Verse Simmonds

Verse Simmonds entered the Interscope roster in 2009 via the brash, rhythm-driven club cut “Buy You a Round (Up and Down),” which never registered on the charts yet still allowed the emerging vocalist, songwriter, and part-time MC to mount an extensive tour schedule. That December, R. Kelly’s album Untitled arrived with “Crazy Night,” a track Simmonds had helped write. The Atlanta-based artist, born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Virgin Islands, was subsequently dropped from his deal, though his behind-the-scenes output continued to progress alongside partner Sham on Rihanna’s Loud single “Man Down” and the Watch the Throne cut “Who Gon Stop Me” by Kanye West and Jay-Z. After aligning with Bu Vision—the boutique Def Jam imprint headed by Akon’s brother Bu Thiam—Simmonds issued the 2011 single “Boo Thang” featuring Kelly Rowland. He followed with the independent six-track EP A Sextape Chronicle in 2012 and, the next year, another Bu Vision release, the Mtume-sampling “Fully Loaded” that included Young Jeezy.