DONELL JONES◆JOE
VERZUZ
"R&B NIGHTS"
AUGUST 20
A Night to Remember • Black Excellence — Featuring Donell Jones Verzuz Joe
◆ Career Verdict ◆

Joe Takes the Crown

Thirteen studio albums, a #1 Hot 100 hit, 5× platinum album certifications, two industry-award wins and seven Grammy nominations — Joe (Joseph Lewis Thomas) built the bigger, deeper, more decorated career. Donell Jones carved out a genuinely elite R&B run of his own ("U Know What's Up," a #3 Billboard 200 album, RIAA platinum), but head-to-head the scale of Joe's catalog and chart dominance wins this Verzuz.

Career Scorecard

Head to Head

The Contenders

Donell Jones

Born May 22, 1973 · Chicago, Illinois
Active 1996–present · LaFace / Arista / Jive / Sony / E1
R&B · Urban Pop · Singer / Record Producer
  • 7 studio albums (1996–2021) — still releasing new music
  • "U Know What's Up" (feat. Foxy Brown) — #1 US R&B, BPI Platinum
  • Life Goes On (2002) — #3 Billboard 200, RIAA Gold
  • Where I Wanna Be (1999) — RIAA Platinum, BPI Gold
  • Journey of a Gemini (2006) — #1 US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
  • AMA nomination (1997) + Soul Train Music Award nods
  • 2× platinum-level album certifications (1× Plat + 1× Gold)

Joe

Born July 5, 1973 · Columbus, Georgia
Active 1992–present · Jive / BMG / Kedar / Plaid Takeover / 563
Contemporary R&B · Singer / Songwriter / Producer
  • 13 studio albums (1993–2016) + 2 compilations, live & video albums
  • "Stutter" (feat. Mystikal, 2001) — #1 Billboard Hot 100, RIAA Gold
  • My Name Is Joe (2000) — #2 Billboard 200, 3× RIAA Platinum, MC Platinum
  • All That I Am (1997) — RIAA Platinum; 5 consecutive top-10 R&B albums
  • 2001: 4 Grammy nominations in one year (7 total career)
  • Won ASCAP (2001) & BMI Pop (2002) awards
  • Charted in US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand
  • Billboard "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" (2010)

Studio Albums — Chart Peaks

ArtistAlbumYearBillboard 200US R&B/Hip-HopCertifications

Signature Singles

ArtistSingleYearHot 100US R&BNotes

Awards & Honors

Donell Jones

  • American Music Award (1997) — nominated
  • Soul Train Music Awards — multiple nominations
  • RIAA Platinum — Where I Wanna Be
  • RIAA Gold — Life Goes On
  • BPI Platinum — "U Know What's Up" (single)
  • BPI Gold / Silver — UK album certifications

Joe

  • Grammy Awards — 7 nominations (2001 ×4, 2003 ×3), incl. Best R&B Album & Best Male R&B Vocal
  • ASCAP Award (2001) — Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures WON
  • BMI Pop Award (2002) — Award-Winning Song "Stutter" WON
  • BET Award (2001) — Best R&B Male Artist nominated
  • NAACP Image Award (2001) — Outstanding Album nominated
  • Soul Train ×4, Teen Choice ×2, Blockbuster nominations
  • RIAA 3× Platinum — My Name Is Joe · Platinum — All That I Am
  • Billboard — Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years

Final Tally