Hal Linton – Universal Motown Records (UMG)
Hal Linton signed to Universal Motown Records in 2008.
In 2009 he was the focus of the second episode of the series Rising Icons. Created by Grey Goose Entertainment (yes, that Grey Goose) and produced by BET Networks, the series followed up and coming artists and gave viewers an inside look at their path to stardom. Other artists featured in the same season were Keri Hilson, The-Dream, and Kid-Cudi.
Linton performed at Vibe Magazine’s 2009 artist showcase, VSessions, and in the Motown 50th Anniversary Tribute at the 2009 NFL Thanksgiving Day Half-time Show. Barbadian labelmate Vita Chambers also performed during the tribute. She, Linton, and Shontelle were some of the singers on the Motown 50th Anniversary Medley.
His single “She’s Dangerous (Bang Bang)” was released in 2009. It was followed by “Mind Control” and “Southern Hospitality” in 2010. Both singles made it onto the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. “Mind Control” reached number 27 and “Southern Hospitality” reached number 38.
“Mind Control” was the lead single from his debut album Return from the Future. The album scheduled for 2010, but was never released. A Paperblog article published on May 15th, 2010 claims that Bruno Mars and Robin Thicke worked on the album and that Salaam Remi produced “Mind Control”.
Although the album didn’t come to fruition, he did release his mixtape The Rock and Roll Experiment in 2010. “She’s Dangerous (Bang Bang) was included on the mixtape.
Linton performed at the Budweiser Superfest in 2010 and at the Essence Music Festival in 2011.
It seems that by 2012 Linton was no longer with Universal Motown Records. Corporate reshuffling led to Universal Motown being shut down in 2011 and its artists transferred to other labels like Universal Republic Records (later Republic Records). Whether or not Linton transferred to another label is unclear.
He released his first EP, Technicolour, in 2012. It spawned the singles “Memory Loss” and “Critical Condition feat. Shontelle”. Shontelle also appeared in the song’s music video.
Linton changed his stage name to Bobby Saint and has been steadily releasing music. On his Instagram he revealed that he’d worked on the score for the 2018 Johnny Depp and Forrest Whitaker film City of Lies, which is about the LAPD’s investigations into the murders of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac.
