With a group of friends, he formed Mista, a Boyz II Men-styled singing group that made some waves with their single "Blackberry Molasses." The group's self-titled album appeared in 1996 but failed to match the single's success. A second, unreleased album was recorded with producer Timbaland's help, but management problems split the group and Wilson decided to focus on college. After earning his degree in 2003, he returned to demo work. One of his demos ended up in the hands of Ludacris, who made Wilson the first R&B singer in the rapper's DTP (Disturbing tha Peace) crew. The sultry "Slow Down" announced the singer's rebirth as a DTP member in early 2005 and soon became a BET and radio favorite. As the ballad was landing on numerous schools' prom ballots, Def Jam/DTP released his self-titled debut, a Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart-topper. Special Occasion equaled that success in 2007, yet Wilson left his label on good terms and aligned with EMI. His first album for the label, titled The Rebirth and released through his boutique label, Blu Kolla Dreams, was released in February 2009 and featured productions from longtime collaborators Tim & Bob, as well as Carlos McKinney and Raphael Saadiq. Fly on the Wall, released on Capitol in March 2011, debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard 200. Led by the Lil Wayne collaboration "Mirror," the singer returned on eOne in October 2012 with Dusk Till Dawn.