Brown recruited Hamilton to perform on the "Legends" remix of his single "Back to Sleep", which was released on April 10, 2016.[37] On April 21, 2016, Hamilton embarked on a nationwide tour withFantasia.
In 2017, Hamilton co-performed on the song "Carnival" for the virtual bandGorillaz from their fifth albumHumanz. On May 15, 2020, Hamilton released the single "Back Together" featuringRick James through Hamilton's label My Music Box, in partnership withBMG. The song was co-written by Hamilton and Ed D. Kane, and produced by9th Wonder. It served as the lead single from his seventh album,Love Is the New Black, released on September 24, 2021.[38]
On August 28, 2025, Hamilton and actorOmari Hardwick released the collaborative albumPages, a mixture of spoken word poetry and melody.[39]
Hamilton has six sons.[40]
Dating since 2003, he married his background singer Tarsha McMillan in 2005.[41][7] On November 2, 2010, Hamilton and his wife Tarsha welcomed twin boys.[42] On his official Facebook page on June 11, 2012, Hamilton announced the birth of another son. The couple announced on June 20, 2015, after 10 years of marriage, that they were getting a divorce.[43]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Anthony Hamilton | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| Best Male R&B Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Nominated | ||
| "Why" (withJadakiss) | Best Collaboration | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Anthony Hamilton | BET J Cool Like Dat Award | Won |
| Best Male R&B Artist | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Do You Feel Me" | Best Song | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Comin' from Where I'm From" | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Nominated |
| "Comin' from Where I'm From" | Best R&B Song | Nominated | |
| "Comin' from Where I'm From" | Best Contemporary R&B Album | Nominated | |
| 2005 | "Charlene" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 2009 | "You've Got The Love I Need" (withAl Green) | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Won |
| 2010 | "Soul Music" | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Nominated |
| "The Point Of It All" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
| "The Point Of It All" | Best R&B Album | Nominated | |
| 2013 | "Back To Love" | Best R&B Album | Nominated |
| "Pray For Me" | Best R&B Song | Nominated | |
| 2014 | "Best of Me" | Best R&B Song | Nominated |
| 2017 | "What I'm Feelin' (featuring The HamilTones)" | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Anthony Hamilton | Outstanding New Artist | Nominated |
| 2005 | Anthony Hamilton | Outstanding Male Artist | Nominated |
| "Charlene" | Outstanding Song | Nominated |
2022
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Himself | Best Reggae | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Comin' From Where I'm From" | Favorite Male R&B/Soul Single | Nominated |
| Comin' From Where I'm From | Favorite Male R&B/Soul Album | Nominated | |
| 2005 | "Charlene" | Favorite Male R&B/Soul Single | Nominated |
| 2006 | Soulife | Favorite Male R&B/Soul Album | Nominated |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
