Tank (American singer)

Tank
Tank in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Durrell Artaze Babbs[1]
Born	(1976-01-01) January 1, 1976 (age 48) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Origin	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul
Occupations	Singer songwriter record producer actor
Years active	1996–present
Labels	R&B Money Empire Atlantic Blackground Virgin Universal
Formerly of	TGT
Spouse	Zena Foster ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	5
Website	therealtank.com

Durrell Artaze Babbs (born January 1, 1976),^[2] better known by his stage name Tank, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Aaliyah and Ginuwine, and signed a recording contract with the former's record label, Blackground Records as a performing act in 1998. His 2001 single, "Maybe I Deserve" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led his debut studio album, Force of Nature (2001). It peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, while his second album, One Man (2002), peaked within the top 20 and was met with mixed critical reception.

Following a five-year hiatus, he entered a joint venture with Motown to release his third album, Sex, Love & Pain (2007). Met with his furthest commercial success, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and was preceded by the Billboard Hot 100-top 50 single, "Please Don't Go". He parted ways with the labels in favor of Atlantic Records to release his following albums: Now or Never (2010), This Is How I Feel (2012), Stronger (2014), Sex, Love & Pain II (2014), and Savage (2017), the latter of which spawned the platinum-certified single "When We". Following his ninth album Elevation (2019), his tenth album, R&B Money (2022) was announced as his final due to hearing loss in his right ear, which hampered his musical ability.^[3]

In 2007, he formed the R&B trio TGT with contemporaries Ginuwine and Tyrese, with whom he released one studio album (2013). Along with recording, Tank has been credited with songwriting and production for other artists including Kelly Rowland, Chris Brown, Monica, Jamie Foxx, Omarion, LeToya Luckett, NLT, and KeKe Wyatt. His other ventures include his record label R&B Money, which has signed frequent collaborator J. Valentine; the two began hosting a namesake podcast in 2022, which enlists prominent figures in the genre as guests. Tank has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Soul Train Music Award, and his podcast was nominated for Best Work of Music Journalism - Multimedia at the 2023 International Music Journalism Awards.

Babbs was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,^[4] then he moved with his family as a child to Baltimore, Maryland. He was a multisport athlete in high school and was offered the opportunity to play college football.^[2] However, Tank decided to focus on music, with his vocal talent being recognized to the point where R&B singer Ginuwine gave him an opportunity to sing background vocals for him during one of the latter's tours.^[2] Tank also became a backing singer for Aaliyah, whom he had met through Ginuwine in 1997.^[5][6][7]

Tank later signed as an artist with Aaliyah's record label Blackground Records.

In 2001, Tank released his debut album Force of Nature which spawned the moderate hit Maybe I Deserve".^[8][9] In 2002, Tank released his second album One Man and a single of the same name.^[10] Tank provided vocals for I Care 4 U, Aaliyah's posthumous compilation album, featuring on the album's final single, "Come Over".

Tank released his third solo album, Sex, Love & Pain, in May 2007.^[11] The lead single of the album was the minor hit "Please Don't Go", which peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[9] Later that year, Tank, alongside Ginuwine and Tyrese Gibson, formed the group TGT.^[12] The group was put on hold due to contractual issues, but signed with Atlantic Records in September 2012 to release their debut collaborative album, Three Kings the following year.^[13]

Tank released his fourth studio album, Now or Never, in December 2010.^[14] Tank collaborated with artists who included Chris Brown, Drake, Letoya Luckett on this project.^[15] The singles were "Sex Music", "I Can't Make You Love Me", and "Emergency".^[15]

Tank released his fifth studio album, This Is How I Feel, in May 2012.^[16] Tank collaborated with the artists Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes, T.I. and Kris Stephens on the album.^[16] The song "Compliments", featuring Kris Stephens and T.I., was released as the lead single in October 2011.^[17]

On September 14, 2013, Tank sang the U.S. national anthem before the Floyd Mayweather vs. Saúl Álvarez fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[18]

His sixth studio album Stronger was released in August 2014. It featured the singles "You're My Star" and the title track. They did not make the US Hot 100 but both peaked in the Top 20 of the US Urban AC chart. The album marked a slight departure from his previous releases, focusing on a "retro R&B sound" for the album. Following disappointing sales of the release, Tank had claimed the album would be his last.^[19]

In February 2015, a mixtape album, If You Were Mine, was released. Later that year, Tank premiered a new single, "You Don't Know", featuring Wale. It served as the lead single for his seventh studio album Sex Love & Pain II, released in January 2016. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart (marking his 5th album to do so) and #15 on the US Top 200 Albums chart. A second single "#BDAY" followed later that year, in addition to a holiday EP A Classic Christmas Night in December, released independently.

In May 2017, Tank performed at Washington DC's Black Gay Pride event, garnering both praise and criticism and setting off a debate concerning the rare instances male R&B artists perform at LGBT events.^[20][21] In September 2017, Tank released his eighth studio album, Savage.^[22] The album's lead single "When We", has peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. In October 2019, Tank released his ninth studio album ELEVATION. He then released a piano-laced EP titled While You Wait on March 27, 2020.^[9]

On February 26, 2021, Tank released the single "Can't Let It Show" of which the chorus interpolates the 1989 Kate Bush single "This Woman's Work". Kate Bush is credited for the song alongside Tank.^[23][24]

In August 2021, it was announced that Blackground Records would be rereleasing discographies of artists including Tank, Aaliyah, Toni Braxton and Timbaland & Magoo.^[25][26] Tank's first three studio albums were reissued on CD, cassette, vinyl, digital download and for the first time, streaming, on September 17, 2021.

On October 29, 2021, Tank released "I Deserve" from his upcoming tenth and final album R&B Money.^[27][28][29] The single reached the top 10 on the R&B Radio chart.^[24]

Tank was nominated, for the first time, for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, held on November 21, 2021. He lost to The Weeknd.^[30]

Prior to the release of R&B Money, Tank announced that it would be his final studio album, triggered in part by loss of hearing in his right ear in 2021.^[31]

Tank's songwriting and production credits include working with Aaliyah, Beyoncé, Dave Hollister, Fantasia Barrino, Kelly Rowland, Marques Houston, Omarion, Jamie Foxx, Pitbull, Donell Jones and Monica^[4] as a member of the production team the Underdogs and with his own team, Song Dynasty.

He was a contributor to the score of the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, in which he had a cameo. He was also featured in the movie Preacher's Kid.^[32] Tank played Donovan in Born Again Virgin (2015–2016). He also played recording company executive Jheryl Busby in the BET miniseries The New Edition Story (2017), The Bobby Brown Story (2018), and appeared in T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle (2018).

Tank and his manager, J. Valentine, are the hosts of their own streaming podcast, R&B Money Podcast, where they interview popular R&B recording artists, songwriters, producers, and other legends of the genre, discussing industry topics with R&B music at its center. The podcast is most popular on the YouTube platform.

Tank got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Zena Foster on January 16, 2017. The couple has two children, Zion and Zoey. They were married in Los Angeles, California, on July 22, 2018.^[33][34]

Tank is also the father of three more children from previous relationships: Jordan, Ryen, and Durrell Jr.^[35]

Studio albums

• Force of Nature (2001)
• One Man (2002)
• Sex, Love & Pain (2007)
• Now or Never (2010)
• This Is How I Feel (2012)
• Stronger (2014)
• Sex Love & Pain II (2016)
• Savage (2017)
• Elevation (2019)
• R&B Money (2022)

Collaborative albums

• Three Kings (with Tyrese and Ginuwine, as TGT) (2013)

• Official website
• Tank at IMDb