Donell Jones

Donell Jones is a singer, songwriter, and producer who has charted many R&B hits over his 30 year career. ∙ Originally working behind the scenes as a songwriter, Jones cowrote Usher’s first hit single, 1994’s “Think of You.” ∙ His debut album, My Heart, arrived in 1996 and produced Jones’ first hit — a cover of Stevie Wonder’s 1976 love song “Knocks Me Off My Feet.” ∙ “U Know What’s Up,” from the 1999 Platinum-certified album Where I Wanna Be, was a Top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot R&B chart for eight consecutive weeks. ∙ In 2000, he recorded “Do What I Gotta Do” for the soundtrack of the action movie Shaft and “I’ll Go” for the romantic sports drama Love & Basketball. ∙ He won Favorite New R&B Artist at the American Music Awards in 2001. ∙ Jones has collaborated with many rappers throughout his career, including Big Pun, Fat Joe, as well as Clipse on his 2006 hit “I’m Gonna Be.”