Although he’s one of the newest artists signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle label, there’s nothing new about R&B/soul prophet Governor (hear his shoutout) or his spine-tingling vocals.

After having endured the fires of family tragedy and numerous career set-backs, the self-proclaimed “country boy” emerges, undefeated and swaggering, wielding his mainstream debut Son Of Pain, an ecclesiastical opus evoking the soul legends of the past while embracing the streetwise grit of the now.

Aptly titled, the set’s massively blues-drenched lead single “Blood, Sweat & Tears” speaks to indescribable despair and transcendent redemption. With the lyric “In ‘74 mama pulled the trigger,” the songwriter paints a world of hurt referring to when his mother committed suicide while he was still a baby. He spoke candidly about how this heartrending experience shaped and inspired his life.

“It instilled in me a desire to never quit,” an emotional Governor revealed to HRS. “No matter hard hard things get.”

Check our exclusive audio interview with Governor and peep a review of his album.

Audio interview

Son Of Pain review

Official Governor site

Governor’s myspace