Hanging out in Sacramento not way back on a visit to see his mom, Raphael Saadiq dropped right into a crowded barbershop for a haircut.
“They didn’t know who I was for a sec, but they figured it out real quick,” says the 58-year-old musician: an important determine in R&B who’s carried out, written, produced or performed on an intergenerational array of songs over the past 4 many years — generally on his personal, generally with a bunch, generally for a star extra well-known (if hardly ever extra proficient) than he. “They put on a playlist of my records, and eventually this guy asked me, ‘What do you think about when you hear your records playing?’” he recounts. Saadiq sat with the query for a second. “What I realized is that they stood the test of time.”
Born and raised in Oakland, Saadiq led the hit-making trio Tony! Toni! Toné within the Nineteen Eighties and ’90s, then fashioned an R&B supergroup, Lucy Pearl, earlier than embarking on a solo profession; in and amongst these gigs, he made information with D’Angelo, Bilal, Whitney Houston, the Isley Brothers, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Solange and Alicia Keys, amongst many others. This month he gained his third Grammy Award for his work on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” which was named album of the yr, and on Sunday he’ll carry out a musical tribute to his native Bay Space earlier than the NBA All-Star Sport at San Francisco’s Chase Middle.
Saadiq, who operates today out of a studio in North Hollywood — and who mentors college students at USC’s Thornton Faculty of Music as a part of Dean Jason King’s Artistic Vanguard program — just lately introduced a subscription service referred to as Vinyl Membership by way of which he’s reissuing materials from his catalog, starting with Lucy Pearl’s self-titled 2000 debut. As he drove again to L.A. from his mother’s place, he acquired on the telephone to inform the tales behind 5 of his best-loved tunes.
Tony! Toni! Toné!, ‘Anniversary’ (1993)
Fashioned by Saadiq, his brother D’Wayne Wiggins and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley, Tony! Toni! Toné bridged R&B’s new jack swing and neo-soul eras. This luxurious ballad reached No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B chart in its edited kind, although the music stretches to almost 10 minutes on the trio’s double-platinum “Sons of Soul” LP.
The factor that actually made the music was Clare Fischer, the string composer. I knew Clare from the Rufus and Chaka Khan information and the Prince information, and I’d at all times needed to make use of him. My factor was that if I ever acquired any cash and if I discovered the fitting piece, I used to be gonna name Clare Fischer. He introduced a sweetness that took the document to a special degree — a degree that made it really feel like an anniversary. It felt so good to me that I stated, “You know what? This song can’t be three minutes long — it has to be 10 minutes on the record.”
I bear in mind mixing it on the File Manufacturing unit in New York. After I walked out of the studio early within the morning, I bumped into Nile Rodgers — he was bringing his Porsche down within the elevator. It was raining, and he checked out me and stated, “Hey man, you need a ride?” I really like Nile Rodgers, particularly as a child. I used to be actually into Stylish and Bernard Edwards. So to see him that morning and simply watch him take off in his Porsche within the rain — I used to be like, “Wow, this s—’s crazy.”
The “Anniversary” music video is constructed round a dwell efficiency scene. Was it essential to the band to point out that you just all performed devices?It’s all we knew, so it wasn’t even a factor. We by no means went wherever with out our devices. It’s such as you’re going outdoors to play along with your pal — are you gonna deliver your arm with you?
Your first two Grammy nominations had been for “Anniversary”: greatest R&B music and greatest R&B efficiency by a duo or group.It was just a little stunning. Watching the Grammys as a child, the those who gained all the pieces was Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and Stevie Marvel. However even once we acquired nominated for the Soul Prepare Awards, we at all times misplaced. I bear in mind we had like 5 nominations on the Soul Prepare Awards with “Sons of Soul.” I’m pondering we gotta win one thing on the idea, and we didn’t win something. [The producer] Thom Bell heard I used to be just a little bummed, and he requested someone to ship me a message. He stated, “Tell him that when the IRS comes to take your house, they leave those awards on the mantelpiece.”
The Tonys reunited for a tour in 2023. How’d “Anniversary” go over each night time?It was probably the most stunning factor ever. What I beloved about it’s that folks had been having fun with one another. I took away the telephones on the tour — it was a no-phones tour. And other people had been just a little upset. However I needed individuals to expertise what I skilled once I went to see Parliament-Funkadelic or Earth, Wind & Fireplace or the O’Jays. My recall from these exhibits is what I noticed. I used to be wanting useless at each musician, all the pieces they did. On the Tony exhibits, individuals had been dancing, hugging, kissing, then us — and and not using a telephone in entrance of their face.
Lucy Pearl, ‘Dance Tonight’ (2000) 
After Tony! Toni! Toné! broke up in 1997, Saadiq put collectively a brand new trio with En Vogue’s Daybreak Robinson and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Known as Quest.
I didn’t wish to be a solo act — I nonetheless needed to be in a band. It’s like Bruno [Mars]. Bruno is a solo act, however he’s actually in a band. He’s a contemporary Kool & the Gang to me. So I referred to as those who had been from common teams earlier than, form of just like the Touring Wilburys, proper? I don’t just like the time period “supergroup,” however that’s what they are saying.
No person who’s ever been in a supergroup likes the time period. What’s so unhealthy about it?It simply sounds super-corny — though someplace at the back of our thoughts we most likely had been like, We’re tremendous.
You, Daybreak and Ali Shaheed are credited as songwriters throughout the Lucy Pearl album. Did the collaboration click on immediately?Effectively, some individuals we simply gave credit score to that didn’t write any songs. However for “Dance Tonight,” I’ve to credit score the idea of the music to Ali Shaheed. He got here to me and he performed the chords to “Dance Tonight,” and it sounded so good. He couldn’t play it in time, however I might hear the chords.
I at all times get a kick out of the lyric the place you say, “Let’s purchase two new Bentleys / I know that it looks trendy.”That was a foolish line to make foolish individuals hearken to the music. I’ve by no means owned a Bentley in my life.
Lucy Pearl didn’t final lengthy. Wanting again, did the group accomplish what you’d hoped?I want that we might have stayed collectively just a little longer. We tried. I feel possibly we had been out for six months after the album, however on the finish of the tour it was just about over. Daybreak needed to do a solo document.
D’Angelo, ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel)’ (2000) 
Saadiq co-produced D’Angelo’s 1996 hit “Lady” then re-teamed with him for this Grammy-winning spotlight from the singer’s 2000 masterpiece, “Voodoo.” Deeply indebted to the ornate soul-funk balladry of Prince — for whom Saadiq had performed bass on the highway within the mid-’80s — “Untitled” spawned an instant-classic video starring a particularly muscular (and seemingly bare) D’Angelo.
Based on the web, it’s simply you and D’Angelo taking part in the music.That’s true. What occurred was I used to be strolling by way of the Village, stunning summer season day outdoors, and I needed to get one thing to smoke on whereas I’m having fun with New York. I went to Electrical Girl [Studios], knocked on the door: Lemme cease and see if I can seize a joint from this dude actual fast. D got here to the door himself. Often you’d have a second engineer or someone run up and open it. However he opened the door. I’m like, “You got a joint?” He’s like, “Yeah, I got a joint — but come in, let’s write a song!”
Why was D’Angelo the man to get some weed from?As a result of we vibe like that. Once you’re within the studio, you’re gonna be in there all night time, so it’s important to have the great meals, the great smoke, since you’re not leaving. You’re gonna be in there creating. So I walked in and he began taking part in piano. He’s a tremendous piano participant — performs with a special texture than anyone I do know. I performed bass, then he performed one thing on keyboards and I performed guitar whereas we had this drumbeat going. I’m a really non secular particular person, so I’ll simply say that it’s like we had been positioned collectively for that second — for that music.
You wrote the music and reduce all of it in that sooner or later?Besides his vocals. D cuts his vocals on his personal.
How’d you dial in your guitar tone?Wasn’t no planning. It wasn’t even my guitar — it was just a few guitar that was there, and I picked it up and performed it and people traces got here out. We had been mainly attempting to impress one another.
The lyric is fairly filthy, which you don’t essentially catch due to how delicately D’Angelo is utilizing his falsetto. You need to pay shut consideration.D is a nasty boy. But it surely’s no completely different than a music within the ’60s, the place they’re saying, “I’m gonna wait till the midnight hour / That’s when my love comes tumbling down.” You simply should be intelligent with the pen.
Why’d you name it “Untitled”?It grew to become “Untitled” due to the best way it ends. The tape ran out as we had been taking part in. On the time we had been recording on [Digital Audio Tape], and when a music’s not completed, it says “Untitled” on the DAT. We didn’t actually get an opportunity to complete the ending, so I used to be like, “You should just leave it like that.”
You ever take into consideration how the music may need ended if the 2 of you had gone again and completed it?Nah. We made the director’s reduce. I do at all times marvel once I’m watching “Scarface,” when Al Pacino is about to get shot up on the balcony, what if he might simply run round and kill the dude? However I ain’t by no means gonna see that. And also you ain’t by no means gonna hear a special ending.
Raphael Saadiq, ‘Still Ray’ (2002) 
Regardless of his preliminary reluctance to go solo, Saadiq did simply that in 2002 with “Instant Vintage.” This single from the LP repurposed the hypnotic groove from Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.,” which had come out three years earlier.
I simply acquired bored with placing my efforts into different individuals. I’ve discovered my profession to be like soccer, proper? I’m a quarterback and I’ve an offensive line that’s purported to be blocking for me. However I really feel like my group at all times circled and tackled me [laughs]. So I used to be like, what? I’d as nicely go forward and simply play golf. Lemme simply maintain the membership and hit the ball myself. That’s how I grew to become a solo artist.
How did the riff from “Still D.R.E.” find yourself in “Still Ray”?The repetition of the triad, I needed to take that and switch this difficult Dr. Dre music into a phenomenal lullaby — to seize all people’s ears after which go, All proper, however I’m not likely about to enter the gunfight. I’m gonna make a proper right here and go into this florist as a substitute.
I suppose the title simply introduced itself.His identify is Dre and my identify is Ray. It’s not even nothing I considered. I’m simply filled with jokes.
Very distinguished tuba on this music.I really like Mexican music, and once I’m driving, I at all times hearken to the tuba. So I used to be like, Man, we’d like a tuba on this. My pal Kelvin Wooten who performed the piano on “Still Ray,” he performs tuba too. I instructed him to go seize a tuba, and we simply went with it. On the time, the label was saying, “This is not a single — it doesn’t have a hook.” I saved telling them, “The tuba is the hook.”
Beyoncé, ‘Bodyguard’ (2024) 
Saadiq is credited as a author and producer on a number of tracks from “Cowboy Carter,” together with this slinky, ’70s-style soft-rock jam that options him on guitar, piano, bass and keyboard.
It wasn’t initially for Beyoncé — it was for me. I put this groove collectively, type of a Memphis slash Fleetwood Mac slash “Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison kind of vibe. I had it in my folder, and I used to be taking part in stuff for Beyoncé. She had me going by way of songs and concepts. I didn’t actually wish to play concepts as a result of they weren’t labored out all the best way, however she didn’t care. She was like, “Just play whatever.” So I performed just a little little bit of it on accident, and he or she’s like, “Go back, go back — what are you doing with that?” I truthfully couldn’t consider she picked it. I simply didn’t see it. Then when she sang it, she did some stuff vocally that fully matched the period of what I used to be doing however that I might by no means have completed. She took it and made it her personal factor.
I had a small guitar solo in it, however she needed the solo to be longer. She stated, “I think we can go harder in the paint.” I used to be like, “Oh, damn.” I might have referred to as my actually good pal Eric Gales to play the solo, however he was on tour. And we had been transferring so quick that I didn’t have time to name anyone else. So I had to return within the room and work out a solo.
Are guitar solos making a comeback? There’s one other good one in Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.”I’m ready for the George Michael saxophone solo to come back again.