Biography
Jamie Foxx turned his prominent profile from television roles on In Living Color and The Jamie Foxx Show plus major film appearances in Any Given Sunday, Collateral, Ray, and Django Unchained into platinum-level, Grammy-winning success as a contemporary R&B vocalist and songwriter. Born Eric Morlon Bishop, Jr., he nurtured his comedy, acting, and music abilities in tandem while coming of age in Terrell, Texas, where he performed on piano and directed the choir at his Baptist church before pursuing composition and classical studies at college in San Diego, California. Following his rise as an actor, he issued his first album, Peep This, through the 20th Century label in July 1994; despite scant promotion and limited airplay, it climbed to number 12 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
Music appeared to remain a one-time diversion for Foxx until Twista’s late-2003 single “Slow Jamz,” helmed by Kanye West, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and revived his interest in recording. That momentum carried into his sophomore effort, Unpredictable, which arrived via J Records in December 2005 shortly after he earned an Academy Award for portraying Ray. The project battled Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough for the top slot on the Billboard 200, ultimately claiming number one and earning platinum certification thanks to contributions from Timbaland, Babyface, and additional guests; its title track and “DJ Play a Love Song” both reached the R&B top ten.
Foxx resumed music work every few years as his schedule permitted. The December 2008 release Intuition again relied on multiple collaborators, among them Timbaland, Just Blaze, “Tricky” Stewart, and the-Dream. Although “Just Like Me” and “She Got Her Own” achieved top-ten R&B status, the third single “Blame It,” featuring T-Pain, ascended to number one and later secured a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. The Drake-assisted “Fall for Your Love” became his second chart-topping R&B single in February 2011, yet Best Night of My Life—issued the prior December after he moved to RCA—underperformed compared with its predecessors. His fifth album, Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses, surfaced in May 2015 and included appearances from Chris Brown, Wale, Pharrell Williams, and Fabolous.
Music appeared to remain a one-time diversion for Foxx until Twista’s late-2003 single “Slow Jamz,” helmed by Kanye West, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and revived his interest in recording. That momentum carried into his sophomore effort, Unpredictable, which arrived via J Records in December 2005 shortly after he earned an Academy Award for portraying Ray. The project battled Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough for the top slot on the Billboard 200, ultimately claiming number one and earning platinum certification thanks to contributions from Timbaland, Babyface, and additional guests; its title track and “DJ Play a Love Song” both reached the R&B top ten.
Foxx resumed music work every few years as his schedule permitted. The December 2008 release Intuition again relied on multiple collaborators, among them Timbaland, Just Blaze, “Tricky” Stewart, and the-Dream. Although “Just Like Me” and “She Got Her Own” achieved top-ten R&B status, the third single “Blame It,” featuring T-Pain, ascended to number one and later secured a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. The Drake-assisted “Fall for Your Love” became his second chart-topping R&B single in February 2011, yet Best Night of My Life—issued the prior December after he moved to RCA—underperformed compared with its predecessors. His fifth album, Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses, surfaced in May 2015 and included appearances from Chris Brown, Wale, Pharrell Williams, and Fabolous.
Albums
Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses (Deluxe Version)
2015
Best Night Of My Life
2010
Intuition
2008
Unpredictable
2005
Peep This
1994
Singles
