Gibson was born and raised in Watts, Los Angeles, California.[5][6] His mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson (née Durham), raised him and his three older siblings as a single parent after his father, Tyrone Gibson, left.[7][8]
While growing up in Watts on 113th Street during the late 80s, Gibson was exposed to gangs, with some of his childhood friends becoming members of the Crips. In his autobiography, Tyrese stated it was an older gangster named "Dirtbike Fred" that encouraged him to take a different path.[9] He later graduated from Locke High School in 1996.
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 advertisement, singing the phrase "Always Coca-Cola",[10] led to bigger fame. It also led him to other appearances, such as for Guess and Tommy Hilfiger.
1998–1999: Tyrese
Gibson was signed as an artist to RCA Records in 1998, releasing his debut single "Nobody Else". 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 charts at No. 17. In late 1998, Gibson became the new host of the weekday music video show MTV Jams on MTV and a host and VJ for the channel.[11] Afterwards, he released the second and highest-charting single "Sweet Lady" which 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. Afterwards, he released the third single from the album "Lately". It made it to No. 56 on the Billboard charts. The album eventually went on to be certified Platinum. Gibson, along with singers Ginuwine, RL of Next, and Case, 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 2000 Watts. The first single off the album was "I Like Them Girls", which reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album went on to be certified Gold, selling over 500,000 copies. The third single off the album, "Just a Baby Boy", with Snoop Dogg 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 RCA Records was disbanded, Gibson went on to sign to J Records, where 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, Alter Ego, his first double-disc album. It was also the first album in which he showcased 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 founded TGT.
2011–2012: Open Invitation
After taking time from music to focus on his family and acting career, Gibson returned to music in 2011, when he signed himself to EMI and released his fifth studio album Open Invitation on November 1. The album 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. It was preceded by the lead single "Stay" and peaked on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 11.[12] The second single "Too Easy" featured fellow actor, friend and rapper Ludacris. 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. In 2013, the album earned Gibson his third Grammy nomination at the 2013 Grammy Awards 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 Tank would be releasing their debut collaboration album, to be distributed by Atlantic Records.[13][14] In 2014, Gibson released the album Black Rose.[15] A double album set was released in 2015. On July 10, 2015, Black Rose was released and 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.[16] It received positive reviews. However, his Fast & Furious co-star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson called it "the biggest piece of dogshit that I've ever heard".[17][18]
2017–present: Beautiful Pain
In October 2017, Gibson announced he was working on a project titled Identity Theft and returning to his alter-ego Black Ty. Identity Theft was supposed to focus more on his hip-hop roots, with Gibson predicting that it would "change hip-hop."[19] The project however was shelved and retooled into an R&B album titled Beautiful Pain, rumored to be released in late 2023. A single titled "Don't Think You Ever Loved", which features Lenny Kravitz and background vocals by Le'Andria Johnson, was released in February 2023.[20] A remix of the song (featuring 2 Chainz and Jeezy) leaked on YouTube later that month. "Love Transaction", a second single from the album, was released on August 25, 2023. 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".
In 2005, Singleton and Gibson collaborated for the third time when Gibson co-starred in the action-crime drama Four Brothers alongside Mark Wahlberg.[31][32]
In 2009, Gibson co-created a three-issue comic book titled Tyrese Gibson's MAYHEM! after being inspired from his visit to Comic Con.
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.[40] 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.[41][42][43]
Personal life
Gibson was married to Norma Mitchell from 2007 to 2009, and the couple had one child, a daughter,[44] born in 2007.[45]
In January 2017, Gibson purchased a $4 million home in Atlanta, Georgia.[46] He married Samantha Lee on February 14, 2017.[47][48] Their daughter was born on October 1, 2018.[49] In December 2020, Gibson and Lee announced they were divorcing.[50] In October 2023, it was reported that their divorce was finalized in 2020.[51]
On September 9, 2024, Gibson was arrested following an appearance in Fulton County Court where he was issued a contempt charge after it was found that he was failing to pay child support to his ex-wife Samatha Lee.[54] Gibson was ordered to remain in custody until he paid Lee $73,500 in child support.[54] Gibson posted on his Instagram page the next day.[54] According to the Atlanta Black Star, Gibson was released after paying the child support.[55] He plans to appeal the contempt order.[54]
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