Philly native Musiq Soulchild has made a name for himself by delivering the truest soul music he knows instead of chasing trends. But he might have a little bit of luck working for him as well. It was a chance meeting with Swizz Beatz that resulted in his appearance on “Anything,” the lead single off his sixth album, “MusiqInTheMagiq,” which hit stores last week.
“Swizz was around the studio as we were finishing up,” says the man who is also known as Taalib Johnson. “He wanted to mess with the song, and I just let him. A few minutes later, he had a verse.”
You’ve always had a classic feel to your music. Is that what you’re shooting for?
Yeah. I just focus on that rather than trying to make a hit or trying to get put on the radio. I’m more focused on the quality of what I do. It’s the old “if the work is good, the money will come” concept.
Do you feel the pressure of the business impacting what you do creatively?
I don’t think it’s wise to waste energy trying to chase the trends. All that stuff fades away. I’m focused on being credible for the moment, yet substantial enough to stick around for a while as well.
There’s been a resurgence of R&B lately. Do you think that’s the start of another trend?
I?like to think so. The thing about it is, I don’t even think it went anywhere. I just think the attention wasn’t on it. A lot of people have been doing it.
