Other great things indeed have happened in the three years since Wilson released his latest album and seventh solo project, 2017’s In It to Win It. He appears on three standout tracks from Tyler, the Creator’s IGOR—a 2020 Grammy winner for Best Rap Album: “Boyfriend,” “I Don’t Love You Anymore” and “Earfquake” alongside Playboi Carti.
Wilson’s other recent guest gigs in the hip-hop realm include Kanye West’s “No Mistakes” with Kid Cudi (from West’s No. 1 Billboard 200 album Ye), DJDS’s “No Pain” with Khalid, Snoop Dogg’s “One More Day” (from Snoop’s No. 1 gospel album Bible of Love) and Aminé’s “Dakota.” Wilson closed out last year by lending his versatile chops to tracks from buzzing rap newcomers Guapdad 4000 (“Gucci Pajamas” with Chance the Rapper) and Chika (“Can’t Explain It”).
Those comprise only a handful of the credits that have shaped Wilson’s generation-bridging dual career of over four decades. As lead singer of R&B/funksters the Gap Band, he fronted frequently covered/sampled classics such as “Outstanding,” “Yearning for Your Love,” “Burn Rubber on Me” and “Early in the Morning.” From there, a once-homeless and drug-addicted Wilson completely rewrote his script to craft an equally stellar solo career.
With breakthrough solo album Bridging the Gap paving the way, Wilson scored his first top 5 Billboard Adult R&B single in 2000, “Without You.” And he hasn’t looked back since. Thus far, he boasts a total of 23 hits on Billboard’s Adult R&B Songs airplay chart, stretching back to the No. 2 “Without You.” In 2018, he posted his sixth No. 1 on the tally with “Chills,” which spent six weeks atop the list.
Concurrently, Wilson notched another chart feat. “I’m Blessed” featuring T.I.”— another single from In It to Win It (a No. 7 debut on The Billboard 200) — ascended to the top of the magazine’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, where it spent 65 weeks in the top 5. This marked the first time any artist placed two different No. 1 songs on those respective charts at the same time.
Wilson’s feats aren’t limited to the charts. Last year he earned his 13th Grammy nomination with “Made for Love,” a scintillating duet featuring Lalah Hathaway from his last album. Still a perennial top live draw, Wilson headlined sold-out arena tours in 2015 and 2017 plus a two-night stand at the Hollywood in 2018. Later that year, he was handpicked by self-professed super fan Bruno Mars to open seven shows on the latter’s 24K Magic World Tour finale.
A BET Lifetime Achievement honoree, Wilson is a New York Times and Washington Post best-selling author as well. His frank, inspirational memoir, I Am Charlie Wilson, delves into the singer’s hard-won fight against addiction. Now 25 years sober and counting, Wilson is also a prostate cancer survivor of 11 years.
It’s quite a full-circle moment that while acknowledging the 20th anniversary of Bridging the Gap, the young-at-heart Wilson is more focused on pushing full steam ahead into the next decade. Beyond “Forever Valentine” and several upcoming festival dates, Wilson says he doesn’t have a timeline yet for his next album. “It’s just about keeping a happy vibe now as we work our way back to the top of the leader board.”
Connect with Charlie Wilson:
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