That's Dallas Blocker. He is an R&B singer. He's more talented than you. He's more handsome than you. He's cooler than you. And he works harder than you.

He became regionally famous last year when he told women that he wanted to touch their bodies, touch their bodies all night long, and that he was going to rock their bodies, rock their bodies all night long. They swooned, and he made money.

It's easy to not like him. Unless you talk to him. Then it becomes a much more difficult task.

Blocker got on the phone to talk about things last Wednesday, calling three minutes before he was scheduled to and answering every question he was asked. Some notes from the conversation:

• Despite it seeming like he's been the R&B feature on every Houston rap song since 1993 - a list that includes Z-Ro, J-Dawg, Slim Thug, Rob G, Trae, Rick Ross, and more - Blocker is actually only in his mid-twenties. Weird, right?

It's always felt like he was right there with Billy Cook (Cook is 100-years-old, or something). Blocker is like Benjamin Button, except not near as off-putting. Is it still cool to make Benjamin Button jokes, or is that not the move anymore? We never can tell.

• On why he focused - or bothered to excel, at least - at the R&B Hook Singer For Rappers thing, and if he ever worried about becoming known only for that: "Texas is a rap state. If you can't get accepted in the biggest genre in urban music, then you're setting yourself up. I embrace that shit."

• Did you know that his biggest single, 2010's "Rock Ya Body," produced by the omnipresent duo Beanz and Kornbread, Billboard-ed for something like 20 weeks? Because it totally did. What's more, it's still fun to listen to. The most unintentionally interesting part: When he sings, "I'll take off your bra while you unzip my zipper, if I run into trouble than you can do it quicker."

Dallas Blocker probably has as much trouble taking off bras as young, trendy, affluent white people do working NPR references into conversations that would never call for such things. That said, we're inclined to argue that his most endearing song remains to be 2008's "Thugs Cry," a ballad where he wholly embraces his easy R&B roots. Speaking of...

• Blocker's newest single is the reason he bothered to get on the phone to talk to about things in the first place. It's called "Out Da Club" and it is a radio-friendly, immensely singalong-able earworm.

The video includes cameos from Z-Ro, Just Brittany, Blocker's Perfectly Manicured Eyebrows (they're prominently featured) and a toothsome girl who appears to thoroughly enjoy snapping her butt around. There is no way to listen to it and not want to stand up and writhe around all sexy-like and shit, which, by the way, is not a good look for dudes. Watch the video at home, is what we're saying.

• Interesting bit of a backstory: Blocker went about a decade without knowing where his mother was while he was living with his father in Houston. He eventually linked back up with her, a Dallas native, and that's where his stage name comes from.

"She felt like we had missed a lot, like we were missing that connection," he says. "I told her that whenever I saw the name Dallas or heard anything about Dallas, I thought about her." Is there any way he's ever told that story to a woman and not had the situation end two hours later with him helping her find where she threw her underwear?

• Not as interesting bit of a back story but still amusing to think about: Blocker "used to work at that McDonald's at 290 and Tidwell. I used to work at Burger King too."

We can only assume he was the inspiration for the greatest McDonald's commercial of all time. Incidentally: Did anyone ever sign the McDonald's Singing Drive-Thru Guy?

Since this interview, Blocker has released a dance video for "Out Da Club" and features alongside Z-Ro and GT Mayne on "Hold of Me", 97.9 The Box's current "Jam It or Slam It" selection.

Thank you for your continued support. Please continue to send music to [email protected].