Hamilton Park

In the early 2010s Hamilton Park seemed positioned to extend Atlanta’s R&B lineage that already included 112, Jagged Edge, and Jodeci. Their arrival was marked by the 2011 album Hamilton Park, after which the quartet immediately stepped back from the spotlight. Childhood friends Markus Free, Anthony Dorsey, Chris Voice, and Royce Pinkston, who came together in east Atlanta during the early 2000s, first bonded while singing in church and playing basketball at the neighborhood’s Hamilton Park. Once they chose to focus on music full time, Andre Harrell, the Jodeci mentor, discovered them. The four brought contrasting personalities and a sleek, layered vocal style that echoed Chris Brown and Usher, qualities they displayed on their self-titled 2011 debut. Early momentum and enthusiastic listener response notwithstanding, the group elected to enter a self-imposed hiatus that lasted nearly a decade. A limited 2014 return yielded only a few singles; most of the break was spent testing solo ideas and carefully plotting their next phase. That plan took shape in late 2017. Now operating independently and unafraid of adult subject matter, the former boy band became a trio after Pinkston departed on good terms. The remaining members issued “Jumpin’ Off” on their own Lost in Music label. Intent on linking the sound of Migos with that of Jodeci, they followed with “Love Me to Sleep” and the explicit “Leave It In,” two tracks that announced their desire to be heard as seasoned artists. Both songs appeared on the 2018 sophomore album It Was Necessary.