As vocalist TQ prepares to release his solo debut album, "They Never Saw Me Comin'," he finds himself in a unique position to bridge the gaps between not only R&B and hip-hop, but also between hip-hop's distinctly regional styles.

Although TQ was born in Mobile, Alabama, his parents subsequently relocated to Compton, California when he was young. The singer spent the next few years in and out of trouble until his mother found a gun in TQ's room when he was 16. After that, he says she had seen enough and sent TQ to live with relatives in Atlanta.

Because he was reared in both the South and on the West Coast, we asked TQ about his thoughts on the recent rise of the Southern urban movement and what the East and West Coast families could learn from their Southern brethren.

"It's more of a family type atmosphere," TQ said of the new Southern hip-hop,

"JD has his squad," he continued, "P has his squad, Timbaland has his squad, and that's why they're doing [so well] and actually why the East Coast and especially brothers on the West Coast really need to get back to that. Cause it's like anything else, it's power in numbers and all the big I's and little you's that don't help the situation." [28.8 RealVideo]

The second single from TQ's new album will be "Bye Bye Baby," which features a guest appearance from a reunited Dogg Pound -- rappers Daz and Kurupt -- on the spoken-word intro. Daz and Kurupt also appear in the video for "The Comeback," which is currently slated to be the third single from the record.