BILAL

It's been a short two years since this prodigious son of soul first appeared as a blip on our musical radar, yet the level of radiance surrounding Bilal Oliver is immense. At the tender age of twenty-one, this Philadelphia native possesses not only an unbelievable vocal ability - one classically trained in jazz and opera, and giving open nods to such legends as Prince, Curtis Mayfield and Ella Fitzgerald- but also demonstrates a very serious penchant for lyrical and musical composition. These three attributes are demonstrated in perfect synergy on his debut album, 1ST Born Second, a testament to a man coming into his own amid an array of oft-conflicting worldly emotions. Having first caught the ear of brothers Fa and Damu Mtume and Erykah Badu, he was soon snatched up by Common Sense for work on his latest effort, Like Water For Chocolate. Since then, Bilal has been featured on such notable projects as Guru's Street Soul ("Certified"), as well as the soundtrack to the film Love and Basketball ("Soul Sista"), feats that have quickly earned him a spot in the Roots-led SoulQuarians Family, along side D'Angelo, Mos Def, Badu, Amhir "Questlove" Thompson, and Common.

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