R&B balladeer Musiq Soulchild first wooed his way onto the mainstream Top 40 during neo-soul's turn-of-the-millennium heyday. The Philly-grown street singer beatboxed, scatted, and serenaded women in buttery romantic phonetics—his voice didn't just stroke a slow jam's measures; it gave them tender massages. As the genre faded from the mainstream, Soulchild doubled down on smooth, adult-contemporary burners, dueting with peers like Mary J. Blige and Swizz Beats. The long game paid off: Third dates and anniversaries need mood music too.