Governor

It’s no secret that R&B gets no love these days. Unless you’re known for singing hooks for the rapper-du-jour, are a hip-hopper masquerading as a singer, or part of a hip-hop entourage, the chances of you actually getting put on in a big way is shamefully slim. Governor represents the latter; he currently languishes on rapper T.I.’s Grand Hustle label, so Son of Pain finally sees the light of day with minimal promo and even less props. Songs like "Blood, Sweat & Tears” evokes blues-drenched R&B Sam Cooke-style and he actually has the chops to remake a classic joint like Donnie Hathaway’s classic "I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” with "Never Wanna Leave.” Governor sounds like Anthony Hamilton’s even more ghetto cousin — dude can sing and his lyrical content is a step above the usual senseless dreck favoured by his flashier R&B brethrens. The self-proclaimed "country boy” is actually a gifted singing, songwriting musician whose musical purview is as earnest as they come.