Ginuwine

Ginuwine ranked among the leading romantic figures in R&B throughout the hip-hop soul era of the 1990s. Paired at the outset with Timbaland, the era’s most forward-thinking beatmaker, the singer’s smooth, alluring delivery quickly attracted a devoted female audience and kept him on the R&B charts long after his signature futuristic sound gave way to the earthier, backward-looking neo-soul wave.

Born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin in Washington, D.C., on October 15, 1970—the name taken from the D.C.-native Basketball Hall of Famer—he first connected with music through Prince and Michael Jackson, the latter’s celebrated moonwalk on the Motown 25th anniversary special leaving a lasting mark. By age twelve he was already performing at parties and clubs alongside the local hip-hop crew the Finesse Five. He later toured as a Michael Jackson impersonator and sang with another area group, Physical Wonder, while earning a paralegal degree from a nearby community college as a fallback plan. In 1996 he took the stage name Ginuwine, was spotted by Jodeci, and traveled to New York, where he linked with up-and-coming producer Timbaland to record “Pony.” Its unhurried, stuttering rhythm and passionate vocals secured him a contract with Sony’s 550 Music imprint.

Working again with the inventive Timbaland, Ginuwine issued his debut album, Ginuwine…The Bachelor, in late 1996. “Pony” topped the R&B chart and reached number six on the pop side, while the project eventually earned double-platinum certification. Follow-up singles such as “Tell Me Do U Wanna,” “I’ll Do Anything/I’m Sorry,” “Holler,” and “Only When Ur Lonely” continued to perform strongly on R&B radio, and the set also included his cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” a nod to one of his chief inspirations. As demand for Timbaland’s services surged in the album’s wake, Ginuwine solidified his status as a sex symbol. He maintained visibility in 1998 with the hit “Same Ol’ G,” featured on the soundtrack to Eddie Murphy’s Dr. Dolittle, and made his acting debut that year on an episode of the CBS series Martial Law.

His second album, 100% Ginuwine, arrived in early 1999. Once more helmed by Timbaland, it debuted at number five on the pop chart, spawned the notable crossover single “So Anxious,” and achieved platinum status. Additional R&B successes included “What’s So Different?” and “None of Ur Friends Business,” while another cover—this time of Michael Jackson’s “She’s Out of My Life”—paid tribute to a second major influence. The Life followed in spring 2001, even as Ginuwine coped with the suicide of his father and the cancer-related death of his mother within the same year. Produced without Timbaland for the first time, the album still entered at number three and went platinum; the ballad “Differences,” the second single after “There It Is,” became his highest-charting pop hit to date, peaking at number four.

In 2002 Ginuwine made his feature-film debut in the gender-bending basketball comedy Juwanna Mann, portraying a smooth R&B vocalist. That summer he returned to the Top Ten via his duet with P. Diddy on “I Need a Girl, Pt. 2.” Around the same period, authorities in Minnesota apprehended a man who had been impersonating the singer for several years and defrauding business associates. Although subsequent singles charted modestly, both The Senior (2003) and Back II da Basics (2005) reached the Top Five of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart; even the unauthorized bootleg I Apologize registered minor sales in 2007. Ginuwine then left the Sony umbrella for a distribution arrangement with Warner Bros. A Man’s Thoughts, released in 2009, topped the R&B albums chart and reunited him with Timbaland on “Get Involved.” The January 2011 club track “Batteries,” featuring Trina, preceded his seventh studio album, Elgin. He subsequently joined Tank and Tyrese for the 2013 project Three Kings, issued under the group name TGT.