Van Hunt Jr. (born March 8, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He released his debut album, '' Van Hunt'', in 2004, and a follow-up, '' On the Jungle Floor'', in 2006, both on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. He won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for appearing on the tribute version of the Sly & the Family Stone song, " Family Affair", in 2007. He transitioned to Blue Note Records where his 2008 album, ''Popular'', was shelved and would not be released until 2017. He self-released the compilation album ''Use in Case of Emergency'' in 2009.

Early life

Hunt was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

and was raised by a single mother. His father, Van Hunt Sr., was a friend of

Ohio Players Ohio Players are an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire" and " Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of the women were models f ...

drummer Jimmy "Diamond" Williams. Hunt took up the drums at age 7, and saxophone at the age of 8, later adding bass and keyboards.Foster, Saptosa (September 30, 2004).
Good Van Hunting
". '' Creative Loafing''. Retrieved on December 8, 2007. Guitar was the last instrument he learned to play; he played guitar in a rock band called Royalty. Hunt moved to Arlington,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

for a short time before relocating to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

in 1996 to attend Morehouse College, where he studied English, but soon dropped out. In Atlanta, he started producing a few hip-hop demos for Atlanta rappers in order to pay bills. Hunt met up-and-coming record producers and artists like

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfir ...

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

and TLC through his work on demos.

Career

Early career

Hunt wrote and co-produced the song "Hopeless" for singer Dionne Farris, formerly of Arrested Development, and joined her band on guitar and keyboards. "Hopeless" appeared on the soundtrack for the film '' Love Jones'' (1997). Hunt co-wrote several songs with Rahsaan Patterson on his album ''Love in Stereo'' (1999), and co-wrote with Cree Summer, including the song "Mean Sleep", for her album '' Street Faërie'' (1999), produced by Lenny Kravitz. He also collaborated with Joi on the single "Missing You" (2002). Through Dionne Farris, Hunt met A&R person Randy Jackson (who later went on to be a judge on Fox's ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

''). Jackson would become Hunt's manager in 2002.

Capitol records

Hunt recorded much of the songs from his debut album in 2000. Producer Dallas Austin took Hunt's recording to

, leading him to sign with the label in 2001. Hunt's first album, '' Van Hunt'', was released in February 2004. The album included the singles "Down Here in Hell (With You)", "Dust", and "Seconds of Pleasure", and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Hunt's second album, '' On the Jungle Floor'', was released in 2006. The album featured the single, "Character," a revisited "Mean Sleep", as a duet with Nikka Costa, and a cover of "No Sense of Crime" by The Stooges. The album was co-produced by Bill Bottrell. Hunt has toured and appeared with Mary J. Blige,

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

, Boney James, The Roots, Seal, Angie Stone,

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

, The Brand New Heavies, the Dave Matthews Band, and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

. In 2006, Hunt appeared with Nikka Costa on the Sam Moore album, ''Overnight Sensational'', on the song "If I Had No Loot". Hunt was also featured on "Half the Fun", a track on the Count Bass D album, ''Act Your Waist Size'', released on Fat Beats Records. In 2007, Hunt won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, along with

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

and Joss Stone, for their cover of the Sly & the Family Stone song, " Family Affair", which appeared on the 2006 tribute album '' Different Strokes by Different Folks''. Hunt described winning the award as "one of the bigger pleasures I've had" to ''The Athens Blur Magazine'' in 2009.Hackett, Will (2009). "Hunting for Goodness". ''The Athens Blur Magazine'', issue 9, p. 23

Blue Note

Hunt released the 4 track digital EP, ''The Popular Machine'', on August 7, 2007. Hunt announced a full-length album, ''Popular'', to be released on Blue Note Records on January 15, 2008. Hunt moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles in 2007 while the album was nearing completion.Wood, Mikael (May 13, 2009).
Screwed By Blue Note, Van Hunt Still Rocks. And Funks. With Soul
. '' LA Weekly''. Retrieved on November 20, 2021. Blue Note had taken over Hunt's recording contract after corporate restructuring at Blue Note and Capitol's parent company, EMI. In December 2007, Blue Note announced that they would not be releasing the album, and that Hunt and the label mutually agreed to part ways. Hunt wrote on his MySpace blog in January 2008, that he couldn't promise that ''Popular'' would ever be officially released. Blue Note owns the master recordings and opted not to sell it back to him at an affordable price. Hunt commented that he "didn't think that they had enough money" to promote the album properly. '' LA Weekly'' called the album an "appealingly trippy fusion of funk grooves, punk guitar and soul vocals", and "a left-field stunner". Hunt told the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

alternative weekly newspaper '' Creative Loafing'' that he was "devastated" when the label decided not to release the album. In August 2017, ''Popular'' finally saw an official release on all online distributors 10 years after it was shelved.

Independent

As of June 2008, Hunt was recording a fourth album, which he planned to release himself and market using the Internet. Hunt has blogged about his new approach on his MySpace page. Hunt toured the U.S. in July and August 2008. Meanwhile, he released ''Use in Case of Emergency'', a compilation of demos,

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

es and B-sides recorded between 1997 and 2005, through his Web site in May 2009. In 2009, Hunt performed on the theme song for the film Hurricane Season, entitled "Be on Our Way." Hunt has also been working on autobiographical book of short stories titled ''Tales of Friction''. In July 2009, Hunt told '' The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' that he plans to release one more album and tour once more, but does not know what his plans are after that. Hunt performed at the National Black Arts Festival's tribute to Curtis Mayfield at Atlanta Symphony Hall on July 16, 2010.

Godless Hotspot and What Were You Hoping For?

On June 14, 2011, Van Hunt took to his Twitter to announce the release of his first song in 3 years. The song "June" was released on June 15 at midnight via Mike Ragogna of The Huffington Post along with the announcement of the title of his forthcoming album (''What were you hoping for''?) and its release date. A subsequent longer article about the song "June" and the new album and Van's new approach would appear later that same day on the Music remedy website. This article would not only talk about the joint venture-between Hunt's own label Godless-hotspot and Thirty-Tigers. It also goes on to say that "June" is the first of a series of free songs that will be released from various sites up until the release of the new album. The next will be "eyes Like Pearls" the first official single from the album that is set to be released to radio sometime in July

The Fun Rises, the Fun Sets

Van Hunt released updates of work on his upcoming album via PledgeMusic during the course of 2014. In March 2015, he announced the title of his album as ''The Fun Rises, the Fun Sets'', due for release on May 5, 2015. He previewed the release of the new album with the new single "Vega (Stripes On)", which was available for release via iTunes and Amazon and followed this up with another single, "Old Hat". Both tracks had official videos accompany their releases. The album charted at #31 on the US '' Billboard''

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

Influences

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

* The Isley Brothers * Curtis Mayfield * Thelonious Monk * The Ohio Players *

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

* Richard Pryor * Sly Stone *

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

Personal life

He has been in a relationship with actress Halle Berry since April 2020. He is the father of a son named Drake.

Discography

Albums

*'' Van Hunt'' (2004), Capitol *'' On the Jungle Floor'' (2006), Capitol *'' What Were You Hoping For?'' (2011) – Godless Hotspot/Thirty Tigers *''The Fun Rises, the Fun Sets'' (2015) – Godless Hotspot/Thirty Tigers *''Popular'' (2017), Blue Note

Compilations

*''Use in Case of Emergency'' (2009), self-released – collection of outtakes

EPs

*''Acoustic E.P.'' (2004), Capitol – digital EP *''Napster Sessions'' (2004), Capitol – digital EP *''Connect Set'' (2006), Capitol – digital EP *''The Popular Machine'' (2007), Blue Note – digital EP *''The Lamplighter Series'' (2009), Blue Note – digital EP

Singles

*"Down Here in Hell (With You)" (2004), Capitol *"Dust" (2004), Capitol *"Seconds of Pleasure" (2004), Capitol *"Character" (2006), Capitol *"Being A Girl" (2006), Capitol *"Eyes Like Pearls" (2011), Godless Hotspot/Thirty Tigers *"Vega (Stripes On)" (2015), Godless Hotspot/Thirty Tigers *"Old Hat" (2015), Godless Hotspot/Thirty Tigers *"Headroom" (2015), Godless Hotspot/Thirty Tigers *"hopeless (penny witta hole in it)" (2020) 1061229 Records DK *"Set Your Witches on Fire" (2021) 1061229 Records DK *"Peachfuzz" (2021) Modern Works Music Publishing *"Our Love Lingers" (2024), OnTheHuntmusicgroup

Awards and nominations

* 2005

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Dust." * 2006

win for Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocals for " Family Affair"

References

External links

* * *Hoard, Christian (May 5, 2004).
Van Hunt Gives Up the Funk
''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''. Retrieved on April 29, 2007.
Van Hunt Laid Bare
. March 8, 2005. the-raft.com. Retrieved on December 7, 2007.

. March 2004. whudat.com. Retrieved on December 8, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Van 1970 births 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American musicians African-American songwriters American funk musicians American multi-instrumentalists American neo soul singers American soul musicians Capitol Records artists Grammy Award winners Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) Record producers from Ohio Living people Morehouse College alumni Musicians from Atlanta Musicians from Dayton, Ohio