When R&B group TGT (Tyrese, Ginuwine, Tank) performed their new song “I Need” on WLNY’s morning show The Couch last week, it was obvious that Ginuwine wasn’t all there. Some speculated that the 42-year-old, who has struggled with drug use in the past, was using again, a claim that he later denied on Twitter.
TGT formed in 2007, and the three members have been friends for over a decade. Tyrese (last name Gibson) was even the best man at Ginuwine’s wedding to rapper Sole, whom he married in Las Vegas in 2003. The couple have two daughters together, and Sole (Tonya Johnston) has two daughters from a previous relationship. Ginuwine, whose real name is Elgin Lumpkin, has four other children by three different women, for a grand total of eight between the two of them.
During the early days of TGT, all three members were signed to different record labels, which made it impossible for them to release an official album. In 2012, the group signed with Atlantic Records and began working on their upcoming debut studio album, 3 Kings , which is set to hit shelves on August 20. The group released their first single, “Sex Never Felt Better,” on February 14.
While they were performing “I Need,” the second single from the album, Ginuwine barely sang into the microphone, and doesn’t get off of his stool when it was time for his solo, unlike Tyrese, who appeared less than pleased with his bandmate’s behavior. The “Pony” singer looked uncomfortable and twitchy as he rubbed his legs and swayed back and forth.
Shortly after the performance, Tank (Durrell Babbs) expressed his displeasure with his bandmate:
Every night I step on stage I give my all! I demand the people around me to do the same!
— Tank (@TheRealTank) July 19, 2013
U can’t help everybody.. Some people just are what they are..
— Tank (@TheRealTank) July 21, 2013
Ginuwine later fired back, implying that Tank wasn’t much better:
Tank trying to leave himself out lololol
— ELGIN (@Ginuwine) July 22, 2013
He also went on to give a weak explanation as to why he was blinking so much during the performance:
Obviously I need eye drops lololol
— ELGIN (@Ginuwine) July 22, 2013
I’m going to always perform in the morning so I can blink blink blink blink blink
— ELGIN (@Ginuwine) July 22, 2013
What do you think of TGT’s performance? Do you think Ginuwine was using drugs, or was there something else that could explain his odd behavior?
