Newark, New Jersey R&B artist Hakeem Romance, born Al-Hakeem Aquil Thompson, releases the music video for “No Wait,” produced by Nigerian producer Beats By Dr. Syk. The son of two longtime United States Army service members, Hakeem spent much of his early childhood moving from place to place, an upbringing that exposed him to different cultures and helped shape his relationship to music and the arts. Raised in part through those constant relocations and later rooted in Newark, he developed an early love for singing through television, radio, and live performance, then committed to music during his senior year at East Side High after years of inspiration from performances at Arts High in Newark. His singing and songwriting style blends 90s R&B with a current R&B sound, and he was named the 2022 Male Emerging Artist of the Year by the International Singer-Songwriters Association, where he also serves as an administrator in Richmond, Virginia. Beyond his work as an artist, Hakeem holds a Music Industry Essentials certification from NYU/TISCH x Billboard’s Clive Davis Institute and runs his own label Sing On Everything LLC in support of independent artists. “Before I even recorded the track, I listened to everything afrobeats to give it an authentic feel and approach it with respect,” Hakeem says about the track. “No Wait” is out now via Sing On Everything LLC.
