Bilal

A neo-soul figure with roots in the aged soul mines of Philadelphia, Bilal orbits the same sultry sound favored by the likes of Musiq Soulchild. He appeared on multiple Erykah Badu albums, collaborated with Jill Scott on a track for rapper Common, and jazzed it up as part of Gang Starr spokesman Guru’s Jazzmatazz project. Bilal’s 2001 debut, 1st Born Second, ranks as one of best neo-soul records of the time when neo-soul coalesced. After his meticulously crafted 2006 follow-up, Love For Sale, leaked online and was subsequently shelved by Interscope, Bilal returned with 2010’s appropriately-titled Airtight’s Revenge, with its standout “corporate media’s controlling us all” single, “Robots.”

Updated 08/24/2011