Musiq Soulchild facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Musiq Soulchild
Musiq Soulchild in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Taalib Hassan Johnson
Also known as	The Husel Purple Wondaluv
Born	(1977-09-16) September 16, 1977 (age 47) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	R&B neo soul
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Def Soul Def Jam Atlantic My Block Soulstar Music Company E1
Associated acts	Meelah Marsha Ambrosious Eric Roberson Carvin & Ivan Syleena Johnson Warryn Campbell Kindred The Family Soul Mary J. Blige Angie Stone Kehlani

Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977) is a talented American singer and songwriter. He is much better known by his stage name, Musiq Soulchild (pronounced "music"). His music is a cool mix of different styles like R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and gospel, all blended with hip hop.

Musiq Soulchild signed with Def Soul and released his first album, Aijuswanaseing, in 2000. His second album, Juslisen, came out in 2002 and became a number one hit. It included the popular song "Halfcrazy". After releasing his third album, Soulstar, in 2003, he moved to Atlantic Records. His fourth album, Luvanmusiq, released in 2007, also reached number one on the music charts.

Early Life and His Name

Musiq Soulchild was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a strict Muslim family. As a teenager, he was known for his musical talents. He would beatbox for rappers, sing jazz, and perform for people on the streets. This is how he got the name "Musiq." Later, he added "Soulchild" to it. He was inspired by famous artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Donny Hathaway. He even left high school to focus on his music career.

"People knew me as 'that music dude,' but they didn't really know my name. So, I thought, 'Just call me Musiq.' It felt so right because if I could be called anything, I'd want to be called Music. That's how much I loved it. When you see me, I want you to think of music. The name 'Musiq Soulchild' has two parts. 'Musiq' is the artist, and 'Soulchild' is the idea behind it. It means I'm an artist today, carrying on the traditions of past soul stars."

Musiq's Music Journey

Starting Out with Def Soul (1998–2004)

In 1998, Musiq Soulchild joined Def Soul Records. This label was part of Universal Music. His first album, Aijuswanaseing, came out in late 2000. It featured the hit songs "Just Friends (Sunny)" and "Love." The song "Love" stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for 22 weeks!

His second album, Juslisen, was released in 2002. It went straight to number one on the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. This album sold over a million copies, earning a platinum award. Popular songs from this album included "Halfcrazy" and "Dontchange."

In 2003, Musiq released his third album, Soulstar. This album also did very well, selling over 500,000 copies and getting a gold award. It included the singles "Forthenight" and "Whoknows." After this, Musiq took a break for four years.

Moving to Atlantic Records (2006–2012)

In March 2007, Musiq released his fourth album, Luvanmusiq, with Atlantic Records. This album also hit number one on the charts. It featured songs like "B.U.D.D.Y.", "Teachme", and "Makeyouhappy."

His fifth album, OnMyRadio, came out in December 2008. The first song, "Radio," was a bit different from his usual smooth style. Other songs included a duet with Mary J. Blige called "IfULeave" and the beautiful song "SoBeautiful."

Musiq's last album with Atlantic Records was MusiqInTheMagiq, released in May 2011. It had songs like "Anything" with Swizz Beatz and "Yes."

Becoming Independent (2013–Present)

In September 2013, Musiq Soulchild released a duet album called 9ine with singer Syleena Johnson. This album featured nine reggae songs that they recorded in just nine days!

Around the same time, Musiq decided to become an independent artist, meaning he would release music without a big record label. He signed with record producer Warryn Campbell's label, My Block Records. Musiq had worked with Campbell on his earlier albums.

He released an EP (a shorter album) called The Husel in July 2014. In April 2016, he released his first independent solo album, Life on Earth. The main song from this album was "I Do." He later moved to a new label, eOne/SoulStar Music Company.

In 2017, he released two new songs, "Simple Things" and "Start Over." These songs were part of his album Feel the Real, which came out in September 2017.

Other Music Projects

Musiq Soulchild has also sung on many songs by other artists. He was featured on:

• "Nothing at All" by Carlos Santana (2002)
• "Break You Off" by The Roots (2002)
• "Wave Ya Hands!" by rapper Skillz (2002)
• "Are You Experienced?" for a Jimi Hendrix tribute album (2004)
• "Takeyatime" by Black Ice (2006)
• "Addicted" by rapper Lloyd Banks (2006)
• "Reasons" on a tribute album for Earth, Wind & Fire (2007)
• "Oh My Stars" by Talib Kweli (2007)
• "Why Me?" by Ice Cube (2008)
• "A Rollercoaster Jam Called Love" by Rapsody (2017)
• "Footsteps" by Kehlani (2019)
• "Ocean Drive" by Smif-N-Wessun (2019)

Songs for Movies

Musiq Soulchild has also contributed songs to movie soundtracks:

• He appeared on the soundtrack for Tyler Perry's movie Daddy's Little Girls (2007).
• He lent a song from his album Luvanmusiq to the soundtrack for Perry's movie Why Did I Get Married? (2007).
• He recorded a new version of Arrested Development's song "People Everyday" with British singer Estelle for Tyler Perry's movie Meet the Browns (2008).

Television and Books

Musiq has appeared as himself on TV shows like Half and Half (2004) and The Game (2007).

In June 2012, Musiq Soulchild released a book about love and relationships called 143 – Love According To Musiq.

Personal Life

When Musiq was a young child, he had an accident that caused him to develop a lazy eye.

In 2009, he had a son with 702 singer Kameelah Williams. He also has a daughter named Satori, born in 2017, with Ashley "Tiyumba" Wright. Musiq currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Collaboration Albums

EPs (Extended Plays)

Singles (Songs)

Songs Featuring Musiq Soulchild

Awards and Nominations

Musiq Soulchild has achieved great success in his career. He has two platinum albums and two gold albums. He has also won awards from BET and ASCAP.

He has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, which are very important music awards. Three of these nominations were for his 2007 album, Luvanmusiq.

ASCAP Awards

BET Awards

American Music Awards

Grammy Awards