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XPN Welcomes Raphael Saadiq

Presented by WXPN at Electric Factory

December 2, 2009

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Neo-soul man Raphael Saadiq made a name for himself in the early '90s as one-third of the R&B/dance trio Tony! Toni! Tone!. It was a momentous time for him and his love for hip-hop and soul carried him to superstardom.

Born in Oakland, CA, in spring 1966, Saadiq (born Raphael Wiggins) started playing music at age six. He played bass at church and school and enjoyed his place on-stage at various local hometown events. After high school, Saadiq won a chance to join Prince and Sheila E. on their 1984 Parade world tour. Such an experience inspired Saadiq to do his own thing, and before the '80s came to an end, he formed Tony! Toni! Tone!.

Saadiq went under his birth name of Wiggins while in Tony! Toni! Tone! and was joined by his brother, Dwayne Wiggins, and cousin Timothy Christian. Tony! Toni! Tone! made their debut with "Little Walter" in 1988. Two years later, they were mega-stars thanks to the success of their second album, The Revival. The springlike ballad "It Never Rains (In Southern California)" and the club/dance party of "Feels Good" were major hits and the band eventually sold six million albums; however, Saadiq left the group at the height of fame.

A solo career was in the works by the time the mid-'90s rolled around. Two singles for movie soundtracks -- 1995's "Ask of You" from Higher Learning and "Me & You" from Boyz in the Hood -- were Saadiq's proper solo introduction, but not exactly satisfying. He was used to being part of a band, so a solo career made him a bit apprehensive. Saadiq bowed out for some normalcy over the next few years.

Lucy Pearl was Saadiq's next project. Saadiq joined En Vogue's Dawn Robinson and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest for a sultry R&B supergroup in 2000, but they only lasted one album. Saadiq also had his hand in producing material for the likes of Macy Gray, TLC, the Roots, and D'Angelo. In 2000, his song "Untitled" won D'Angelo a Grammy. Saadiq was inspired by his new "gospeldelic" sound and he captured his newfound sound while recording new cuts between his Oakland digs and Sacramento. The end result was the provocative release Instant Vintage. Instant Vintage earned Saadiq five Grammy nominations in 2003.

He made history during this time for being the first artist nominated without having a major record label deal. A first-ever live album was slated for an October release date on Saadiq's own Pookie Entertainment label. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide