Eric Benet 'The One' Album: Singer Shares Story Behind Working With Lil Wayne

The music industry has always been somewhat unpredictable but no one would have guessed that artists would gain as much control as they have today. Eric Benet is taking full advantage of it all.

"I think for a few different reasons it's quite a timely move for me," he tells The BoomBox. "It's great that there are so many different ways to reach out to your fans now, as opposed to when I was first starting out. I think you can get a lot more done for less money when it comes to trying to reach your fanbase and trying to stay connected to people. "

Times truly have changed since the early '90s, when he and his sister were initiated into the music business as a duo. Every decision was made by the label and the siblings were eventually dropped. In 1996, the singer was finally able to release his solo debut, True to Myself, under Warner Brothers, but now, 16 years later, Benet is prepared to make a go of it on his own through his record label. "It's been a career-long dream of mine to have a record label and to have the kind of control that I have now."

With his sixth studio LP, The One, set to drop on June 5, Benet is committed to being true to himself, a sentiment he touted more than a decade ago. The story behind the album's title is straightforward. "This is the one," Benet says simply. "This is the one that I've been working towards my entire career. I'm stronger vocally, creatively and I'm at the top of my game now. This is the purest representation of Eric Benet."