Raphael Saadiq

Singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Raphael Saadiq has been a monumental force in soul and R&B since the late ’80s, when he came on the scene with his band Tony! Toni! Toné! • Growing up in Oakland, Saadiq learned to play bass guitar at age six. He got his first taste of success in 1986, when he earned a spot in Sheila E.'s backing band on Prince's Parade Tour. • In 1986, he cofounded the R&B dance trio Tony! Toni! Toné! with his brother Dwayne Wiggins and cousin Timothy Christian. • After releasing four albums—and scoring Top 10 pop hits with “Feels Good,” “If I Had No Loot,” and “Anniversary”—Tony! Toni! Toné! split up in 1997. • Saadiq’s 1995 solo single “Ask of You” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. • He cowrote and coproduced D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” off the singer’s 2000 Voodoo album. The track won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. • Instant Vintage, Saadiq’s 2002 solo debut, earned him three Grammy nominations, including Best R&B Album. He picked up another nomination in that category for his third album, 2008’s The Way I See It. • His 2011 album Stone Rollin’ reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200—his highest pop placement as a solo artist. • As a producer, Saadiq has worked with artists like Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige, and Joss Stone. He served as executive producer on Solange’s 2016 album A Seat at the Table, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. • Saadiq teamed up with Mary J. Blige and Taura Stinson to write “Mighty River” for the 2017 film Mudbound. The song—performed by Blige on the soundtrack—earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.