We are in time in the music industry when social media makes it very easy to keep track of your favorite artists from years past. They don’t necessarily have to release new music for you to keep up with what they’ve been up to over the years.

It does get a bit more challenging to keep up as we were exposed to more and more new artists. Everyone is literally battling for your attention and sometimes an artist in the mainstream has a clear advantage. That being said, much of the best music in R&B over the past couple of decades has clearly come from artists who maybe no longer had their music being played on radio.

We thought it would be fun to take a look back at all of the male R&B singers who came out in the 2000’s (the years from 2000 to 2009) and fill you in on there whereabouts. Some of these artists are still among the biggest stars in music while others literally have not been heard from in years. Through our knowledge of the music industry and being on the pulse of everything these artists have got going on, we help fill in the gaps to keep you posted on what some of your favorites have been up to.

This list includes any male R&B singer who released their debut album between 2000 and 2009. Have you ever found yourself wondering “Whatever happened to…” your favorite artist? Well we are here to help. Click on any artist name to see all recent posts about that artist.

Check our other Current Status Lists: 90’s Male Singers (Click Here), 90’s Female Singers (Click Here), 90’s Male Groups (Click Here), 90’s Female Groups (Click Here) 00’s Male Groups (Click Here) 00’s Female Groups (Click Here) 00’s Female Singers (Coming Soon)
 

Allen Anthony

An original member of the Roc-A-Fella group Christion, Allen Anthony eventually went solo and had the hit single “Alright”. He’s released a bunch of singles over the years but we have not got the long awaited solo album.
 

 

Anthony David

This singer originally made a name for himself in the early 00’s when he linked up with India Arie and wrote on her “Acoustic Soul” album. His third album “Acey Ducey” gained most prominence, and he has released six albums to date including “The Powerful Now” in 2016. In 2023, he linked up with friend Algebra Blessett for a rendition of the Lady Antebellum song “Need You Now”.
 

Avant

Avant released his debut album “My Thoughts” in 2000 and in the past two decades has become one of the biggest hitmakers in R&B music. Hit songs like “Separated”, “My First Love”, “Makin Good Love”, “Read Your Mind”, “4 Minutes” and “You & I” have turned him into a household name. He most recently released his 9th album “Can We Fall in Love” in 2020.
 

Bilal

A disciple of the neo-soul movement that began in the mid 90’s, Bilal emerged in 2001 with his debut album “1st Born Second”. He went on to become a part of the Soulquarians collective and has released five albums to date. His latest album “In Another Life” arrived in 2015, and his new EP “Voyage-19” came in 2020.
 

Bobby V.

The singer was originally a part of the 90’s group Mista and found solo success as Bobby Valentino with his self titled debut album in 2005. He has been one of the most successful R&B artists in the 2000’s continuing to make hits through the years via songs like “Slow Down”, “Tell Me”, “Anonymous”, and “Words”. He has released six albums to date (not including the “Peach Moon” EP) with the latest being Electrik from 2018. He also released the new single “Reply” in 2021. In 2022, he formed the super group RSVP along with Ray-J, Sammie & Pleasure P.
 

 

Chris Brown

Chris Brown ushered in a new generation of R&B music when he emerged in the middle of the 2000’s decade. He’s gone on to become a global superstar and prolific hit maker with success that few artists can match. His latest album and 9th overall “Indigo” came out in 2019. He returned in 2022 with the new single “Iffy”. In 2023, he released his eleventh studio album “11:11”.
 

Craig David

This import from the UK made a major impact in the U.S. R&B scene with his debut album “Born to do it” and hit singles “7 Days”, “Fill Me In” and “Walking Away”. He’s continued to be very active in releasing new music over the past two decades with the latest album “22” arriving in 2022. He’s also been very successful as a DJ with his TS5 set.
 

Digital Black

One of the original members of the R&B group Playa, Black has released a few solo projects to date including “Memoirs of a R&B Thug”, “The Autobiography of Benjamin Bush”, and “The R & Street Mixtape”. He is currently a part of Dru Hill.
 

Donnie Klang

Donnie Klang emerged as a music star following his appearance on Puff Daddy’s “Making the Band”. His album “Just a Rolling Stone” came out in 2008, but he pretty much faded away from the scene after that.
 

Dwele

 
Many got their first exposure to Dwele when he joined fellow Detroit natives Slum Village on their hit single “Tainted”. He made a name for himself on his debut album “Subject” from 2003, and also the massive Kanye West collaborations which followed. He has released five albums to date, but none since “Greater Than One” in 2012.
 

Eric Roberson

A pioneer of the independent artist movement in R&B, Eric Roberson has gone on to be one of the most successful the genre has to offer. He has also become one of the most in demand live performers for his entertaining shows. His first album “The Esoteric Movement” arrived in 2001, and he’s released many projects since then including his latest “Hear From Here” in 2020. His impactful single “Lessons” arrived in 2021, and his album of the same name came out in 2022.
 

Glenn Lewis

The singer was originally compared to Stevie Wonder for the similarities in their vocal prowess. The Toronto native made a name for himself once he arrived in Philly and linked up with production team Dre & Vidal to release the debut album “World Outside My Window” and hit single “Don’t You Forget It”. After that, he had a shelved album called “Back for More” and another shelved album called “Remember Me”. He finally came back in 2013 with the official sophomore album “Moment of Truth”. He also sang the vocals on the DJ Jazzy Jeff project “Chasing Goosebumps” in 2017 with The PlayList retreat. There has not been any recent news about his next album, but he did release holiday themed music in 2023.
 

Houston

Singer Houston arrived in 2005 with his debut album “It’s Already Written” and singles “I Like That” and “Aint Nothing Wrong”. Unfortunately he had a suicide attempt shortly after the album’s release, and he hasn’t been heard from in the music industry since.
 

J. Holiday

J. Holiday became an immediate star upon the release of his debut album “Back of my Lac” in 2007 with the smash hit single “Bed”. Although he hasn’t been able to match the success of that single, he’s been very consistent at releasing good music over the years and has given us three albums to date. He released his latest album “Time” in 2022.
 

Jaheim

A discovery of the legendary DJ Kay Gee who signed the singer to his Divine Mill label in the early 2000’s. Jaheim immediately drew comparisons to Teddy Pendergrass for his vocal tone. He has been one of the most successful artists of his generation, scoring massive hits like “Just in Case”, “Anything”, “Put That Woman First”, “Aint Leavin Without You” and “Finding My Way Back”. He has released seven albums to date and the most recent was “Struggle Love” from 2016.
 

Jamie Hawkins

The son of prominent Gospel singers and also the musical director for acts like Boyz II Men, Jamie Hawkins stepped out as a solo artist in the early 2000’s with the single “Lost My Mind”. He was signed to Elektra Records under Mona Scott’s Monami Entertainment imprint. Unfortunately the album was shelved and he hasn’t really been heard from since.
 

Jarvis

The singer was originally signed to So So Def in the early 2000’s and had the single “Radio”. Unfortunately an album never followed, and he resurfaced in 2012 on Capitol Records with the single “Make a Little Room”. He hasn’t really been heard from since.
 

Javier

Javier Colon impressed upon the release of his first two albums “Javier” and “Left of Center”. Both came via Capitol Records but unfortunately he never got the attention he deserved and quickly fell out of the scene. He made a major resurgence in 2011 when he made an appearance on Season 1 of The Voice and won the contest. His album “Come Through For You” followed, and he also released “Gravity” in 2016.
 

John Legend

Singer John Legend has been of the most successful artists of his generation since being introduced by Kanye West in the mid 2000’s. He’s become a celebrity due to his crossover pop success from hit singles like “Ordinary People”, “Green Light”, “All of Me”, and “Love Me Now”. He continues to be very prolific with releasing new music, and his latest album “Legend” dropped in 2022.
 

Johnta Austin

This legendary songwriter will always be known for the hits he was able to pen for other artists. His solo career however nearly took off in the late 2000’s with the album “Ocean Drive” which was eventually shelved. He finally did release his debut album “Love, Sex & Religion” in 2019. He also gave us the “Pandemic” EP in 2020.
 

Justin Timberlake

N Sync front man JT crossed into the R&B realm when he tapped producers like Timbaland and The Neptunes to help craft his debut solo album “Justified”. He’s stayed in that lane through the years with albums like “FutureSex/LoveSounds” and “The 20/20 Experience”. His most recent album “Man of the Woods” came out in 2018. He made a return to new music in 2023 with the Nelly Furtado and Timbaland assisted single “Keep Going Up” in 2023.
 

Lathun

Motown signee Lathun is known for his debut album “Fortunate” from 2002. He unfortunately faded from the music scene shortly after.
 

Latif

Corey “Latif” Williams arrived with his Motown debut album “Love in the First” in 2003. He’s continued to release albums and be a songwriter behind the scenes over the years. He also formed the new group Lo Boii in recent years.
 

Lloyd

The prince of Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc label has gone on to become one of the most successful R&B artists in his generation. He originally broke out with hits like “Southside” and “You”, and took things to another level with the hit “Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)”. Most recently, he released the album “Tru” in 2018, and his latest single “Slow Wine Bass Line” came out in 2020.
 

Lyfe Jennings

The singer has made a name for himself with his socially conscious style and unfortunately also controversy. His debut album “Lyfe 268‒192” came out in 2004 and he’s delivered hits like “Must Be Nice”, “S.E.X.”, “Never Never Land” and “Statistics”. He has released seven albums to date, the latest is “777” which came out in 2019. He released a joint EP with Amina Buddafly in 2021 called “The Six Pack, Vol. 1” In 2022, he released the new single “Till You Gone”.
 

Mario

Mario burst on the scene with hits “Just a Friend 2002” and “Braid My Hair” from his self titled debut album in 2002. He took things to even greater heights with the Ne-Yo written hit song “Let Me Love You” from his second album which established him as a star. He has released five albums to date, and his most recent is “Dancing Shadows” from 2018. Most recently, he released the new single “Main One” in 2023 featuring Tyga & Lil’ Wayne.
 

Marques Houston

The original Immature (aka IMX) group member has also found big time success as a solo artist over the past two decades. That run of success began with his debut album MH and the hit singles “That Girl” and “Clubbin”. He continued to land hits from each of his next few albums including songs like “Naked”, “All Because of You”, and “Circle”. He has taken some time away from being a solo artist to reunite with IMX and do acting, but finally returned in 2022 with the surprise album “ME” and the EP “Me: Dark Water” later that year.
 

Musiq Soulchild

Musiq Soulcihld’s career was birthed out of Philly from DJ Jazzy Jeff’s A Touch of Jazz Studios which led to his debut album “Aijuswanaseing” in 2000. He has more hit songs than just about any of his peers including songs like “Just Friends (Sunny)”, “Love”, “Girl Next Door”, “Halfcrazy”, “Dontchange”, “B.U.D.D.Y.”, “TeachMe”, “IfULeave”, “SoBeautiful”, and more. He has released eight albums to date and even taken the time to explore some alternative persona projects. He also recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his debut album with us in this interview. In 2023, he linked up with star producer Hit-Boy for the collaborative album “Victims & Villains”.
 

Ne-Yo

This singer/songwriter was originally known for his pen just as much as his own hit songs. Ne-Yo’s debut album “In My Own Words” came out in 2006 and a new star was born. Overall, he has become one of the biggest pop stars out of nearly any artist in this generation. His eighth album “Self Explanatory” arrived in 2022, and he released the new single “Link Up” in 2023.
 

Omarion

Omarion stepped away from B2K to become a solo artist and has been just as successful. He’s remained very active since his debut album “O” in 2004, releasing five albums to date including most recent “The Kinection” in 2020. He also released an album with Bow Wow, was a part of releases with Maybach Music, and released as series of “Care Package” EPs over the past decade. During 2023, he released new projects including the “Full Circle: Sonic Book 1” album.
 

O’Ryan

The younger brother of Omarion unfortunately wasn’t able to have the same level of success. He released his self titled album in 2004 via Universal Motown and hasn’t really been heard from since.
 

Pleasure P

The Pretty Ricky lead singer broke out as a solo artist with his album “The Introduction of Marcus Cooper” in 2009. He returned with the mixtape “Break Up To Make Up” in 2014, but has not released a sophomore solo album. He has however reunited with Pretty Ricky and they were a part of the Millenium Tour. He returned with a new single in 2020 and also announced a new project. In 2022, he formed the super group RSVP along with Ray-J, Sammie & Bobby V.
 

Raheem DeVaughn

The self proclaimed Love King has been one of the most prolific at releasing music in the R&B genre since his debut “The Love Experience” in 2005. He has released eight albums to date, but that doesn’t even include the mixtapes and collaboration projects he’s been a part of. Raheem is currently the Director of A&R at the SRG/ILS Group, and he released his latest album “What a Time to Be in Love” in 2020. He also linked up with producer Apollo Brown for their joint album “Lovesick” in 2021. He continues to release new projects every year, including three in 2023.
 

Raphael Saadiq

The former Tony! Toni! Toné! singer left the group in 2000 to form Lucy Pearl with Dawn Robinson and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Since then, he has also released five albums, and has become known for his production and songwriting behind the scenes, although very notably elusive at times. Most recently, he released the album “Jimmy Lee” in 2019. He finally reunited with his group Tony! Toni! Toné! in 2023, for the “Just Me and You” tour.
 

Rell

One of the original members of Roc-A-Fella Records, Rell burst onto the scene with “Love for Free” with label head Jay-Z in 1998. He was to release his debut album “The Remedy” in 2001 but it unfortunately was shelved. He did still have some success with singles like “If That’s My Baby”, “It’s Obvious”, “Real Love” and “No Better Love”. Rell has still been around the industry, linking up to sing with the group The Revelations in the mid 2010’s. He has also released singles here and there, and is currently working on a new project.
 

RL

RL Huggar is one of the original members of the group Next but began branching out as a solo artist with his appearance on Deborah Cox’s hit song “We Can’t Be Friends” and the 2Pac hit “Until the End of Time”. He also became one of the most in demand songwriters and penned hits for the likes of Jaheim, Ideal, Koffee Brown, Usher and more. Eventually he released his solo debut album “RL:Ements” in 2002. Since then he’s been back with Next on and off, but also released solo mixtapes and plenty of singles. His most recent project is the EP “The Letter J” from 2020. In recent years he’s been touring with Next, and they joined hip-hop group Naughty by Nature for the single “That’s Me” in 2023.
 

Robin Thicke

Another of the greats to have emerged out of this generation. Robin Thicke’s debut album “A Beautiful World” didn’t get much attention when it came out in 2003, but he eventually signed with The Neptunes and Star Trak and his second album “The Evolution of Robin Thicke” was a runaway success. Through the years, hits like “Lost Without U”, “Magic”, “Love After War”, and “Blurred Lines” have made him a household name. He recently released his eighth album “On Earth, and in Heaven” in 2021. In 2022, he released a new single called “Brown Liquor” with Yo Gotti.
 

Ruben Studdard

The velvet teddy bear rose to fame following his win on the second season of American Idol in 2003. His debut album “Soulful” arrived on J Records that same year and went platinum. Since then, he has remained one of the most consistent artists in the genre at releasing quality music. Ruben has released eight albums to date, with his most recent being “The Way I Remember It” in 2023.
 

Sammie

The singer emerged as a teen sensation with his debut album “From the Bottom to the Top” in 2000. Through the years, he’s continued to make quality music, and has released four albums and numerous EP’s and mixtapes. In the middle years he went by the stage name Leigh Bush for a period of time and released an EP under that name. His latest album “Such is Life” released in 2020 and he’s continued to tour heavily between releasing new music. He put out a new EP called “Satin Sheets” in 2022. Also in 2022, he formed the super group RSVP along with Ray-J, Bobby V. & Pleasure P.
 

Smoke E. Digglera

An original member of the r&b group Playa, Smokey has also been active as a solo artist over the years, releasing albums like “Personal, Pain & Pleasure”, “The Truth in the Booth”, and “Sittin on a Gold Mine”. He is currently part of the group Dru Hill alongside his Playa bandmate Digital Black, Sisqo, Nokio, Jazz & Tao
 

Static Major

One of the most prolific songwriters of his generation unfortunately passed away way too soon in 2008. He was part of the group Playa and helped create their outstanding debut album “Cheers 2 U”. But his most significant contributions came behind the scenes writing for the likes of Aaliyah, Ginuwine, JoJo, Pleasure P, Brandy, and many more. His legacy still lives on to this day.
 

Tank

One of the last R&B artists still signed to a major label from his generation, Tank has built up quite a resume to date. Things kicked off for him in 2001 with his debut album “Force of Nature” and the hit song “Maybe I Deserve”. Since then he has released nine albums and also a joint project with Ginuwine and Tyrese as part of TGT. His latest album “Elevation” came out in 2019, and he also released the new EP “Worth the Wait” in 2020. He released his final album “R&B Money” in 2022, and continues to host the successful R&B Money Podcast.
 

The Dream

This singer/songwriter/producer made a name for himself by penning some of the biggest hits for other artists among his generation. He broke out as a solo artist with the debut album “Love/Hate” in 2007, and has released many projects of his own over the past decade.
 

Tony Sunshine

Hand picked by the late Big Pun to be a part of the Terror Squad, this singer has showed much promise over the years but we still await his debut solo album. He has given us some hits over the years like “Oh My God”, “She’s Like the Wind”, “Grey Goose”, and more. He released a mixtape called “No Filter” in 2015. Check out our latest interview with him to hear more about what he’s been up to.
 

Torrey “TC” Carter

TC was the first male artist signed to Missy Elliott’s The Goldmind record label. He came out with the single “Take That” in the early 2000’s, but his debut album was eventually shelved and he hasn’t really been heard from since.
 

Trey Songz

“Trigga” has gone on to become one of the biggest stars out of the 2000’s. He was not an immediate success as his first two albums “I Gotta Make It” and “Trey Day” are often overlooked. However, his trajectory quickly changed with his third album “Ready” and hit singles like “Say Aah”, “I Invented Sex”, “Neighbors Know My Name”, and “I Need a Girl”. He has continued to release hit after hit over the years, and his most recent album “Back Home” came out in 2020.
 
One of your favorites missing? Did we leave someone out? Feel free to let us know in the comments.