By: Erika Minnix
Eric Bellinger stopped by the studio for Power 98.3 & 96.1’s latest Eat & Greet. All smiles and dance moves aside, Empire Records’ very own Bellinger talked about releasing his newest album, 1(800)HIT-EASY: Line 2. The studio’s phones rang off the hook when one of the greatest songwriters left in the R&B game was there with us. With the voice of a goat, Eric Bellinger topped the R&B charts in 2010. He has self-proclaimed himself as the R&B Lil Wayne, dropping hit after hit. 1(800)HIT-EASY: Line 2 has everything an album needs.
His relentless ambition is making him a comeback with his new hottest single, Curious featuring Cordae and Fabolous. It is the hit bringing him back as a name-maker in R&B. It’s his season of winning and raising above. At the beginning of Bellinger’s career, he showed what it means to have the dedication and work ethic to make it as far as he did.
He reminisced on working with Usher for the first time in the studio; Bellinger was in awe that Usher wanted him to be a part of his songwriting process. At that moment, he knew he had it. Flash forward to now; other artists are contacting Bellinger for his sample DJ pack. Bellinger expressed to Gello how he has what it takes to freely be authentic to himself and his challenges to come to where he is now. He reflected on what it means to heat up and have the phone lines heating up too.
Life is all about moments, not wasting them, especially not wasting them on the wrong person. Love is real, complex, and scary, but in 1(800)HIT-EASY: Line 2 eases listeners’ comfort by going from being the late-night sneaky link to being fully in love. Romance exists. His chilling charm amplifies in each song; R&B is all about feeling raw emotion. Through and through, Bellinger is a family man, bringing the words he is singing alive and real.
While in the studio, Bellinger emphasized that to be successful in this genre of music. He needs to be authentic, and that is precisely what Eric Bellinger is. Nowadays, it is rare to find an R&B singer who wrote their lyrics owning up to their stories. He and Gello joked about the respect lost when other artists use someone else’s words.
A few years ago, Gello learned that sometimes even the homies won’t always slide through when asking for a favor. The banter between him and Gello revealed a memory of reaching out to Bellinger for an Instagram shoutout for his wifey, acting cocky, hoping that Bellinger would come through with this favor. Yet, in the end, Gello played himself because Bellinger supposedly told Gello no. Gello reassured Bellinger that ‘Reward’ would still be the song he and wifey renew their vows to.
Power 98.3 & 96.1, where hip-hop lives. Curious, you heard it here first, while the others follow. Stream 1(800)HIT-EASY: Line 2 now.