The lineup for the Hyundai Soundstage at the 13th Annual Taste of Soul keeps getting better and better! Iconic R&B crooner Ginuwine will be gracing Crenshaw boulevard with his melodic standards on October 20th. He will be joining songbird Chante Moore and rap legend Kurtis Blow on the talented Hyundai Soundstage slate with journalist Roland Martin hosting and Brian “DJ B-Hen” Henry on the ones and twos.
Ginuwine had a career in the music industry that has spanned over 25 years and also made strides as an actor in plays, television and movies. Music videos profiled his dance moves along with is soulful ad libs and passionate songs. His debut single “Pony” stood the test of time, not only reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100, but by being featured in various movies, TV shows and even video games.
Elgin Baylor “Ginuwine” Lumpkin was born in Washington D.C. and was named after the Legendary Lakers great. He began his singing career in the 1980’s as a member of amateur rap group Finesse Five, and Physical Wonder. In the early 1990’s, Ginuwine was discovered by Jodeci member DeVante Swing and became a member of the group Swing Mob.
The D.C. native soon branched off on his own, creating the stage name “Ginuwine” because he thinks of himself as a down-to-earth person. In 1996, Ginuwine came out with his debut album “Ginuwine … The Bachelor” which housed the iconic song “Pony.” The catchy R&B song would echo through American culture for years, being played in the movies like “Booty Call” and “Magic Mike” and in episodes of TV shows like “Daria,” “American Dad!” and “Glee.” It was also featured on the videogame “Grand Theft Auto IV.”
“Ginuwine … The Bachelor” went double platinum and his sophomore album, “100% Ginuwine,” went platinum. Ginuwine’s second album ultimately won Best R&B/Soul Male Album in the 2000 Soul Train Music awards with the song “So Anxious” being nominated for Best R&B /Soul Male Single.
In 2001, the song “Differences” topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs chart and was number four on the Billboard Hot 100. That song was on the platinum album “The Life” along with the songs “Two Reasons I Cry” and “Tribute to a Woman.” That next year, Ginuwine was featured on P Diddy’s hit song “I Need a Girl (Part II).”
In 2005, Ginuwine released his fifth album “Back II Da Basics” sold almost 100,000 copies.
Ginuwine teamed up with singers Tyrese and Tank to create the sultry singing super team TGT, releasing their album “Three Kings” in 2014. The album sold 76,000 copies in the first week and hit the number three of the Billboard 200 charts.
“Three Kings” was also nominated for Best R&B Album in the 2014 Grammys.
Along with his illustrious singing, Ginuwine was made numerous TV show appearances and movie cameos along with parts in theatre productions. He was the character Khalib in the popular TV show “Moesha” and was Romeo in the movie “Jawanna Mann.” He starred as himself in the TV comedy “Parks and Recreation.” Ginuwine also played Pharoah in the movies “Chocolate City” and “Chocolate City: Las Vegas.”
“Tell Me Do U Wanna” See Ginuwine at the Taste of Soul? If you are “So Anxious” to see who else will perform on the Hyundai Soundstage, stay tuned for next week’s issue. Learn more about the Taste of Soul by downloading the app in the Google Play or Apple Store. You might have a chance to win a 2018 Hyundai Kona.
