"By, Alyson Mance
Though his first solo album Beautiful World fell short of his expectations in 2003, Robin Thicke had already been making an impact behind the music scene since the days his father taught us all a few family values as Jason Seaver on Growing Pains. Still, while Robin himself had always been known among other R&B artists as a talented young songwriter, the idea of establishing personal fame among the cutthroat media proved to be a much longer and more arduous process. Now with a haircut, a freshly added first name, and a new album, Thicke has finally transcended beyond his popularity as “that guy in the video that rides his bike around New York.”

Despite his staunch popularity as the wholesome sitcom psychiatrist, dad Alan Thicke was a musician himself, composing over 45 different television theme songs during the 1970s and 80s. Proving that entertaining was in his genes, Thicke taught himself to play piano at the age of 12. After being discovered by Brian McKnight at sixteen, the young artist made a name for himself throughout the R&B circuit by writing and producing music for artists such as Mary J. Blige and Michael Jackson. With a Grammy and growing popularity, the kid with the pop-prince sound took to the stage with his first single “When I Get You Alone,” a catchy yet forgettable tune with the potential of Justin Timberlake, yet the success of Jordan Knight. Today, Thicke has not only traded his fresh-faced, hippie look in for a more grown-up appeal, but he has started to delve beyond the realms of pop and R&B, first making a name for himself among hip hop heads with his “Shooter” duet with Lil’ Wayne on the 2005 album Tha Carter II.

Today, with Beautiful World having sold only 59,000 albums and a hip hop cut remaining safely beneath the mainstream, Thicke dropped the teen idol image and signed on to Pharrell Williams’ new Star Trak Records label to produce a new hit song and a highly anticipated new album. Though the record, entitled The Evolution of Robin Thicke, is not yet available in stores, already his single “Wanna Love You Girl” featuring Williams has graduated from an underground smash to a hit on music video charts nationwide. Despite its tardy release, Evolution - which, according to Thicke represents “the ups and downs of the past two years,” - has already created a buzz among hip hop culture, earning Thicke a heavy crossover success that white artists are seldom granted.

While much of his newfound popularity can be attributed to his new label and Pharrell’s overwhelming urban impact (he put Gwen Stefani on BET, after all), perhaps both factors are simply the outlets Thicke needed all along to show his true appeal to the public. After all, he told us in 2003 that he’s not leavin’ til we’re leavin’ - and we’re not going anywhere.[A PimpWiz Exclusive]

PimpWiz Extras: Yo Thicke, That track "Shooter" is tight. Respect.

1993 - True Romance
ROLE: Gary Oldman
QUOTE: "You must've thought today was white boy day. Yo dogs, is today white boy day?"

Labels: AlysonMance