Musiq Soulchild was born and raised in Philadelphia and grew up with his family--including eight brothers and sister]. As a teenager, he began plans for a career in music. He released his debut album, ''Aijuswanaseing'' (read: "I Just Want to Sing"), in 2000, which was well-received by critics and audiences. Musiq did much of his own songwriting, and most of the record was produced and co-written by Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, then of the A Touch of Jazz production company headed by Jazzy Jeff, now of Karma Productions. The singles "Just Friends (Sunny)", "Love", and "Girl Next Door" received exposure in America mainly on the more underground music video network, MTV2, as well as on BET. His singles also received a good amount of airplay on urban and urban contemporary radio stations.
In 2002, he released his sophomore album, ''Juslisen'' (read: "Just Listen"), as simply ''Musiq''. He had continued urban and MTV2 success with its singles, "halfcrazy" and "dontchange", the former of which was one of the most played music videos on MTV2 in the summer of 2002 and during the year overall. Both videos also got substantial play during the year on VH1 Soul. The singles had heavily amounts of airplay on both urban and urban contemporary radio sations in 2002. He also gained exposure during that year by opening concerts for Alicia Keys.
In late 2002, Musiq contributed guest vocals to "Break You Off", the first single from The Roots' ''Phrenology'' album. Once again, its video got heavy play on MTV2 and VH1 Soul, as well as on MTV Jams. He also appeared in Santana's song "Nothing at All" which is featured in his 2002 album ''Shaman''.
In 2003, the singles and videos "forthenight" and "whoknows" from his third LP, ''Soulstar''. "forthenight" was one of VH1 Soul's most played videos of 2004, and also had a very successful run on American urban radio stations.
Recently, Musiq Soulchild (who has added the "Soulchild" to his moniker again) has parted ways with Def Soul and has signed with Atlantic Records. A new Musiq Soulchild album is slated for a spring 2007 release. He will be making guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's ''Rotten Apple'', Talib Kweli "Eardrum", Black Ice "The Death of Willie Lynch", pay tribute to Soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire and appear on the soundtrack "Daddy's Little Girls".
Musiq Soulchild released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing), in 2000, which included the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop single, "Just Friends (Sunny)". Musiq's second single, "Love", spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Musiq’s sophomore album, 2002's Juslisen (Just Listen), debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts and went platinum; "Halfcrazy" and "Dontchange". In 2003, Musiq released his 3rd album, Soulstar. It included the singles "Forthenight" and "Whoknows".
After a four year break and changing his management to Solqi Management and his record label to Atlantic Records, in 2007, Musiq's released his fourth album Luvanmusiq (Love and Music) which included the singles "B.U.D.D.Y.", "Teachme", and "Makeyouhappy". His fifth album OnMyRadio was released on December 2, 2008. The lead single, "Radio" has posted on both Musiq's MySpace page and official website.
Musiq Soulchild has had 2 platinum albums, 2 gold albums and 7 hit singles. He has received awards from Billboard, BET, ASCAP, BMI, and Soul Train. Musiq has also earned award nominations from MTV, American Music Awards, NAACP, and 9 Grammy nominations, including 3 for his 2007 album Luvanmusiq. Besides being a successful recording artist, Musiq is notable for his creative and unique way of titling his albums and songs by ignoring the rules of capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
He recently performed at the Antigua & Barbuda first Romantic Rhythms Music Festival in the Caribbean which was held from June 12-15,2008 which features legendary artists such as Kenny Rogers, Brian McKnight, Lionel Richie, Keyshia Cole, Maxi Priest, Destra, Heather Headly, Shaggy and many other local artist from the island including The Burning Flames.
He has also made guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's album Rotten Apple, Talib Kweli's Eardrum, The Roots's Phrenology (album), Black Ice's The Death of Willie Lynch and pays tribute to soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire, appearing on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's movie Daddy's Little Girls. And Ice Cube announced that Musiq will appear on his upcoming album, Raw Footage. He also lent a song from his latest album Luvanmusiq to the soundtrack for Perry's later movie Why Did I Get Married?. He then recorded a remake of Arrested Development's song "People Everyday" with British rapper Estelle for the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns entitled "People Everyday (Metamorphosis Mix)".
Outside of music, he has been featured in television and print ads for McDonald's, Nike, Inc., Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co. and The Gap. He also made a special appearance in The CW's #1 comedy The Game on Monday, October 29, 2007.
Lullaby- Musiq Soulchild
Musiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cats been comin' up and askin' how did I
Get to be where I'm at
With my whole style
And got the nerve to ask would I change anything about it
Say it's too lean or too crowded
But see that's just the thing
Cause that's something that I don't worry myself too much about
Since the first day that I start doin' it
Maybe fine tune it just a little but just enough
Cause I don't wanna fuck up and ruin it
I take this thing too seriously
My style is the fuckin' point of me
But see cats just don't get it
Cause niggas just always gotta find a label or some kind of cataloger
Sayin' yo this kid gotta be this
And he gotta be that
And he gotta be whatever
Yo I just gotta be whatever you want and need me to be to
Math your life better
Musiq Soulchild
That's my name
Damn what
That's me
In this song, Musiq Soulchild talks about how people often question him on his style. He says that he doesn't worry about what others think about it because his style is the reason he is who he is. He mentions that some people want him to change aspects of his style, but he is reluctant to do so because he knows it might ruin it. His style is the foundation of his art, and he takes it very seriously. Musiq says that some people don't understand him because they try to put him in a box and label him. He says that he is ready to be whatever people need him to be to match their lives better. The core message of the song is that one's uniqueness is what sets them apart and that they shouldn't be afraid to be themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since I can remember
From my earliest memories
Cats been comin' up and askin' how did I
People often approach me and ask how I
Get to be where I'm at
Managed to achieve my success
With my whole style
Regarding my entire artistic persona
And got the nerve to ask would I change anything about it
Boldly inquire if I have any regrets or desire to make alterations
Say it's too lean or too crowded
Suggest that it lacks substance or is overly embellished
But see that's just the thing
However, here's the reality
Cause that's something that I don't worry myself too much about
That's not something I trouble myself with excessively
Cause I'm gonna do it the way that I've been doin' it
Because I intend to continue pursuing my craft exactly as I have been
Since the first day that I start doin' it
Since its inception
Maybe fine tune it just a little but just enough
Perhaps make some minor adjustments
Cause I don't wanna fuck up and ruin it
As I'm concerned doing anything drastic might sabotage it completely
I take this thing too seriously
I'm very deeply dedicated to my art
My style is the fuckin' point of me
My aesthetic identity is the essential element of who I am
But see cats just don't get it
But unfortunately, some people just can't understand that
Cause niggas just always gotta find a label or some kind of cataloger
Because many people feel the need to categorize and label others
Sayin' yo this kid gotta be this
Such as, insisting that I fit a certain mold
And he gotta be that
Or that I must adhere to a particular standard
And he gotta be whatever
Or that I need to conform to arbitrary expectations
Yo I just gotta be whatever you want and need me to be to
I'm willing to be whatever is necessary to accommodate your needs or desires
Math your life better
To blend seamlessly into your life
Musiq Soulchild
This is my artistic name
That's my name
That's who I am
Damn what
Incredulous remark indicating confusion at the idea of questioning this fact
That's me
That's my identity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MILTON BLAND, TAALIB JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind