Thomas attended East Aurora High School and was raised in Aurora, Illinois. He started singing around Chicago and joined The Fourmula. But he ventured out and went to New York City, where he performed in bars on open-mic nights. Sean “Puffy” Combs noticed one of these performances and hired Thomas to work for Bad Boy Entertainment in 1997.
Thomas received a Grammy Award nomination on December 7, 2006, alongside Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, and the late Gerald Levert for the song “Daily (Family Reunion)” from Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion. For Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, the song was nominated.
So Much Better, his third album was released on May 30, 2007, and it peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard 200.
Verve Music Group was his previous employer. Conquer, Thomas’ most recent album, was released on December 6th, 2011. The debut song, “Don’t Kiss Me,” was written and produced by Rico Love and featured Snoop Dogg.