Cash Money Records sensation Jacquees is no stranger to success, but when is the first time the 25-year-old artist felt truly fit for his moniker “King of R&B”? Sitting down with Rolling Stone, the Atlanta singer reflected on his rise to the upper echelon of R&B. He also recalls his first time meeting his idols, meeting Cash Money head honcho Birdman, and the first time he ever uttered his signature ad-libs on a song.
Watch: Jaquees chats to Rolling Stone
“The first time I felt like the King of R&B was when I posted that video,” he says, referring to the December 2018 Instagram video where Jacquees first gave himself the name, which subsequently caused a lot of heated debates within the industry. “When I posted the video it was good and bad,” he remembers. “You had people coming out [of] the woodworks saying stuff…but the good outweighed the bad because I made it all the way to this year.”
The “Risk It All” singer speaks on the first time he ever met someone he truly idolised, that being legendary producer, rapper and industry figure Jermaine Dupri, and the first time he got to meet Lil Wayne. “I just met Wayne a couple of months ago [in 2019],” he says. “It’s a cool feeling to be around somebody [who] inspired so many people like myself and others.”
The interview also touches on the origins of Jacquees’ signature “eee eee eee” vocal belt, the first remixes he made, the first R&B song he ever fell in love with, and just why he feels like he’s had fans since kindergarten. “My sister used to come home from school [with her friends], and the girls [never wanted] me to leave,” he recalls. “The girls on this arm, my sister on this arm, pulling back and forth – crazy fan moment.”
