COVER STORY .

Soul Man

Musiq Soulchild


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Published: Mar 7, 2007

Photo By: Michael T. Regan

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Musiq Soulchild will be the first to tell you, he's not about to push the envelope right now. It's been four years since his last suave R&B CD, and now that he's found a home on Atlantic Records, his main goal is to reintroduce himself.

"At the pace of this business, you gotta stay current, stay in it," he says, killing time on the balcony at the TLA a few hours before a sold-out Valentine's Day show. "And when you're away for even just a little, it just leaves so much room for people's attention to be directed otherwise."

So his new one, Luvanmusiq, is all about "staying in the same lane," as he calls it. "I'm just letting people know, 'Hey, this is me, this is what I do. No it's not a fluke — I'm serious about what I'm doing.'"

Almost every track's an anthem to getting one's freak on and a showcase for his smooth, emotional delivery. Since his previous three albums sold some 3 million copies in the U.S., can't blame him for staying the course.

But the buzz on the Web for his new single, "Buddy," is that the Soulchild is swerving, just a little: Is Musiq actually rapping?

No. Yes. Maybe.

"That's just me easin' my way in," he says. "I'm part of the hip-hop generation. I want to be a valid contributor. But I don't wanna spit 16 and just be all whack." It's hip-hop-ish. He's set his powerful croon loose on some fast-paced rhymes — and backed it with a sweet reimagination of a De La Soul tune. But don't be so distracted by the method, or you'll miss one of Musiq's most complicated and oddly playful lyrical endeavors yet.

It's a this-ain't-love love song.

"'Buddy' is like, let's not kid ourselves. Neither one of us is ready to commit to nothing. I barely know you. So let's just be cool before we call it anything," he says. "Because when you give it names and titles, it comes with attachments and implications."

But don't expect anything too gritty. He's still a slick cassanova who'll hand out roses and play up the sexy onstage later in the evening.

"I don't wanna bash people upside the head with reality, that's not what I'm about. I just wanna simply put in song form what goes on every day in my life. ... I'm not 21 or 22 — I'm not a kid anymore," he laughs.

"I'm gonna be 30 next year. I have a whole new set of issues that I deal with and there are people out there who feel me."

And is the world ready for a more grown-up Soulchild?

"I'm gonna take my time, step by step, and bring them along, slow by slow — but I think so. I don't like to underestimate my audience. I never like to insult their intelligence. People like what they like and I like to give them that respect. So I'll just do what I do."