Eric Bellinger Credit: Photo by Akilah Townsend
Eric Bellinger is to hip-hop what Jimmy Webb is to old country. You know the hell out of the songs the Grammy-winner’s written, but you don’t necessarily know his name.

The songwriter/singer/producer headed to Ybor City on Thursday has released albums of his own, including the Grammy-nominated New Light from last year, but he’s better known for who he’s written for.

The 36-year-old has penned hits for Justin Bieber, Sean Kingston, and Chris Brown (with whom he won a Grammy in 2012).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=I7UeSNgd28Y
In what appears to be his Florida debut, Bellinger arrives at Orpheum alongside “I Like It” hitmaker Sammie.

This article appears in Apr 14-20, 2022.

Josh Bradley is Creative Loafing Tampa's resident live music freak. He started freelancing with the paper in 2020 at the age of 18, and has since covered, announced, and previewed numerous live shows in...