Montgomery Advertiser

Grammy nominated and chart-topping R&B singer Tank has been in the music industry nearly 20 years, giving him plenty of stories to tell. Students at Alabama State University had the chance to hear those stories Tuesday as Tank met with a classroom of recording industry students.

For nearly an hour, Tank spoke to a room of students who attentively listened to his answers to a wide range of questions. Students asked everything from his inspiration to how much he makes in a year.

In that time, Tank spoke to the students in a friendly manner, often making jokes and laughing with the students. At one point a student directed a question to Tank by using his real name – Durrell Babbs – and the singer feigned being shocked, then laughed with everybody else.

“He was laid back, he seemed like a real cool person,” said Camron Torian, a junior majoring in communications – recording industry. “I thought it was great that an established R&B artist took time to visit an HBCU.”

Nationally acclaimed American R&B Atlantic Record'sWhile Tank does have a new single out ahead of an album scheduled for a 2016 release, he barely mentioned it. The stop wasn’t part of a promotion tour, giving Tank the freedom to talk casually with the audience and carving out time for a meet and greet before the speaking engagement.