Musiq Soulchild first made an impressionful entrance on the music scene at the beginning of 2000 with Aijuswanaseing and later with Juslisen, with hits like “Halfcrazy” and “Dontchange”.
Hit-Boy’s lavish production helps elevate these contemplative tales of love’s darker corners, making Feel the Real and Magic an exciting follow up.
2. Between Love & War
Love and war are two powerful forces, capable of stirring deep emotions and shattering relationships. Through emotive yet thought-provoking lyrics, this song examines these experiences’ intricate yet contradictory dynamics.
Kodak Black took inspiration for this song from his personal relationships and experiences, drawing upon them for its lyrics. His raw yet honest delivery enhances their meaning by connecting listeners with emotional turmoil associated with being involved in passionate relationships.
Caleb Seales, Musiq Soulchild’s go-to director for all visuals this album cycle, directed the “between love and war” video as an intimate tale of an unstable romance. At its center is a couple arguing and fighting to resolve their differences while finding moments of beauty within their mutual struggle.
3. Will I Touch The Sky
Musiq Soulchild rose to fame through Philadelphia open mic circuit performances before capitalizing on the neo-soul movement with his 2000 debut Aijuswanaseing, an album which went platinum and its follow up Juslisen proved equally successful.
Musiq released his third LP Soulstar in 2002 and saw great success among urban radio stations due to his singles Halfcrazy and Dontchange which received extensive airplay.
Over the following years, Musiq co-wrote and performed tracks for T3 and James Vickery as well as contributing a song to Tyler Perry’s movie Daddy’s Little Girls soundtrack.
Musiq released his fourth studio album Luvanmusiq in 2007 as part of Def Jam’s Disciples label and this marked the end of their relationship. Since then he signed with Atlantic and his most recent release was Feel The Real; Musiq is well-recognized across Britain, often performing tours across it.
4. The Beat Of A Slow Dance
Musiq Soulchild and Hit-Boy team up on their forthcoming album Victims & Villains with this soulful, vintage production from Hit-Boy that serves as a backdrop for Musiq’s plainspoken chronicles of love and lust, featuring Musiq’s voice acting as an anchor over an instrumental’s shaken-snowglobe production to plead for another chance; his vocal performance provides the gravity behind his request; this song recalls water-submerged soul sides from early ’70s so it feels right here too – pre-order it here or follow Musiq and Hit-Boy on Twitter
5. I Don’t Want To Lose You
“Beat of a Slow Dance,” the opening track on Hit-Boy’s album, begins like someone desperately wanting love. Hit-Boy’s lush production provides it with its rhythmic pulse.
By the time “white rice deja vu” arrives, however, it becomes clear that this song may not become an instant classic. Musiq’s lyrics lack urgency while his delivery reveals signs of age with repeated lines from his earlier recordings.
Hit-Boy seemed to understand what made Musiq Soulchild’s earlier records work, yet crafting that sound proved challenging; his beats often seem like tofu meant to absorb rather than enhance her vocal charms. Unfortunately, this album could have helped Musiq reenter mainstream R&B relevancy; instead it feels more like an uneasy marriage that has passed its expiration date than fresh and meaningful for both parties involved – a tragedy on both fronts.
6. The Husel
Musiq Soulchild rose to fame through Philly open mic scenes in the 90s before capitalizing on the early 2000s neo-soul movement with his debut album ‘Aijuswanaseing’ and subsequent sophomore LPs like Juslisen which garnered him considerable commercial success, including songs such as ‘Halfcrazy” and “Dont Change”, both receiving heavy rotation on MTV2 and VH1 Soul.
Since then, Musiq Soulchild has continued his independent recording career independently with albums like Life On Earth and Feel The Real earning him three Grammy nominations. Additionally, he’s provided vocals for Lloyd Banks’ and Talib Kweli’s albums as well as lending one from 2007’s Luvanmusiq to Tyler Perry’s film Daddy’s Little Girls; in 2007’s Luvanmusiq provided one track from Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls soundtrack (Daddy’s Little Girls) for use by Tyler Perry for his film Daddy’s Little Girls soundtrack track Luvanmusiq which featured in Tyler Perry’s movie (Daddy’s Little Girls). Musiq Soulchild continues incorporating hip-hop influences into his music such as his guest appearance on ‘Break You Off’ from The Roots’s ‘Phrenology’ album; in 2014 joined producer Hit-Boy to produce progressive R&B tracks that showcase Musiq’s vocal style (Victims and Villains).
7. Be My Love
Musiq Soulchild and producer Hit-Boy combine for an exquisite musical experience on his latest album Victims & Villains, released after 2017’s Feel The Real, exploring love’s darker corners with poetic vignettes. Rated R&B spoke with Grammy-nominated singer to discuss Victims & Villains as well as working with Hit-Boy and the return of his classic albums The Husel and On My Radio.
Musiq draws inspiration from artists like D’Angelo, Maxwell and Erykah Badu to combine classic soul with organic hip-hop in his music. From Aijuswanaseing through Juslisen and Soulstar on Def Jam Records; at least one hip-hop song can be found on every album: from its bassline on “B.U.D.D.Y.” from Juslisen or its sample on Luvanmusiq; Musiq has always included his signature brand of hip-hop sensibilities into his tracks like Luvanmusiq as well. Along the way he has collaborated with artists Marsha Ambrosius, Kehlani and Ty Dolla $ign during his career – as well as working alongside artists Marsha Ambrosius!
8. You Point Fingers
Musiq Soulchild has long incorporated hip-hop influences into his music, such as songs like “B.U.D.D.Y” and “Who Knows”, from albums ”Aijuswanaseing”, ”Juslisen” and ”Soulstar” that open with verses featuring De La Soul or Taana Gardner samples; his song ‘forthenight’ from album number three also achieved high chart rankings on urban radio while receiving heavy coverage on MTV2 and VH1 Soul.
Victims & Villains is out now on Def Jam Records and you can watch above as he talks about the project, working with Hit-Boy, The Husel’s return, and their collaboration. Watch as he discusses this exciting set of progressive R&B. Watch above as he opens up in an exclusive Rated R&B interview about it all.
9. The Biggest Enemy
Musiq Soulchild rose to fame through the Philadelphia open mic circuit during the late ’90s before riding onto the neo soul movement with 2000’s Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want To Sing). Subsequent album Juslisen saw similar success, yielding singles like “halfcrazy” and “dontchange”.
Musiq released his third album, Soulstar, the following year and found massive urban radio airplay and MTV2 exposure with his singles “forthenight” and “whoknows.” During this time he made appearances on rapper Lloyd Bank’s album Rotten Apple as well as Talib Kweli’s Eardrum, Black Ice’s The Death of Willie Lynch and Tyler Perry’s movie soundtrack Daddy’s Little Girls soundtracks.
Since leaving Def Jam, Musiq has recorded with independent label Atlantic. Reuniting with producer Hit-Boy for 2007’s Luvanmusiq album of progressive R&B that explored his personal struggles. Musiq has since become known for ignoring traditional rules of capitalization and punctuation to use his signature Aussie flair; something which can be found throughout many of his song titles.