Jacquees confident in self-given title
Jacquees, a Georgia native and self-proclaimed king of R&B, has an alluring penchant for self-aggrandizing.
Not in a way that’s condescending, though. His approach for talking highly about himself is warm and welcoming, inviting the curiosity to explore the depths of his confidence.
He wants you to know that none of his living contemporaries are on his level. Given Jacquees’ longevity in R&B and his keen understanding of the genre’s core fundamentals, he could be right.
But the Decatur-bred singer’s confidence was firm before he went viral for crowning himself as the king of R&B, before the release of hits such as “You” and “B.E.D.”(which peaked at No. 58 and No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively) and before an extensive collection of mixtapes shaped his early career. It was cultivated by his family, who raised him to never stop believing in his dreams.
“I got that from where I’m from,” the 28-year-old said about his confidence. “I’m a neighborhood superstar. I wasn’t built on the internet or one of those guys who would post a picture and got 100,000 likes and start thinking he all that. I was one of those guys in my neighborhood, at my school, before anybody knew what I could do or who I was. My family put a lot of confidence in me. Anything I wanted to do, my family said I could do it. My mama, just everybody around my community. I wasn’t built by myself. My family and my community built me and made me who I am.”
Since the early 2010s, Jacquees has released a handful of mixtapes and EPs that encapsulate a traditional, sultry R&B style for younger generations. He signed to Cash Money Records in 2015 and has since released three albums.
“Sincerely For You,” his latest LP, dropped in December. The 17-track album was executive produced by Future and features collaborations from Summer Walker, 21 Savage and more.
Jacquees said working with Future on the album helped him to make music that’s more raw and vulnerable than anything he has released before.
“We’re from the same side of town, and Future really sees my talent, he sees who I am,” he said. “We look past the memes, we look past all the fake criticism and different things like that, and we just see the rawness and realness in people. We want to spread that. Future being on another level and pulling me up the ladder. Where we come from, that’s what we’re trained to do. He kept it real by doing that with me.”
Next on Jacquees’ list for this year is touring behind “Sincerely for You,” although dates and locations aren’t set. He also plans to release more music and delve more into his acting career.
And, of course, he’s going to continue to persuade fans and skeptics alike on why he’s the king of R&B of this generation.