After having a monumental moment with Usher on stage, Tevin Campbell is adding his name to the "King of R&B" conversation. Campbell is an icon whose songs have remained cultural favorites for decades and he continues to perform his classics across the globe. He has earned favor among his peers, including Usher who brought Campbell on stage for an unforgettable rendition of "Can We Talk."
"We're all kings, man. We're all kings," Campbell told TMZ when they asked if Usher was the King of R&B. "Everybody's a king, everybody's a prince. The original kings, we owe it to them. You know, Sam Cooke and Donny Hathaway, and Marvin Gaye. Those are the kings, but we're all kings."
The TMZ cameraperson attempted to dig a little further, but Campbell wanted to avoid any controversial answers.
"All I know is Usher's great, man," the singer said with a laugh. "He's a great artist, but we can all be kings and be great at what we do and still co-exist as kings." The cameraperson mentioned that Usher suggested no one could battle him on Verzuz, but Campbell offered up an opponent.
"R. Kelly," he answered. "[He] has a lot of hits and he wrote all of them... When I think of an R&B artist that's had a lot of hits, I think of R. Kelly, and not only his hits, he's written for so many other people, you know." He added that he loves Verzuz, but he "just doesn't believe in the competition."
Check out the clip below.