Key Takeaways
- This ranking traces Carl Thomas’ evolution from Bad Boy’s go-to hook singer to a defining voice of early-2000s R&B.
- The top three pair his signature No. 1 R&B hit “I Wish” with Faith Evans’ “Can’t Believe (Remix)” and the breezy “Summer Rain.”
- The 10-song list spans solo cuts and collaborations with Ghostface Killah, The Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, LL Cool J, and Noreaga. Some of these songs will be played during his VERZUZ with Case this week.
For all the talk about Bad Boy’s dominance in hip-hop, it’s easy to forget the label was just as much a powerhouse in R&B.
When talking about R&B, Bad Boy 1.0 ran on Faith Evans, 112, and Total. Then, in the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.’s death in 1997, a second iteration of the label took shape. That’s where Carl Thomas comes in.
Diddy signed Thomas in the mid ‘90s after catching one of his open-mic performances. Before he ever dropped a single of his own, he’d built a rep as a reliable hook man. He showed up on everything from commercial hits like Puff Daddy’s “Been Around the World” remix to deep cuts like The Notorious B.I.G.’s “The World Is Filled...” on Life After Death.
His debut, Emotional, released in April 2000, signaled a new era for the label. It was the first major Bad Boy R&B album of the new millennium, and it got a more artist-centric rollout, with Diddy stepping further behind the scenes as his public image grew more infamous. “I Wish,” a wounded, bitter breakup record that went No. 1 on the R&B charts and lived on radio all year, made Thomas a star.
Thomas never quite topped that record, but his catalog is deep enough that he’s taking on another Bad Boy-era R&B mainstay, Case, in the next VERZUZ. The matchup, titled “I Wish You Never Teased Me,” goes down live this Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
Before they square off, here are the 10 best Carl Thomas songs of all time.
“Emotional” (2000)
Producer: Mario Winans
Album: Emotional
The title track opens the album, and it sets a tone that’s a far cry from the shiny, club-ready R&B Bad Boy had made its bread and butter.
Built on the melody of Sting’s “Shape of My Heart,” Mario Winans’ production leans adult contemporary, giving Thomas room to sound grown. It’s a sophisticated breakup record about the true cost of a relationship ending. Or, as he sings, “Tell me what's the use of holding on If we can't be friends?”
Carl Thomas feat. Kanye West, “The Way That You Do” (2004)
Producer: Kanye West
Album: Let’s Talk About It
This 2004 deep cut was a bit of a reunion. One of Kanye’s first big production placements came on Harlem World’s 1999 album cut “You Made Me,” which featured Carl Thomas on the hook alongside a fire Nas verse. Five years later, Kanye was a star in his own right, and the two linked back up for a song that flew under the radar. That’s a shame, because it’s built on a prime College Dropout-era Kanye beat and a cocky verse from Kanye: “Who’s to blame for all these fights/When you ain’t always wrong, I’m just always right,” he raps.
Noreaga feat. Carl Thomas, “I Love My Life” (1998)
Producer: EZ Elpee
Album: N.O.R.E.
“I Love My Life” is a gem from Noreaga’s solo debut. On N.O.R.E., he traded some of the army fatigues for something brighter and more club-ready, but this is one of the moments where he turned introspective, detailing his upbringing. Carl’s hook is the most important element: emotionally affecting, carried by a melody that Nas came up with.
“Late Night Rendezvous” (2007)
Producer: Mike City
Album: So Much Better
By 2007, Carl Thomas had left Bad Boy and gone the indie route, but he didn’t leave behind the collaborators who helped make him a star. Most notably, he stuck with Mike City, the producer behind “I Wish,” who handled most of his third album and co-released it through his own Unsung Entertainment. The standout is the album’s second single, “Late Night Rendezvous,” a warm, almost cozy ode to getting it on after the club.
The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Too $hort & Puff Daddy, “The World Is Filled...” (1997)
Producers: Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie and Diddy
Album: Life After Death
For a lot of fans, the first time they heard Carl Thomas was on this Life After Death playa anthem. Carl only does the hook and some of the backing vocals, but it’s such a memorable performance—with his voice carrying a slight crack. And we don’t even have to speak on the verses from Big and Too $hort.
Carl Thomas feat. LL Cool J, “She Is” (2004)
Producers: Mario Winans and Sean Combs
Album: Let’s Talk About It
It took four years for Carl Thomas to release a follow-up to his classic debut, and it came with tragedy. His brother was killed a few months after the album dropped, which cut the promo run short. Though the album charted higher, it didn’t have anywhere near the same impact. Still, there were some good songs, and the high point was the lead single “She Is,” which samples the same Surface record as the Kool G Rap and Nas classic “Fast Life.”
Ghostface feat. Raekwon and Carl Thomas, “Never Be The Same Again” (2001)
Producers: Lilz & PLX
Album: Bulletproof Wallets
After the critical success of Supreme Clientele, Ghost made a slight adjustment to his formula. He leaned further into R&B-laced singles that were catchy but still had the spite of “Wildflower.” “Never Be the Same Again,” the first single from Bulletproof Wallets, wasn’t a huge hit, but it established the template well. Carl is the glue here. While Ghost and Rae are bitter about getting played, Carl’s hook brings the heartbreak.
“Summer Rain” (2000)
Producers: Heavy D and Warren Campbell
Album: Emotional
The first single from Emotional might be the most gorgeous—driven by a breezy Latin guitar and a melody that interpolates Stevie Wonder’s classic “Summer Soft.” Thomas turns in a warm at times powerhouse vocal performance. Funny enough, he’s said the song almost didn’t make the album.
Faith Evans feat. Carl Thomas, “Can’t Believe (Remix)” (2001)
Producers: Mario Winans and P. Diddy
Album: The Saga Continues… / Faithfully
The Saga Continues… was Diddy’s attempt to reboot Bad Boy with a new cast of characters. And yet by the time the collab album came out, it seemed the label’s run was coming to an end. “Can’t Believe” might be the last great Bad Boy song of the era, a heartfelt duet between Faith and Carl that earned a Grammy nod. The secret weapon is the beat: it’s built on the Firm’s “Phone Tap,” which adds a paranoid energy to a song about getting caught up.
“I Wish” (2000)
Producers: Mike City and Carl Thomas
Album: Emotional
“Summer Rain” was the first single, but it’s not what would become the song that defined Carl Thomas. That would be “I Wish.” Co-written with Mike City, it’s a beautiful song about regret and a lover choosing someone else, and in 2000 it was everywhere, topping the R&B chart and crossing over to No. 20 on the Hot 100. The hook, “I wish I never met her at all,” is still, to this day, one of the defining lines in modern R&B.
