Blessed with killer looks, a passionate singing voice and sharp business instincts, singer, songwriter, model, actor, writer, producer Tyrese Gibson is armed and very dangerous. The multi-platinum wunderkind has successfully navigated his professional career with the grace of the most skilled marksmen, confidently and aggressively hitting each of his targets. With the release of his fourth solo effort, a double album aptly titled Alter Ego on J Records, Tyrese the singer is poised to introduce the world to Black-Ty the rapper and expose his fans to the other side of himself that potentially resides in all of us.

"My mom taught me when I was young, you're blessed with so many talents, so many capabilities that you have to expose things one at a time. You don't want to overwhelm people. Whatever God's plan is for you to do next, when you get there, as long as you don't run away from it and you figure out a way to eat, then it's supposed to happen."

The Watts, California native's career ascent began as a 16-year-old with a million dollar smile on the back of a bus in the worldwide Coca-Cola commercial. His thirty seconds of fame extended into the multi-media force that he is now internationally recognized for. Tyrese's self-titled debut album on RCA Records garnered him an American Music Award for Favorite New Artist. A modeling, television host and movie career soon followed as Tommy Hilfiger, MTV Jams and Baby Boy further catapulted him into the entertainment spotlight. Tyrese not only became a household name, but a brand name unto himself.

His sophomore album 2000 Watts and a multi-million dollar modeling contract with Guess added fuel to the fire. By 2002 when Tyrese signed with J Records and released his third R&B album I Wanna Go There, he was setting the stage for his film endeavors with 2 Fast 2 Furious and Four Brothers, directed by his Baby Boy film mentor John Singleton. It was during filming of his fourth film Flight of the Phoenix when Tyrese Gibson the actor transitioned into Black-Ty the MC.

While filming Flight of the Phoenix in Africa, Tyrese experienced what he calls a "spiritual cleansing," alone by the ocean one night. In that moment of silent introspection, a peace enveloped around him and the dormant MC from his youth was awakened and encouraged to emancipate his thoughts in the studio while filming. Likening his MC journey to that of a prisoner upon release, "all you own is your pain and your story. Talking about your problems, to me, is the weakest form of communication. If you put the way you feel into a song, then you can directly affect people through song and melody. It's a much bigger effect." Further acknowledging his rhyme experiences as liberating, "thank God for the motherland, for my creativity and my focus."

Upon his return to Los Angeles, Tyrese Gibson the CEO emerged as he moved full throttle into the creation of Headquarter Entertainment (HQ). Serving as a multi-media empire, HQ houses a management company, film and television division, image consulting and graphic design services, in addition to a state of the art recording facility all housed in a plush office space in Hollywood. HQ even has its own in-house production team, known as The Frontline BoyZ. The CEO minded visionary laid out a full plan to be executed amidst promoting his fifth film Annapolis and while preparing to promote his sixth film Waist Deep.

That was when Black-Ty began recording. "My album on the hip-hop side was done probably about 5 months before the R&B side. The reason is because I've been on what I call the Tupac schedule where I'm banging out 5-6 records a day." The desire to create a double album with one side focused on hip-hop and the other on R&B was simple, rappers take a stab at singing, why couldn't a R&B singer rhyme? "I don't really feel like people get to know me through my R&B. It's a part of me, and I wouldn't sing the songs if I didn't feel that way, but with this hip-hop thing, I'm really able to get stuff off my chest, painting a real clear picture of who I am and I get to tell people my story."

The autobiographical title track on the hip-hop side produced by GX of The Frontline BoyZ, pits Tyrese the singer against Black-Ty the rapper, as Tyrese Gibson the movie star calls in to interject. "Alter Ego" is the only song on the entire project that was written without a pen and pad. "It has been going on in me so long I just blew it out. I recorded that song from the intro all the way through. I never went back and forth and recorded it from top to bottom because the lyrics came as the story was developing."

The first singles from the album, "One" on the R&B side, produced by The Underdogs and "Get It In" on the hip-hop side, featuring Method Man, produced by Scott Storch, set the stage for an album choc-full-of personal tales and collaborations. "This album should be considered an experience. One person can literally be looked at as a split personality, an alter ego. You listen to the R&B album and you would never believe that I can rhyme and when you listen to the hip-hop album, same thing."

Unproven as an MC, the process of recording the hip-hop side of the album was organic, especially with the amount of talent that contributed. Hip-hop heavyweights Snoop Dogg, The Game, Mannie Fresh, Kurupt and Too $hort all pitch in to Black-Ty's project. "They believed in me before a check was on the table," and for Black-Ty, no greater compliment could have conveyed their support of his process.

"Ghetto Dayz" produced by Jellyroll and Dali of The Frontline BoyZ is the first record Black-Ty recorded with his rhyme mentor Kurupt along with The Game. "For him [Kurupt] to believe in me straight out the gate made me have that much more confidence in what I was doing as a MC." Friends since they filmed Baby Boy together in 2001, as soon as Snoop heard the Dali produced track "Roll The Dice" which also features Kurupt, he jumped right in the booth at his Orange County studio to lay down his verse. "This is a man's man album. The R&B side is for the ladies. I feel like if you're a man's man you're going to say I can F with dude and relate to his story. I'm not afraid to be vulnerable. [As Black-Ty] I'm not just going to totally exclude who Tyrese is," and nothing displays his sentiments more than the songs "Roses" and "Don't Cry."

Subsequently on the R&B side, hip-hop notable Lil Jon showcases his versatility producing and being featured on "Turn Ya Out," a slow wind tune. Respected friend and mentor R. Kelly not only co-signed the Alter Ego project telling Tyrese "you have arrived," but he contributed on the production side with the melodic "Hurry Up." Trick Stewart bangs out a percussive, groovy track with "Lights On," as Tyrese harmonizes about his shorty liking it better that way. And The Underdogs continue to work their musical magic for the singer on "Come Back To Me Shawty," "It's Better To Know" and "Didn't Mean To Like You."

With no favorites on either the R&B or hip-hop side of the Alter Ego project, the visionary is clear, "every song represents my story. Songs that I do are like my babies. At this point in my career I feel like I don't have to do songs I don't really want to do, so the songs that I did, I felt comfortable and confident about. All of them do something for me differently - emotionally and creatively."

Gearing up for the 2007 release of the Steven Spielberg executive produced, big budget live action feature film Transformers, Tyrese Gibson the actor manages to keep it all in perspective. His philanthropic work in the community with The Watts Foundation still keeps him busy as does touring, recording, screenwriting and successfully developing a multimedia empire.

Motivated by his passion to create and inspire, the man who wears many hats, credits his faithful foundation, hard work ethic and air tight scheduling for assisting him in balancing his many gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities. "I'm inspired by life. I don't write songs, I write life. I'm motivated to be. I'm motivated to become, everyday. My mind state is: you don't get points today for yesterday's game so whatever you accomplished yesterday, that's yesterday. What are you going to do today?!"

- Tyrese.com