“Hamilton’s latest album, What I’m Feelin’, arrives Friday. Speaking at the New York offices of his label, RCA, earlier this month while sipping red wine from a plastic cup, he laughed about the cover. “It was spontaneous,” he told Rolling Stone. “Those guys are really creative — when you have that much creativity and talent, something’s bound to happen. Something great or something silly.”

For What I’m Feelin’, Hamilton relied on longtime collaborators — mostly Mark Batson, who co-wrote “Charlene,” with additional contributions from Salaam Remi (Amy Winhouse, Nas) and the Roots’ James Poyser. Hamilton originally met Batson and Poyser through his work on D’Angelo’s tour. “We knew we had something special,” he recalls. “And when you have something special, you want to reintroduce that to the people and let them know why they fell in love with you and give them a chance to experience that again.” He calls Batson “a beast” and applauded his versatility. “His music allows me to feel what I want to feel — whether it’s hip-hop, whether it’s soul, whether it’s country. He knows how to bring it out and keep that urban sound that has the heartbeat of what’s going on today.””
Read the full story: Anthony Hamilton on Covering Drake, Staying Relevant | Rolling Stone