Keith Sweat with After 7, Troop and Shai

Keith Sweat has done more than just stand the test of time. No other contemporary R&B singer has reigned with such consistency, delivering in searing, soul-drenching tones, an aural history of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the urban male.

His brooding, almost panther-like mystique has served him well over seven enduring albums, a thoughtful and compelling counterpart to the din of disposable wannabes who claim the throne and then abdicate between album cycles. Keith, has always relied on one thing to carry the musical day: his razor-sharp instincts.

From his groundbreaking emergence with producer Teddy Riley and the aforementioned new jack swing phenomenon in 1987, to the quadruple platinum 1996 effort Keith Sweat, to his critically acclaimed collaboration with fellow superstars Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill on the double platinum LSG, Keith has dominated the pop and R&B worlds with unprecedented precision. When you remember that his peers in those early days Bobby Brown, Al B. Sure, the group Guy, and so many others have quietly receded, his unblemished track record becomes even more impressive.

Keith has also excelled as one of Atlanta’s most prolific industry moguls, building his own recording studio discovering new artists such as Silk and Kut Klose and becoming a much sought after mentor of young talent, as well. “I give advice when asked,” he says humbly. “You have to keep yourself in check sometimes with the younger up-and-comers. They sometimes find the truth out about this business the hard way. Atlanta has gotten so big. I look at the entire Atlanta music scene has an extension of New York now. With technology the way it is, and the growth of Atlanta, it’s really part of the mainstream now. You can make music anywhere you want, which is a great thing.”

When you pause to consider just a few of the stats from Keith’s amazing career five consecutive #1 R&B albums, (all seven have debuted in the Top 5), fifteen top ten R&B singles, including seven #1′s and four top five pop singles you realize he’s now reached Hall-Of-Fame territory. “Longevity means everything to me. But one of the reasons I did this album was to remind myself how I felt the first time I ever came out,” he says. “I’m proud to be able to still make records that mean something to the hardcore fans out there.”

Still, Keith insists he never dwells on the past too much. And he’s quick to point out that Rebirth slices and jabs at the heartstrings as well. He’s still got that devilish gleam in his eye. “You listen to a song like ’100% All Man,’” he says. “It’s a song every man can identify with no matter what they listen to. I flip every now and then, like everyone else. I’m still street. That song is letting you know I can flip when I have to.”

Website: http://www.keithsweat.com/