The Hamiltones Bring Back the R&B Feeling With Debut EP ‘Watch The Ton3s’

Anthony Hamilton‘s famed backup vocalists and Grammy-nominated viral sensations The Hamiltones step to the forefront today with the release of their debut EP Watch The Ton3s. The project features guests Ricco Barrino and Phonte (of Little Brother).

With five new sentimental love songs and a remix, Watch The Ton3s is loaded with heavenly harmonies, carefully crafted lyrics, and live instrumentation that hark back to a time when you didn’t just listen to music, you felt it. “We can switch up every now and then, but this is a soul/R&B EP — feel-good music,” 2E said about the project.

Watch The Ton3s arrives on the heels of the trio’s most recent viral rendition of Lil’ Nas X‘s smash hit “Old Town Road.” The video has amassed over two million views since last Saturday, and was shot backstage before their performance in The Truth About Black Men, a stage play by Zuri Craig, co-starring Patrice Lovely, and Don Brumsfield (of VH1’s Black Ink Crew Chicago).

The Hamiltones are North Carolina natives J. Vito, Tony Lelo, and 2E. The soul trio’s name was born from their work as backup vocalists for Grammy-winning R&B/Soul artist Anthony Hamilton. While on tour with Hamilton, dazzling audiences around the world, the trio of singers jokingly sang a gospel rendition of Drake‘s “Hotline Bling” during rehearsal. The recorded footage of their performance was then uploaded to Facebook and amassed over one million views in just under 24 hours. The group went on to make more renditions of popular songs, all of which became internet sensations. Their viral spoof rendition of Birdman‘s “Respeck” landed them on Power 105’s The Breakfast Club.

In 2018, the group’s “What I’m Feelin'” collaboration with Anthony Hamilton secured the trio’s first Grammy nomination. That same year, The Hamiltones hit the road again with Hamilton, headlined their own dates, and embarked on an international tour with legendary guitarist Ry Cooder. The following year, The Hamiltones were featured on three Grammy nominated projects, including PJ Morton‘s Gumbo (“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright“); Jonathan McReynold‘s Make Room (“Graduate“); and the winner in the 2019 Best Gospel Album category, Tori Kelly‘s Hiding Place (“Help Us To Love“). Now set to embolden their transition to the forefront with Watch the Ton3s, The Hamiltones cement their mark on musical history. Click below to listen!