LOS ANGELES -- There's a reason why Tyrese named his forthcoming disc Alter Ego. The R&B singer/actor/model, who has made himself quite popular with the ladies by belting out sexified hits like "Just a Baby Boy" and "Signs of Love Makin'," is taking a detour from crooning luscious ballads by spitting out some wicked rhymes.

Yes, that's right: Your favorite set of washboard abs is channeling his inner rap star. But before you smack your forehead and groan at the thought of yet another artist wanting to go the route of hip-hop MC, hold up, because this man has some serious players backing him up. Snoop Dogg, Paul Wall, Chingy, the Game, Guerilla Black, Kurupt and R. Kelly (see [article id="1473708"]"Zodiac Lady-Killer Tyrese Hooks Up With R. Kelly For Next LP"[/article]) have all signed on to collaborate with the budding rapper on his new dual-disc LP -- and that's just for starters.

"I go in tonight with [Robin 'Lady of Rage' Allen] and Yo-Yo, and I'm with Ice Cube on Monday and Tuesday," Tyrese said backstage at the release party for the "Four Brothers" DVD. "There's been some incredible momentum, and I couldn't have asked, or even prayed, for as much support as I've gotten on this transition."

The best part, he says, is that none of those cats has gotten paid for the work they've done with him so far. "They all came out because they heard the music, and once they did, they were like, 'Put me on it,' " he said.

Don't worry, the 27-year-old singer won't be abandoning his R&B roots completely. Half of the double album will feature T's trademark sound, while the flip will debut his rap/hip-hop skills. Tyrese is well aware that there will be folks who question the move, but he offered this bit of advice for them: "Just ask yourself one question. Why would these people put everything they are on the line for an R&B singer trying to make the transition into rap? It must be right," he said.

And just because he has a pretty face, don't think this kid doesn't have some legit street cred to draw from. Hailing from the the South Central L.A. neighborhood of Watts, Tyrese saw his fair share of struggles growing up. He and his siblings were raised by a single mother after their father left when the singer was only 4. It was during his childhood that T started looking to music as an outlet, flowing out beats even before R&B started to call. Now he looks to Kanye West and Lauryn Hill as inspirations in defying musical boundaries.

"I've been rhyming longer than I've been singing, but the opportunity for singing came up first," he explained, referring to his 1998 platinum debut album, Tyrese. "This rap thing has been in me in a little box and I had to open it up."

With so much of his musical reputation at stake, the singer is in no hurry to rush something out to the masses, hinting he might even shoot another film before his beats see the light of day. But once it's ready, he did mention leaking some stuff out first to test the waters.

"I'm taking my time, because the music business is one of them things you got to be mentally, physically and emotionally prepared for. You can't just hit the road like, 'F--- it, I'm just gonna hit it,' " Tyrese said. "I'm looking to be the best rapper I can be, and I know there's a lot of people who are like, 'Psh, rapping?' But it's real. All the critics need to do is call up any of the people I mentioned and ask what they think. Call Snoop and see what he says."

Meanwhile, you can catch Tyrese on the big screen in the Navy-themed "Annapolis," out January 27, and as an ex-con in "Waist Deep," due out in April.