The Urban Daily » raphael saadiq

Raphael Saadiq “Stone Rollin’” [MUSIC VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:45:53 +0000

Raphael Saadiq is three videos deep into his new project, Stone Rollin’. The latest video just so happens to be the title track from the album, Saadiq’s fourth studio album.

Ray Ray keeps it down home and dirty in this new track, which sounds like some vintage blues-rock, complete with harmonica.

We definitely are digging this video!

Stone Rollin‘, is due out on May 10th!

D’Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, ?uestlove & Ali Shaheed Muhammad “Lady” [THROWBACK]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:15:00 +0000

On the Valentines Day episode of Chris Rock‘s HBO talk show in 1997, D’Angelo performed with an all-star band including Raphael Saadiq, ?uestlove of The Roots, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest and the late Chalmers “Spanky” Alford. The quintet, which was unofficially known as Linwood Rose, performed D’Angelo’s hit single “Lady.”

Top 9 Black Television Talk Show Hosts

Starting off with Saadiq & D’Angelo duetting on Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” the one-off performance was an amazing preview of what D’Angelo had in store for the world 3 years later with his Voodoo album and the album’s supporting tour.

Cee Lo Green “Bodies” [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:35:22 +0000

Cee Lo Green‘s “Bodies” is one of our favorite tracks from Green’s latest album, The Lady Killer. The dramatic slow jam gets an animated video directed by Mikael Colombu and features “appearances” from Kerry Washington, Janelle Monae, Raphael Saadiq, Common, Bilal, and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.

The video follows Cee Lo’s “Lady Killer” character as he claims victim after victim. He keeps a memento of each of his prey in the form of a high heeled shoe that he places on a display wall. But over the course of the video, The Lady Killer meets his match…

Raphael Saadiq “Good Man” [MUSIC VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:11:30 +0000

Raphael Saadiq‘s music video for his latest single, “Good Man,” is certain to get people talking. The clip, starring The Wire‘s Chad Coleman and America’s Next Top Model contestant Yaya DaCosta, tells a gripping story of a couple falling out of love with each other leading to the woman managing to have her husband arrested.

“‘Good Man’ tells the story I’ve seen many times in my own life,” Saadiq told Spinner.com. “Everything around that man can be bad, his occupation, lifestyle, friends, but underneath all of it, he is a good man.”

“Good Man” will be included on Saadiq’s upcoming album, Stone Rollin, due out in March.

Raphael Saadiq To Perform At Grammys With Mick Jagger; Announces Spring US Tour

The Urban Daily — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:34:46 +0000

Raphael Saadiq has been confirmed to play at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony and will be joined on stage by a music legend, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones on February 13th. The two will pay tribute to the late R&B singer Solomon Burke, who died in October 2010. The performance will be Jagger’s first time performing at the Grammy’s.

The pairing is rather clever, as Saadiq plans to release his fourth solo studio album, titled Stone Rollin’, in March. The album is slated to be a tribute to the sounds of the 50s and 60s, the period in which Burke became an R&B legend. The Rolling Stones have also publicly stated that Burke was a huge inspiration to them. The band covered Burke’s classic songs “Cry To Me” and “Everybody Needs Someone To Love” in the 1960s, and brought Burke on tour with them.

Saadiq has also announced his own upcoming tour in support of Stone Rollin which will cross the United States this spring. Check out the tour dates below!

March 15^th Dallas, TX House of Blues
March 16^th Austin, TX SXSW
March 19^th New Orleans, LA House of Blues
March 20^th Houston, TX House of Blues
April 16^th Indio, CA Coachella Music and Arts Festival
May 9^th Minneapolis, MN First Ave
May 16^th Boston, MA House of Blues
May 20^th Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 21^st Baltimore, MD Ram’s Head
May 23^rd Raleigh, NC Lincoln
May 24^th Charlotte, NC Fillmore
May 25^th Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
May 27^th Orlando, FL House of Blues
May 28^th Tampa, FL Ritz

Raphael Saadiq “Good Man” [AUDIO]

The Urban Daily — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:23:01 +0000

Thirteen years after Tony Toni Toné broke up, the group’s front-man Raphael Saadiq is still going strong, with his fourth solo studio album, Stone Rollin’, due out in March.

The album’s second single, “Good Man,” recently leaked and falls right in line with the retro-60s soul sound that Saadiq has made his signature sound over the course of his career.

Raphael Saadiq was recently named as one of the performers of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA this spring.

What do you think of “Good Man”? Let us know in the comments!

Kanye West To Headline Final Night Of Coachella Festival

The Urban Daily — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:17:59 +0000

Over the past twelve years, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival has made a name for itself by attracting the best acts in all genres of music. In the last few years, the annual festival has had superstars like Paul McCartney, Madonna, and Prince headline the festival, with other big names like Jay-Z and Radiohead also headlining. This year, the festival has booked Kanye West to close out the three day festival in California.

In addition to Yeezy, a handful of other R&B and hip-hop acts will also appear at the festival including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Raphael Saadiq, Nas & Damian Marley, Cee-Lo Green, Tinie Tempah, Wiz Khalifa, Lil B and the Based Gods, OFWGKTA, and DJ A-Trak.

The festival takes place from April 15-17 in Indio, CA. Tickets go on sale January 21st at 10AM PST. For the full festival line up and ticket information, visit www.coachella.com.

Raphael Saadiq “Radio” [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:59:42 +0000

Raphael Saadiq’s latest video for his 60′s rock throwback, “Radio,” was recently released, just days after the song premiered.

Though we really dig the song, we’re not really feeling the video.

“Radio” will be featured on Saadiq’s forthcoming album, Stone Rollin’, which hits stores on March 22nd.

Raphael Saadiq “Radio” [AUDIO]

The Urban Daily — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:30:24 +0000

Raphael Saadiq’s critically acclaimed 2008 album, The Way I See It, saw the former Tony Toni Tone frontman fully embracing the sound of soul music in the 60s and early 70s.

Saadiq’s forthcoming new album, Stone Rollin’, seems to continue in that vein with more throwback sounds as evident on the album’s lead single, “Radio.”

Stone Rollin’ drops in March!

Raphael Saadiq & D’Angelo “Be Here” (Hi-Tek Remix)

djbrainchild — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:53:57 +0000

Back in 2002 when Raphael Saadiq released his solo debut, Instant Vintage, all ears were tuned in to the lead single which was a duet between Ray and D’Angelo.

This remix done by Hi-Tek was only released as a limited promo-download on MTV.com for a very brief time.

Fortunately for all of you, I’ve dug into my archives and pulled this version out for your listening pleasure!

Nicki Minaj and Drake: 5 Things You Don’t Joke About [from Blackvoices.com ]

Lauryn Hill Rumored to Be Working on New Album [from TheBoombox.com]

Bodyguards Follow Michael Jackson’s Kids Around New School [from Popeater.com]

Who Wears Short Shorts? J-Lo, Amber Rose, Christina Milian & More
[from Vibe.com ]

Black Athletes And Baby Mamas 101
[from Newsone.com]

12 Craziest Real Celebrity Names

The Urban Daily — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:09:57 +0000

Many don’t have the luxury of being able to change their name from something embarrassing to something hot. Fortunately these celebrities chose aliases that are way better than their birth names.

Check out celebs’ real names in our gallery below:

MILF Showdown: Halle Berry vs. Stacey Dash [from TheBVX.com ]

Ron Isley Talks Tax Evasion, Prison, Mr. Biggs & More [from Vibe.com]

Beanie Sigel Questions Kanye’s Sexuality on 2010 ‘Haters’ [from TheBoombox.com]

R.I.P. Scott La Rock – Remembering the BDP Legend 23 Years Later
[from XXLmag.com]

Yankees, Jay-Z Team Up On Co-Branded Merchandise [from Newsone.com]

AUDIO: Raphael Saadiq “It’s A Shame”

Bill Johnson — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:38:07 +0000

Raphael Saadiq continues his mission to keep true soul music alive with his contribution to Levi’s Pioneer Sessions.

Ray Ray tackles The Spinners’ 1970 classic “It’s A Shame,” penned by Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett, and gives it that instant vintage feeling that he’s been excelling at for years!

Visit Levi’s Pioneer Sessions to get your free download of “It’s A Shame!”

VIDEO: We Are The World 25

The Urban Daily — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:58:08 +0000

The long awaited remake of the 1985 charity song “We Are The World” premiered tonight, February 12th, during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

Download to donate at World25.org.

THE LEAK: Q-Tip & Kanye – “We Fight, We Love” (Remix)

The Urban Daily — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:24:56 +0000

Q-Tip may have done it with this one. For fans of The Renaissance, they already grooved to the smooth tune “We Fight, We Love” featuring Raphael Saadiq, but the remix is killer.

With Mr. Ye-Tudda and Consequence guest starring, the funky bass heavy track is sure to make folks get their two-step on.

(Shouts out the Nah Right for the exclusive!)

Raphael Saadiq Hits The Road

The Urban Daily — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:42:33 +0000

Since the demise of Tony! Toni! Tone!, Raphael Saadiq has staked his reputation in the recording studio with myriad production and collaboration credits. But “The Way I See It,” his fourth solo album, has rekindled the R&B auteur’s appetite for the road.

“I’ve never really toured as a solo act,” Saadiq, who was also a member of the short-lived all-star group Lucy Pearl, tells Billboard.com. “I would do a record and go out for 12 dates and come back.” But pride in “The Way I See It,” with its echoes of vintage Motown, Philadelphia and Chicago soul, inspired Saadiq to slot some more time in for touring.

Read more about Raphael Saadiq at Billboard.com

Q-Tip Plays A Guitar Hero On “The Renaissance”

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:54 +0000

Q-Tip and Kobe Bryant have a lot in common (and no, it has nothing to do with Nas’ baby mother ). As a member of A Tribe Called Quest Kamaal obtained two (and some would argue three) championship rings with the classic Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. But since parting ways with Phife, Shaheed and Jarobi in 1998, the MC/Actor/DJ and Nicole Kidman dater has been on a quest …er..mission…to obtain a ring on his own.

His first solo effort, Amplified, certainly sold as many units as any Tribe record and changed the genre of hip-hop music videos forever with the bootylicious “Vivrant Thang,” but doesn’t live in folks hearts like his group effort. Amplified was followed by the now commonplace “rappa-turnt-singer” experiment, Kamaal The Abstract, that only lives on the hard drives of a few industry insiders.

After many false starts and name changes (this collection was originally dubbed Live At The Renaissance) Q-Tip has finally deemed his years of work worthy of the masses and the timing couldn’t be better.

Musically, The Renaissance is a compromise between the fun-loving b-boy leanings of Amplified and the ambitious, live instrumentation of Kamaal The Abstract. The bright and inspirational lead single “Gettin’ Up” is built around the pianos of Black Ivory’s “You And I” and is complemented by some extraordinary live bass guitar work. It seems that Tip is channeling his inner rock star as the six-stringed wooden instrument is at the heart of many of the songs, either as a sample or played. From the opening cut “Johnny Dead” to the melancholy but satisfying “You” and “Shaka” Tip gives the sound beds a lush twang, as if he took the J-Dilla produced “Let’s Ride” (with its sample of Joe Pass’ “Giant Steps“) from Amplified and used it as the inspiration for much of this project.

Where Q-Tip surprises is in his lyrical dexterity. Though he is a competent MC with many memorable lines, Tip is rarely mentioned in arguments about “top 5 dead or alive.” However, on The Renaissance he delivers some much- needed, heartfelt couplets that will serve as motivational ear candy for the minority of listeners that still pay attention to such things. On the ambidextrous “We Fight We Love” he laments a war of the hearts and just war in general: “…you get to travel the world, it’s cheaper than college, and you get guns and you get knowledge, lookin for your soul and WMDs, you can’t find nothin’ because it’s empty…”"

Fighting for the hearts and minds of listeners is probably what has delayed the completion of this project: how to make common sense and good vibes relevant in the ring tone era. As a result some gems like the Andre 3000 collab “That’s Sexy” ended up on the cutting room floor but “Believe” got a much needed makeover since the first draft that leaked last year. In the end Q-Tip has succeeded in striking a balance that will satisfy fans of ATCQ while establishing his artistic sovereignty. The verdict is still out on whether The Renaissance brings Tip the championship that he has been seeking but he has made a clear and present case for being a franchise player in this league.

Steal these: “Official” “Life Is Better” (f/Norah Jones)

Watch this: Q-Tip making a beat that will hopefully be a remix to “You” or something

And for even more Tip, watch the highlights of his midnight in-store appearance at New York’s legendary Fat Beats record store below:

BP Group Spotlight: FANS OF OLE SKOOL

Byakuugan_Mod — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:44:38 +0000

TheUrbanDaily.com is dedicated to letting you know what is hot and happening right now in music and entertainment. Yet, after peeping the Raphael Saadiq article and the old school R&B vibe brought to the table, I had to share this corner of BlackPlanet with you.

: Old School Music

The Fans of Ole Skool group on BlackPlanet features over 12,000 members to share your love of classic R&B music with. The pre-selected tunes are also relaxing. Whether you are old school or new you can still find where your favorite samples come from. I hope to see you there.

Raphael Saadiq Album Release Party Gallery

Iliana Rabun-Wood, Associate Managing Editor — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:37:12 +0000

Peep the pics from Raphael Saadiq’s performance at his album release party for The Way I See It at SOB’s in New York City.

Wanna know more about Saadiq’s new album? Check out The Urban Daily’s Q&A here!

Raphael Saadiq: “The Way” He Sees It

Rashuan Hall, Senior Editor — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:25:03 +0000

Soul is much more than just a genre of music. For veterans like Raphael Saadiq, it’s a state of mind. The Oakland, California native has been 1987 since his days as frontman for funky R&B trio Tony! Toni! Tone!. Since then, Saadiq has crafted three solo albums, including his recently released The Way I See It. The Urban Daily catches up with Saadiq to talk his new retro-themed album, soul music and more.

The Urban Daily: So, tell me about the new album, The Way I See It.
Raphael Saadiq: It’s an album of collective thoughts, probably from the beginning of my musical journey in life. You know, things that I grew up loving [and] things that I have learned while being in groups, and producing and working with other artists. I was able to take that and put it all together with… People would call a retro or ’60s sound but I call it more of a good feeling sound, even though you can hear different ’60s styles, it’s more about the things that I love. It wasn’t set out to do some whole ’60s record. It was just like a lot of information that you just store and it was more about giving people a good feeling than it was than focusing on a certain area.

TUD: What was the inspiration for that good feeling?
RS: Umm, you run into a brick wall in life when you’re watching what everybody is doing, listening to music, politics, all the confusion and everything-music is one thing that brings a little bit of clarity to everybody so that was sort of the motivation behind it for me.

TUD: You have been known as much for your production as you have your own material, what’s the difference for you?
RS: The difference is when you’re producing other people; you’re putting your thoughts and their thoughts together and hoping they like your thoughts. Myself, it’s like a clear vision of my thoughts 100%. It’s exactly what I want to do and I have to be the person that goes and delivers in front of people so I guess that’s the only difference.
TUD: What your definition of soul is?
RS: My definition of soul is being able to reach all walks of life and being very content, focused and consistent on what you’re doing from the beginning. Most soul singers are very consistent from the beginning of their careers to the end of their careers. They actually know what they want to do from the beginning and they stay with it the whole time.

TUD: What’s a favorite soul song of yours?
RS: Wow, so many… Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming”; Marvin Gaye’s “Pride And Joy”, Eddie Kendricks’ “Girl You Need A Change Of Mind”

TUD: What is it about those songs?
RS: Eddie Kendrick has a sweet tenor, almost soprano falsetto that just reminds me of my family traveling from Oakland to L.A. in our Impala, just rolling. Everybody was listening to it; I didn’t know this guy was part of this big group. It was just a new song to me. That always stuck with me since I was kid. [On] “Pride And Joy” it was about James Jamison’s bass playing and Marvin and the whole Motown/Detroit connection and how it all melted together. Sam & Dave just reminds me of early quartet like Sam Cooke… A group of guys walking up to Stax [Studios] as a group and just coming together with a great rhythm section with Otis Redding, Sam, Dave, Flloyd… A lot of people cam through there. And you know how it really happened, they probably just stopped over there, knocked on the door and said, “We have a group.” It was that easy. Not that it was easy but you really had to… In those days, you really had to be good at what you do. It was not a talent show, but it was talent at its best. And talent at its best is still around, if they’re living. You don’t have to fight for press, press comes to you.

TUD: Do you consider yourself a soul singer?
RS: I consider myself a soul pioneer, meaning I was a musician before I was a singer. I just jumped into the singing thing by trial and error. I do what I can but there are others that I like more than I like myself or my voice but I do an ok job mimicking people that I like.