Hayama Carl Thomas (born June 15, 1972) is an American R&B singer from Aurora, Illinois. Thomas sang around Chicago and became a member of The Formula. He branched out however, and traveled to New York where he sang at clubs during open-mic nights. One such performance caught the eye of Sean “Puffy” Combs who signed Thomas to Bad Boy Entertainment in 1997. In early 2000 his single “I Wish” was released, which topped the R&B charts, and set the stage for his debut album, “Emotional” later that year. On the success of the single, and the album’s other singles charted on the R&B charts including, “Summer Rain” at #18 and the title track “Emotional” at #8. The album peaked at #9 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart and was certified platinum. Later rapper Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)” featuring Pharrell sampled Thomas’ “I Wish” on his 2000 album “The Dynasty: Roc La Familia.”His second album, “Let’s Talk About It,” was released in March 2004.
http://ramblingfisherman.com/2012/11/stamp-river-fishing-report-steelheading-good/img_4948/ No singles from this album charted. The album peaked at #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart. Thomas was featured on Amerie’s 2005 album “Touch.” On the 2006 2Pac album “Pac’s Life,” he was featured beside Hussein Fatal and Papoose on the track “Dumpin’.”In December 2006, Thomas earned a Grammy Award nomination along with Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, and the late Gerald Levert for “Everyday (Family Reunion)” a song from the soundtrack of Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Family Reunion.” The song received a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. His third album, “So Much Better,” was released in May 2007 and reached #25 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart. He is now signed to Bungalo Records and was featured on Trey Songz 2009 track “Feels So Good.”
