Uprising
Tank and Turtlenecks Are Having a Moment
[THE MAIN EVENT]
Fresh off a high-profile Verzuz and a bubbling new single, Durrell “Tank” Babbs speaks on why 2026 is shaping up to be a renaissance career year.
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UpRising: You’re fresh off your Verzuz showdown with Tyrese. How did it feel to be on that platform celebrating your career opposite your TGT bandmate?
Tank: It was one of the greatest opportunities for R&B to be seen and heard—especially our brand of R&B. Stuff we grew up on. Feeling that these songs still matter in 2026 was just unreal. For Tim[baland], Swizz [Beatz], and Verzuz to stand by us R&B cats and give us that moment, that's special. We've seen what the heavily dominated R&B era looked like in the ’90s. We've been praying for an opportunity to get that space back in the mainstream. Verzuz gives us this mainstream look and conversation. I have more gratitude than anything.
Many of the conversations after the event have hailed you as the victor.
Here's the thing: Tyrese is a global superstar. Fans are just gonna pick their people. The win for me was coming in prepared. I'm very big on preparation, from the styling to the band, background singers, and guests. That kind of shook up Verzuz when it started getting into those middle rounds, and people were scrambling to figure out what to play next. Once you started to see it unravel, we’re on our side like, “You gotta be quicker than that!”
You made a moment by poking fun at Tyrese’s choice of attire. How did the turtleneck jokes and sung freestyle come to you?
We always have fun. That's what me and Ty do. We go at it. That's just how we get down. In all actuality, Tyrese had on some nice clothes that night. I'm not even gonna front on him. But that turtleneck... that's the weak link. I was like, “Oh, you sweating because of the turtleneck? I see what's going on. It's a long sleeve, too. Let's talk about that.”
As a comedian, you always plan for a moment that you think is going to stick and be memorable within your set. Sometimes, outside of your planning, the universe will lay something up for you that is just unbelievable. The turtleneck just fell in my lap. My band, MVP, is always ready. The singers I had with me—they're just pros. It took on a life of its own. And he couldn't even help himself. He had to join in, too.
My daughter, Zoey, came home from school, like, “Dad, all the kids are asking about ‘Turtleneck.’” I said, you know what? Let's give them something fun so they can do TikToks and make a fun visual. We're gonna have fun with this thing. Really soon.
You also have a big on-screen look coming up: a role on the next season of Reasonable Doubt, playing a hitmaking singer. What should we expect?
I've shot a bunch of stuff, but this one just feels different. I'm super excited and grateful they gave me the call... You're either gonna love me or hate me. They let me bring heat. They let me really get in my bag. They just have a way of creating the stakes and the moments that just pull you in. And you really have to decide how you feel about these characters. [Then] something else happens that makes you question your decision. The writing is special in that way. I’m going to take you on a ride, and it’s a bumpy one.
Your breakout single, “Maybe I Deserve,” marked its 25th anniversary in February. When you made it, did you imagine how classic it would become?
No idea. I was making that record based on an argument and statement one of my exes said. I was just like, yeah, maybe I do deserve. Maybe. I made that song in my mom's unfinished basement with my MPC and my XP-80. Once I wrote it and sang it for my friends, it was like, “That's nice. That's dope. Can we go hoop?” And that was the end of it. Seeing that song give me an opportunity for a long career in music, it's still mind-blowing.
I didn't say, “I got this smash. When y'all hear this, y'all gonna love me.” I didn't call the label doing any of that. I was actually gonna sell the song to Dave Hollister. The only reason he doesn't have the song is that the check was late. Last minute, my label was like, “Hey, don't sell that song—why would you do that?” Singing “Maybe I Deserve” the other night and watching people respond to it this many years later, I couldn't have called it. I just do the work. I'm still trying to create bigger moments than that.
Your latest hit, “Control,” has a rendition of the chorus from Janet Jackson’s 1986 classic of the same name. It’s becoming a moment in its own right.
We got a No. 1 for two weeks in a row. Let me shout out Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Janet Jackson for letting me rock, because those songs are important to our ecosystem. They allowed me room to reimagine that record. I just wanted to put out something that had a bop and some vibe to it. People can sing along—but people can also reminisce. I wanted people to get hypnotized by the vibe.
When you compare the music you made early in your career to your recent music, how do you think you’ve evolved as an artist?
As you get more seasoned and you understand how to navigate—whether it be stage, studio, writing, producing, or singing—you find comfort in being uncomfortable. [There’s] this really happy space in trying things. Most of my music is experience. If you hear something that has Afrobeats, it's because I was in this country and caught a vibe. I have to live in this, artistically. If you hear something on a house or a techno vibe, you'll know I was just in Ibiza. My life writes all of those moments. It helps me create the art. I'm just allowing myself to grow and explore, even at this stage of my career.
What should listeners expect from your next album, Experience?
I wanna give everyone the full experience of Tank—a multi-dimensional experience where musically, there's everything, but it's me. This is the life I'm living and the music I make as a result.
—John Kennedy
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Tank is planning to release his next album, Experience, this summer. He will also star opposite Fantasia Barrino in The Gospel of Christmas, which is produced by Tyler Perry and slated for release during the holiday season.
[WRITER'S ROOM]
Finding My Way
Domani’s musical aesthetic is distinct from his dad T.I.’s dope-boy roots. Here, the 25-year-old Atlanta rapper shares the stories behind three songs from his latest project, Hot Seat.
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“ATL Never Scared”
That was the last song recorded. I was so passionate in the moment. It's like, I'm so Atlanta. How can I paint that picture? The first thing I thought of was the legends of Atlanta: my father, Killer Mike, Bone Crusher. I just felt like it was necessary. It started off with me rapping on the actual instrumental [of Bone Crusher’s “Never Scared”], like, “What would I have said back in that time?” And as I was playing that, I gained another perspective from some dope people in the studio. They said, “That's dope, but what would be even doper is if you flipped it.”
“Firebug”
I remember it coming from a real place. I feel like that's most important. Nothing was forced. I feel like it comes across that way, and that's why it's been received the way it's been received. I really had questions. I know we are the way we are because of our upbringing, the people who raised us, whatever we lacked or had too much of growing up in our environment. It really moved my pen.
I look at it just like real life, not so much, “Am I going to keep going? Oh, this is [50 Cent’s] response, now this is my response.” It comes from a real place. Does it move me in a real way? That's all it's about for me. I'm an artist. I'm always going to create. What I’m creating is based on what I'm feeling.
“Telephone”
I like to make a song instead of just focusing on lyrics. Songs stick to the people and shine light on the verses. That was one of the songs I feel was a lot of rapping, but I'm glad I put that out. I was trying to paint the picture of my day-to-day life: This is a real guy. He got all this to think about. He got his family, he's probably trying to figure stuff out. It looks like he got so much going on and he's successful, but really he's trying to figure this out. I'm trying to paint that realistic picture of me. I feel like a lot of people could relate.
—As told to John Kennedy
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Domani has already had a productive 2026. Check out last month’s Hot Seat and Forever Lasting Tape, released in February.
[TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT]
"After Bill Clinton won the presidency, he called me and said, “I wouldn’t be president if it weren’t for you."
This late-night TV legend’s influence was potent on small screens, big screens, and beyond. In a new career-spanning interview, the funnyman opens up about run-ins with Ice-T, Eddie Murphy, and Spike Lee. Tap in to see who it is.
[LET'S LNK]
Druski Once Again Shows How Black Comedy Shapes the Conversation [Andscape]
From Bootleg Bart to Gangster SpongeBob: A Look Back at Fashion's Obsession With Cartoons [Complex]
Meet the Latinas Reclaiming the Stories History Tried to Erase [Remezcla]
[OUTRO]
Take This Audio Doggie Bag With You
“Funny Friends,” Thundercat Feat. A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky’s return to music continues with this collaboration for Thundercat’s new album, Distracted. Real ones will recognize the track from a 2023 snippet leak. Here it is in its final form. Dig in.
