Governor

R&B vocalist Governor spent the bulk of his early years watching promising ventures collapse before release. Born Governor Washington, Jr., the son of a Virginia preacher, he repeatedly watched material—some of it created alongside marquee figures such as Dr. Dre—permanently shelved. Only after inking a deal with Atlantic recording artist T.I.’s Grand Hustle Entertainment label did he finally secure the major-label support required to advance his career.

Immediately after finishing high school in 1990, Governor declined admission to Berklee College of Music, formed the R&B ensemble Case Closed, and relocated from Virginia to New York. When the group’s ambitions stalled, it dissolved, and Governor shifted his focus to a solo path. Warlock Records issued his independent debut, Another State of Mind, in 2000. Subsequent sessions placed him alongside Trackmasters, Wyclef Jean, and West Coast icon Dr. Dre. Work with Trackmasters yielded several cuts featuring 50 Cent prior to the rapper’s mainstream breakthrough, yet nearly all remained unreleased, prompting Governor to exit the arrangement.

After Jean secured Governor an Atlantic contract, Dr. Dre, impressed by the newcomer’s recordings, collaborated on roughly a dozen tracks; those too stayed in limbo. Although Jean included Governor on various projects, the singer still sought another outlet for his own material. Atlantic A&R executive Craig Kallman facilitated an introduction to T.I., who quickly added Governor to the Grand Hustle roster. Fronted by the blues-inflected single “Blood, Sweat, and Tears,” the Grand Hustle/Atlantic album Son of Pain arrived in September 2006.