![\"The](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0005291059\/front\/220\/v5cpGLytLEsBrdpGzymUNg4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg\")
<\/a>Eric Bellinger is a contemporary R&B singer\/songwriter whose subtle versatility is displayed across a vast solo catalog and writing credits for dozens of tracks by numerous high-profile artists across the fields of R&B, rap, and pop. From the tail-end of the 2000s into the mid-2010s, Bellinger established himself as a collaborator with the likes of Usher<\/a>, Justin Bieber<\/a>, and Chris Brown<\/a>, most notably earning a Grammy nomination for co-writing Brown<\/a>‘s multi-platinum Top 40 hit “New Flame.” As a headliner, the California native made his album debut with The Rebirth<\/a> (2014), the first of many charting projects that included Cuffing Season<\/a> (2015), Eazy Call<\/a> (2018), and The Rebirth 2<\/a> (2019). The latter two of those albums crossed into the Billboard 200, and with New Light<\/a> (2021), he reached another level of acclaim with a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album. Bellinger’s many subsequent releases include the double-length The Rebirth 3: The Party & The Bedroom<\/a> (2024), followed by It’ll All Make Sense Later<\/a> (2024), It All Makes Sense (2025), and Eric Bellinger<\/a> (2026), among other projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBorn in Norwalk and raised in nearby Compton, Bellinger is the grandson of Bobby Day<\/a>, a doo wop singer, songwriter, and producer known most for the 1958 hit “Rockin’ Robin.” Bellinger starred as a running back on his high school football team and earned a scholarship to play for and attend the University of Southern California, but he opted to pursue music when major-label Epic Records offered him a contract as a member of the group AKNU. The group proved to be short lived, but Bellinger eventually advanced as a songwriter. From 2009 through 2014, he co-wrote dozens of songs for his peers. These included Usher<\/a>‘s number two R&B\/hip-hop hit “Lemme See,” Brandy<\/a>‘s “Without You,” Justin Bieber<\/a>‘s “Right Here,” and Chris Brown<\/a>‘s Billboard Top 40 pop hits “Fine China” and “New Flame.” The latter Brown<\/a> single was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Bellinger continued to develop his solo career. He and longtime friend Nieman J<\/a> — a manager and producer, as well as an artist himself — set up YFS, short for Your Favorite Song. In 2013, several previously download-only projects were given simultaneous commercial release on the label, and these included each volume of Bellinger’s Born II Sing series. The next year, Bellinger delivered The Rebirth<\/a>, an album with contributions from the likes of Sage the Gemini<\/a>, Kid Ink<\/a>, and past collaborator Sevyn Streeter<\/a>. Among its singles were the Kriss Kross<\/a>\/Ohio Players<\/a>-sampling “I Don’t Want Her” (featuring Problem<\/a>, aka JasonMartin<\/a>) and “9 Lives” (featuring Too $hort<\/a> and Ty Dolla $ign<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eric Bellinger Biography Eric Bellinger is a contemporary R&B singer\/songwriter whose subtle versatility is displayed across a vast solo catalog and writing credits for dozens of tracks by numerous high-profile artists across the fields of R&B, rap, and pop. From the tail-end of the 2000s into the mid-2010s, Bellinger established himself as a collaborator with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":115,"template":"","class_list":["post-114","artist","type-artist","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Cuffing](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0004495553\/front\/220\/f6haHdAxKA7_m3bCgcxBoT6KsMttLlyBmmVTZ6_CLs0=.jpg\")
<\/a>Although The Rebirth<\/a> reached number 23 on the R&B\/hip-hop chart, Bellinger didn’t rest after that success. In fact, by the end of 2015, he issued the prelude mixtape Choose Up Season<\/a>, the albums Cuffing Season<\/a> and Cuffing Season Part 2<\/a>, and yet another tape. The Cuffing Season sequel featured “Valet,” a swaggering slow jam (with Fetty Wap<\/a> and 2 Chainz<\/a>) that quickly became one of Bellinger’s most popular tracks. During 2016 and 2017, Bellinger added to his list of charting releases with Eric B for President: Term 1<\/a> and Eric B for President: Term 2<\/a>. Acoustic versions of both EPs were also issued during that period, as was another EP, Cannabliss. The following year saw the release of Bellinger’s fourth proper album, Eazy Call<\/a> (the title of which was derived from his “It’s Eazy!” ad-libs), the singer’s first entry on the Billboard 200. The Meditation Music EP trailed it by only a month, and the same year brought Nine, Bellinger and rapper AD<\/a>‘s duo project under the name Poncho Belly & Dizzle. Bellinger was especially prolific in 2019, starting with The Rebirth 2<\/a> — another Billboard 200 title, it was highlighted by “Type a Way,” featuring Chris Brown<\/a> and OG Parker<\/a> — and continuing with Saved by the Bellinger and Cuffing Season 3<\/a>, the source of “Drive By,” another well-received single. All the while, Bellinger was still writing material for other artists. His efforts included a handful of songs co-written for Teyana Taylor<\/a>, such as “How You Want It?,” a platinum single off The Album<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/fastly-s3.allmusic.com\/release\/mr0005272661\/front\/220\/7NwLgtcBZheWcFGDhCbtwgSijaXJlYnq0St31qpAJWo=.jpg\")
<\/a>Bellinger didn’t let up in the 2020s. In 2020 alone, he was behind no fewer than seven projects, including Eric B for President: Term 3<\/a> and duo projects with Chase N. Cashe<\/a> (Scenarios<\/a>) and Nieman J<\/a> (Optimal Music). He began 2021 with 1-800-HIT-EAZY<\/a>, a collaboration with producer Hitmaka<\/a>, and returned in September with the full-length New Light<\/a>, which was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Progressive R&B Album. After a relatively quiet 2022, he and Hitmaka<\/a> reconvened in 2023 for 1(800)HIT-EAZY: Line 2<\/a>. Bellinger’s double-disc The Rebirth 3: The Party & The Bedroom<\/a>, as well as another album, It’ll All Make Sense Later<\/a>, were released in 2024. It’ll All Make Sense Later<\/a> was soon joined by a 2025 sequel of its own, It All Makes Sense. Proving that it’s never too late to release a self-titled album, Bellinger then crafted Eric Bellinger<\/a>, a 2026 LP previewed with singles such as “Cry in Front of You,” “Just Like You,” and “Fatherhood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"