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 a long time — typically on his personal, typically with a gaggle, typically for a star extra well-known (if not often 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 Eighties and ’90s, then shaped 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 received his third Grammy Award for his work on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” which was named album of the 12 months, and on Sunday he’ll carry out a musical tribute to his native Bay Space earlier than the NBA All-Star Recreation at San Francisco’s Chase Heart.
Saadiq, who operates lately 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 Inventive Vanguard program — lately introduced a subscription service known as Vinyl Membership via 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 received on the cellphone 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 type, although the music stretches to almost 10 minutes on the trio’s double-platinum “Sons of Soul” LP.
The factor that basically 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 received any cash and if I discovered the proper piece, I used to be gonna name Clare Fischer. He introduced a sweetness that took the file to a special stage — a stage 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 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 vital to the band to indicate that you simply 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 exterior to play along with your pal — are you gonna deliver your arm with you?
Your first two Grammy nominations had been for “Anniversary”: finest R&B music and finest R&B efficiency by a duo or group.It was slightly surprising. Watching the Grammys as a child, the folks that received every little thing was Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and Stevie Surprise. However even after we received nominated for the Soul Practice Awards, we at all times misplaced. I bear in mind we had like 5 nominations on the Soul Practice 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 slightly bummed, and he requested any individual 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 essentially the most stunning factor ever. What I beloved about it’s that individuals had been having fun with one another. I took away the telephones on the tour — it was a no-phones tour. And folks had been slightly 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 reveals is what I noticed. I used to be trying lifeless at each musician, every little thing they did. On the Tony reveals, individuals had been dancing, hugging, kissing, then taking a look at us — and with out a cellphone 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 Referred to as Quest.
I didn’t need 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 known as folks that had been from common teams earlier than, kind 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 dangerous 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 instantly?Properly, 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. Trying again, did the group accomplish what you’d hoped?I want that we might have stayed collectively slightly 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 file.
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 street within the mid-’80s — “Untitled” spawned an instant-classic video starring an especially muscular (and seemingly bare) D’Angelo.
In response to the web, it’s simply you and D’Angelo enjoying the music.That’s true. What occurred was I used to be strolling via the Village, stunning summer time day exterior, 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. Normally you’d have a second engineer or any individual 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. While you’re within the studio, you’re gonna be in there all night time, so it’s important to have the nice meals, the nice smoke, since you’re not leaving. You’re gonna be in there creating. So I walked in and he began enjoying piano. He’s an incredible 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 religious 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 lower 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 strains got here out. We had been principally 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. It’s important 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 must be intelligent with the pen.
Why’d you name it “Untitled”?It grew to become “Untitled” due to the way in which it ends. The tape ran out as we had been enjoying. On the time we had been recording on [Digital Audio Tape], and when a music’s not accomplished, 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 might need ended if the 2 of you had gone again and completed it?Nah. We made the director’s lower. I do at all times surprise 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 received 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 staff at all times circled and tackled me [laughs]. So I used to be like, You already know 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 tough Dr. Dre music into a gorgeous lullaby — to seize all people’s ears after which go, All proper, however I’m probably not about to enter the gunfight. I’m gonna make a proper right here and go into this florist as an alternative.
I suppose the title simply introduced itself.His title is Dre and my title is Ray. It’s not even nothing I considered. I’m simply filled with jokes.
Very distinguished tuba on this music.I 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, form 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 enjoying stuff for Beyoncé. She had me going via songs and concepts. I didn’t actually need to play concepts as a result of they weren’t labored out all the way in which, however she didn’t care. She was like, “Just play whatever.” So I performed slightly little bit of it on accident, and she or he’s like, “Go back, go back — what are you doing with that?” I actually couldn’t imagine she picked it. I simply didn’t see it. Then when she sang it, she did some stuff vocally that utterly matched the period of what I used to be doing however that I might by no means have accomplished. 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 known as my actually good pal Eric Gales to play the solo, however he was on tour. And we had been shifting 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.
