Musician and actor Tyrese Gibson, better known as Tyrese or Black-Ty, was born on December 30, 1978 in Los Angeles. After winning a talent show at age 14, Tyrese first became popular in a 1994 advertisement for Coca-Coca, singing the brand’s then tagline, “always Coca-Cola.” At 17, he was modeling for Tommy Hilfiger. His musical career originally saw him as an MC for an underground hip-hop group called Triple Impact, under the monicker Black-Ty, but he didn’t hesitate moving to R&B when the opportunity to do so came up.
In 1998, he released his self-titled debut album, which went platinum. In 2001, he released his second album, 2001 Watts; in 2002, his third album, I Wanna Go There, went in stores. Both were certified gold by the RIAA. He has also provided vocals for songs by artists like Michael Jackson, Brian McKnight and Chingy.
In 2001, Tyrese appeared in his first film, Baby Boy, playing the role originally offered to the late Tupac Shakur. The film was a moderate success for him, and he subsequently appeared in other films: 2 Fast 2 Furious, Flight of the Phoenix, Four Brothers, with Annapolis, and Waist Deep. His more recent film projects include the action flicks Transformers, in a role that director Michael Bay wrote with him in mind; and Death Race; they were released in 2007 and 2008, respectively. He is set to appear in the sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, reprising the role he played in the previous film.
Tyrese has said he prefers his musical career over acting, but will focus on both aspects of his career. In 2006, he released a two-disc album, Alter Ego, with one CD featuring R&B tracks, and the other featuring hip-hop tracks, as his rap persona Black-Ty. He also joined the R&B supergroup TGT, which also includes Ginuwine and Tank; they are set to tour later in 2008.