Carl Thomas (singer)

Did You Know?

• Thomas's brother Duranthony Evans, a corrections officer, was killed in a drive-by shooting in October 2004.
• In 2019, Thomas underwent surgery to remove a noncancerous tumor in his salivary glands.
• His record label established the Duranthony Evans Foundation in memory of his brother.

Career

Thomas began his career singing in Chicago and was a member of a group called The Fourmula. He later traveled to New York City, performing at open-mic nights in clubs, where Sean "Puffy" Combs saw him and signed him to Bad Boy Entertainment in 1997. In February 2000, Thomas released his hit single "I Wish," produced by Mike City, which topped the R&B charts for six consecutive weeks. His debut album, Emotional, followed on April 18, 2000, and was certified platinum with over one million in sales, supported by singles including "Summer Rain" (which peaked at number 18 and appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film Shaft) and the title track "Emotional" (which reached number 8 on the R&B charts).

Rapper Jay-Z later interpolated "I Wish" on his song "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" from the 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. Thomas also sang on the track "Everyday" from The Understanding by rapper Memphis Bleek and collaborated with Cuban Link and Big Pun on "Cheat On Her" from Cuban's unreleased debut LP 24K, which later leaked online. His second album, Let's Talk About It, was released on March 23, 2004, but its two singles, "She Is" and "Let's Talk About It," charted poorly.

Lack of promotion, caused by the death of Thomas's brother Duranthony Evans in a drive-by shooting on Halloween night on Aurora's east side, contributed to the album's reception; Thomas took a sabbatical from music and promotion. In 2005, he was featured on Amerie's second album Touch on the track "Can We Go." On the 2006 2Pac album Pac's Life, Thomas appeared alongside Hussein Fatal and Papoose on "Dumpin'." On December 7, 2006, he earned a Grammy Award nomination, along with Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, and Gerald Levert, for "Everyday (Family Reunion)" from the soundtrack of Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocals. His third album, So Much Better, was released on May 30, 2007, and reached number 25 on the US Billboard 200 chart.