“For the last decade, R&B has been more concerned with downtempo, often depressing music than anything that comes close to eliciting joy. “Tetris” revels in the nostalgia of its source material and by the time King sings ‘Cuz you’re livin’ la vida loca’ his addition to the booty song pantheon is complete.” – Rolling Stone
“Bay Area singer-songwriter Derek King has cut his teeth and earned his stripes as one his region’s go-to hook masters and most talented vocalists, helping popular artists like Sage the Gemini, SOB x RBE, Nef the Pharaoh, Iamsu! and several others cook up hits.” – HYPEBEAST
Crafting clever and catchy R&B jams about modern love, Derek King has the silkiest voice Northern California. Today, Derek collects his thoughts and feelings into Let’s Be Honest, his silky-smooth and self-assured new project. Spanning 11 tracks, the upcoming project showcases Derek’s wide-ranging taste and versatility, cycling through mob-influenced bangers like opening track “Blessed” to club-ready rap-n-b like “Keep It 1” to luscious slow jams like “Dior Kisses” without missing a beat.
Let’s Be Honest boasts production from rising hitmaker ReeceBeats, who delivered recent hits for Kehlani (“All Me”) and Mozzy (“Excuse Me”), and features recent singles the pained slow jam “Enough” ft. Zion (263k views since May 1st), and recent highlight “Stories” ft. Eric Bellinger. With additional guest appearances from MarMar Oso, E-40, King Combs, JGreen, and Likybo, Let’s Be Honest is available on all platforms via EMPIRE.
A native of Antioch, California, Derek King made his name with a series of viral hits that updated turn-of-the-21st century smashes with a modern, club-friendly twist. In 2018, the then-22-year-old singer shared “Tetris,” which chopped-up Sisqo‘s classic “Thong Song” into a brand-new booty-positive jam. The song quickly picked up steam on socials, reaching the ears of Billie Eilish, who posted a video of herself dancing to the song on Instagram. Eventually earning remix guest spots from Rich The Kid and Russ, the song racked up over 20 million streams across platforms and reached the Top 40 of Mediabase’s rhythmic radio airplay chart. The singer proved that he was much more than a one-hit-wonder when he dropped “Play,“ which transformed Diddy’s “I Need A Girl (Pt. 2)” into a bass-boosted player’s anthem. With Let’s Be Honest, Derek looks to keep the momentum going and affirm his position as Northern California’s next R&B heatseeker.
Buy/Stream Let’s Be Honest: https://empire.ffm.to/letsbehonest
Let’s Be Honest tracklist:
The Background:
With his “Tetris” viral single and social media challenge leading the way, Derek King put up a high score in 2019. The breakthrough song achieved nearly 20 million plays across platforms and had Billie Eilish among its participants. Derek spent the year on the grind, including a tour with Sage The Gemini to support the hit and his More Vibes full-length. Now, the Bay Area native follows up with Let’s Be Honest. The sophomore EMPIRE album featuring Eric Bellinger, Likybo, E-40, King Combs, and others spotlights King’s songwriting as well as his vocal abilities. The Bay Area product continues to cement himself as one of R&B’s hardest working talents.
Please contact Michelle or Kevin for more info.
Links:
official site | instagram | twitter | youtube | soundcloud | spotify
Let’s Be Honest: https://empire.ffm.to/letsbehonest
“Stories” ft. Eric Bellinger: https://empire.ffm.to/stories
“Enough”: https://youtu.be/xK8A12o6D14
“No Scrub”: https://empire.ffm.to/noscrub
“Dead Roses”: https://Empire.lnk.to/DeadRoses
“2 Much” ft. E-40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ-BtmLPmXA
“Play”: https://youtu.be/YHQJ2ZP-5m0
“Tetris”: https://youtu.be/DQ-BtmLPmXA