With a body built like a statue, remarkable by all counts, the R&B crooner earned himself the name ‘tank’ and it is one he has gone by in his decades’ long musical career. The career has seen him make platinum-selling music for other artistes and himself.
It could be said that besides his vocal prowess, his sense of hearing; his ability to twist words into heavenly music to the ear, was his next best moneymaker.
So imagine the shock when he announced to the world two months ago that he was going completely deaf. In fact, hearing in one of his ears was completely shot by the time of his announcement, with the other slowly catching up.
Reason for the deafness? The doctors don’t know. Feels like one big stroke of bad luck, and one wonders how a man who lives and breathes music, will go on without ever hearing music again. Is he crushed? Will he sink into debilitating depression that he can’t recover from? Well, from his public updates on his condition, he seems upbeat.
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He knows that change is inevitable and that he has to embrace it because at just 45, he has a couple more productive decades left in him.
“It still hasn’t given me a reason to give up. I'm dizzy, can't walk a straight line, all of this out of nowhere, don't know how or why, but, you know, it still hasn't given me a reason to give up. It still hasn't given me a reason to stop feeling like I can do and be everything that I've set out to be. The goals are still the same: To be great, to be the greatest."
As a long-time fan of his music, I can’t wait to see how he will transition into his next role in music. I would bet on the fact that with the positive spirit he possesses, it will be something great.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could embrace change as easily? So you lose your job, or know that it is time to leave. Or your toxic relationship is a never ending sore point in your life. Instead of wallowing indefinitely, you can make the difficult decisions you need to make and call it life.
And if you need a good listen today, I would recommend Tank’s ‘I can’t Make You Love Me’. It is pure gold.
