BY ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY
Philly’s finest, Jazmine Sullivan and Musiq Soulchild, were in Atlanta earlier this week for an intimate concert series hosted by Rolling Out founder Munson Steed. The two sat down with Steed and expounded on what got them into the music industry and what has made them the artists they are today.
Eleven time Grammy-nominated musician Taalib Johnson, known by his stage name Musiq Soulchild, told the small crowd he didn’t really get into music but, “Music was in me,” he said. Inspired by musical legends Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway and James Brown, Johnson said he wanted to give the feeling he got from their music to those who listen to his music.
Johnson also took time to address thoughts on a consumer decrease in R&B music. “Good radio is not always good music, and good music is not always good radio,” he said. The singer has recently released a persona he calls, ‘The Husel.’ An apparent opposite of the mellifluent Musiq Soulchild, ‘Husel’ is a rhyme-spitting auto-tune heavy rapper who released a four-song mixtape in July.
The singer-turned-rapper also gave word to up-and-coming artists or “vehicles of inspiration.”
“I want to encourage you to find what it will take for you to do that, and whatever it is, just do it,” he said. “You got to want more than being a star.”
Johnson then performed the song “Yes” from his 2011 album “MusiqInTheMagiq.”
The second half of the night was dedicated to Sullivan, who came back from a three-year break and released a new album entitled “Reality Show” Jan. 13. Sullivan explained her break from the music industry as a decision she made so she could put more energy into a previous relationship.
“I was in a relationship that was very consuming, it was bad and it took all of my energy, everything,” she said. “But when it ended as they usually do, I started to focus on myself.”
“A lot of people thought I stopped because I was mad at the industry,” she said. “It really wasn’t that.”
Sullivan shared more of her experiences with the audience including the inspiration behind her new album. “Just me getting a move on with my life and me getting back to where I needed to be,” she said. “I’m just trying to do this ‘cause I love it.”
The voice behind the 2008 hit “Bust Your Windows” divulged on the uniqueness of her voice and song choice before filling the room with melodic rifts from her 2009 hit, “Lions, Tigers & Bears.”
“I think that the more unique you are, the further you will go,” Sullivan said.
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