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Biography
Other uses|Bilal (disambiguation)Infobox musical artist | name = Bilal Oliver| image = Bilal (singer).jpg | caption = Oliver performing at the Highline Ballroom in New York, 2007.| image_size =| background = solo_singer| alias = Bilal| birth_date = birth date and age|mf=yes|1979|8|23| instrument = Singing|Vocals , keyboard instrument|keyboards , guitar | origin = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States | death_date =| genre = Jazz , Alternative hip hop|alternative hip-hop , Soul music|soul , Funk music|funk , Blues music|blues , rock music|rock | occupation = Musician , singer , songwriter , Record producer|producer | years_active = 1995–present| label = Plug Research | associated_acts = The Roots , Soulquarians , Common (rapper)|Common , Erykah Badu , Mos Def , Musiq Soulchild , The Dresden Soul Symphony , J Dilla , Nottz , Dr. Dre | website = Twitter|Bilal/| current_members =| past_members =| notable_instruments = Bilal Sayeed Oliver (born August 23, 1979),cite web|last=Kellman|first=Andy|title=Bilal> Biography|work= Allmusic |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p454406|pure_url=yes|accessdate=2010 better known by his stage name Bilal , is an United States|American jazz / alternative hip-hop|alternative hip hop singer-songwriter, musician and record producer|producer . He is currently an independent artist residing in New York City http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Bilal/Biography/. From his wide vocal range, to his genre-bending albums, to his phenomenal live performances, Bilal is a total-package artist who has been well received, both nationally and internationally. He also has an extensive list of collaborations, which includes Common (entertainer)|Common , Erykah Badu , Jay-Z , Beyonce , Guru (rapper)|Guru , J Dilla , and many more.
Early life
Bilal was born Bilal Sayeed Oliver in northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . He grew up in a religiously mixed household, his mother being a devout Christian and his father, a Muslim. He regularly attended church with his mother in a small church that consisted of mostly family members. It was there that Bilal grew an interest in music and singing. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/rough-style-romancer/Content? oid=1091351 His interest in jazz music was fostered by his father, who took him to the city’s clubs. Singing eventually became more than an interest. After attending high school at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts, Bilal moved to New York City and studied at the New School for Social Research. He studied jazz, and his love for music caused him to use a voice as an instrument.
Career
Musical beginnings and debut album: 1999–2002
Bilal began to familiarize himself with the music scene in New York City, meeting big talents such as Common (entertainer)|Common , The Roots , and Erykah Badu . Eventually, he was discovered by Aaron Coleman from the Spin Doctors during an after-school jam session. It was with him that Bilal recorded his demo that landed him a record deal with Interscope. http://www.ontheroxentertainment.com/index.php? option=com_zoo& task=item& item_id=634& category_id=15& Itemid=97
In 2001, he released his debut album 1st Born Second , which featured contributions from the Soulquarians as well as high profile producers such as Dr. Dre and J Dilla .NY Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2001/06/24/2001-06-24 Bilal set to wow The album showcased a wide variety, from the emotionally charged fan-favorite Soul Sista , which peaked at #18 on the Top R& B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, to the political viewpoints of Fast Lane and Second Child . http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1118569,00.html Bilal managed to gain a sizable following and high attendance at his live shows,Allmusic|class=artist|id=p454406|pure_url=yes as well as much acclaim and respect from his peers, many whom noted his range and ability to sing in a freeform style, and his classically trained falsetto. The soulful feel of the album caused Bilal to be labeled as "neo-soul." Bilal stresses that this term does not fit, and throughout his career, his expansion in music and pushing of boundaries proved his point. http://www.thelifefiles.com/2010/09/24/bilal-talks-his-comeback-neo-soul-dr-dre-to-the-life-files/
In 2002, Bilal contributed to the critically acclaimed Red Hot + Riot , a compilation CD created by the Red Hot Organization in tribute to the music and work of Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti , that raised money for various charities devoted to raising AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. He collaborated with fellow hip-hop artists Dead Prez , Talib Kweli , and Jorge Ben to remake the famous song by Fela Kuti, "Shuffering and Shmiling," for the CD.
Unreleased album and ''Airtight's Revenge : 2003–10
In the following years Bilal continued to appear on projects by other artists both high profile and avant garde, while recording and developing his follow-up set to be released on Interscope Records and featuring contributions primarily from producers Dr. Dre and J Dilla (as heard by Dilla himself). These plans proved to be changeable and the final result, Love for Sale (Bilal album)|Love for Sale , was an album that appeared to be built around Bilal's own musicianship. A forever evolving artist, Bilal switched it up on Love For Sale , which includes live instrumentation and a vibe completely new and different from its predecessor. However, his anticipation was shot down after receiving disapproval from Interscope. Unwilling to start from scratch, Bilal continued to push his LP. However, near the album's completion, the album was leaked in its entirety on the Internet. Interscope shelved the album indefinitely, hinting that it saw little commercial potential in it. The event sent Bilal into a period of distress http://gangstarrgirl.com/2010/09/bilal-talks-sophomore-lp-why-he-was-never-so-called-neo-soul/, and was considering quitting music. However, many fans and music critics expressed their love for his shelved album online, and Bilal began to perform at many shows, practically touring for his unreleased Love For Sale . This gave him the encouragement to go on and record new music.
After nine years without a properly released album, Bilal made a comeback on September 14, 2010 with '' Airtight's Revenge '', a sophomore LP released under independent record label Plug Research . Bilal describes the album as a retrospective album: an album that explores his experiences and things that he's learned since his last release. An experimental album, ''Airtight's Revenge blends jazz, hip-hop, electronic, rock, soul, and blues into one raw, genuine collection of music http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/j8j9. The successor of a soulful love album, the lyrics of Airtight's Revenge focus on a wide range of topics, including love, spirituality, religion, the economy, politics, capitalism, and much more. The album received immense, positive feedback from fans and praise from numerous music critics. In 2011, Bilal received a Grammy nomination for the song Little One , a track dedicated to his eldest son, who has Autism. Bilal dedicated his Summer tour to his son, naming it the Little Ones Tour and raising money for autism awareness.
Discography
;Studio albums
1st Born Second (2001)
Love for Sale (Bilal album)|Love for Sale (2006)
'' Airtight's Revenge (2010)
;Singles
"Love It"; #61 R& B
" Soul Sista (Bilal song)|Soul Sista "; #71 US, #18 R& B
"Fast Lane; #41 R& B
"Restart"
" Little One (Bilal song)|Little One "
"Levels"
Appearances
Songs
;with Common (rapper)|Common
"Funky For You" (Common & Jill Scott ) from Like Water for Chocolate (album)|Like Water for Chocolate
"Nag Champa (Afrodesiac For The World)" from Like Water for Chocolate
" The 6th Sense " from Like Water for Chocolate
"Heaven Somewhere" from Electric Circus (album)|Electric Circus
"Aquarius" from Electric Circus
"Star69 (PS With Love)" from Electric Circus
"Faithful" (Common & John Legend ) from Be (Common album)|Be
"It's Your World/Pop's Reprise" from Be
"U, Black Maybe" from Finding Forever
"Misunderstood" from Finding Forever
"Play Your Cards Right" from Finding Forever
;with others 1999
Grenique http://www.amazon.com/Black-Butterfly-Grenique/dp/B00000JCB0 on "Let Go", "You Say" and "Love Within" from Black Butterfly
2000
Guru (rapper)|Guru and J Dilla , on "Certified" from Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul
2001
Jermaine Dupri on "Supafly" from Instructions
"Bring 2" on The Wash (soundtrack)
2002
Scratch (musician) , on "Square One" from The Embodiment of Instrumentation
Talib Kweli on "Waitin' for the DJ" & "Talkin' to You" from Quality (album)|Quality
Da Ranjahz & Ras Kass on "Da Dopest"
Jaguar Wright on "I Can't Wait" from Denials Delusions and Decisions
Tweet (singer)|Tweet on "Best Friend" from Southern Hummingbird
Cherokee, on "A Woman Knows" from Soul Parade
John Ellis, on "John Brown's Gun", "Nowny Dreams" and "The Lonely Jesus" from Roots, Branches & Leaves
2003
Beyoncé on "Everything I Do", from the soundtrack of The Fighting Temptations
Musiq on "Dontstop/Her" from Soulstar (album)|Soulstar
2004
Boney James's "Better With Time", from Pure
Robert Glasper on "Maiden Voyage" and "Don't Close Your Eyes" from Mood
2005
Robert Glasper on "Chant" from Canvas
Luvpark on "Fade Away" and "Luvtheme" from Luvpark
2006
Pete Kuzma on "High and Dry" from Exit Music: Radiohead Tribute
Clipse and Pharrell Williams , on "Nightmares" from Hell Hath No Fury
A-Alikes on "What You Give" from I Eat You Eat
2007
Hezekiah on "Looking Up" from I Predict a Riot
Timbo King & The Last Poets on "Trust Factor" from Spookz Who Kicked Down The Door
Sa-Ra on "Sweet Sour You" from The Hollywood Recordings
Jay-Z on "Fallin'" from American Gangster (album)|American Gangster
The Randy Watson Experience on "Can't Hide Love" from Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire
Common on "Play Your Cards Right" from '' Smokin' Aces soundtrack.
2008
Ghostface Killah & Prodigy of Mobb Deep on "Trials of Life" off an unknown DJ Green Lantern mixtape.
Erykah Badu on "The Healer","My People","Soldier","Twinkle" & "Master Teacher" from New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
The Game (rapper) on "Cali Sunshine" from LAX (album)|LAX
Solange Knowles|Solange on "Cosmic Journey" from Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
M.O.P. on "Get Rich"
88-Keys on "M.I.L.F." from The Death of Adam
Scarface (rapper)|Scarface on "Can't Get It Right" from Emeritus (Scarface album)|Emeritus
J Dilla on "Remember"
2009
Zap Mama on "The Way You Are", from ReCreation
Shafiq Husayn on "Cheeba" from ''En' A-Free-Ka ( Plug Research )
Robert Glasper 's "All Matter" and "Open Mind" from Double-Booked
The Terence Blanchard Group's "Journey" and "When Will You Call" from Choices
2010
Erykah Badu on "Jump In The Air & Stay There" from New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)
Little Brother (band)|Little Brother and Darien Brockington on "Second Chances" from The Leftback
Reflection Eternal on "End" from Revolutions per Minute (Reflection Eternal album)|Revolutions per Minute
Nottz on "Right Here" from You Need This Music
Diddy – Dirty Money on "Shades feat. Lil Wayne , Justin Timberlake , James Fauntleroy" from Last Train to Paris
2011
Daedelus (musician)|Daedelus on "Overwhelmed" from Bespoke (album)|Bespoke
Kindred the Family Soul on "Take a Look Around" from Love Has No Recession
Stimulus & Chris 'Daddy' Dave on "Full Grown" from 3rd 1st Impression
Georgia Anne Muldrow on "More & More" from Owed to Mama Rickie
The Roots on "The OtherSide" from Undun
2012
Robert Glasper on "Always Shine Ft. Lupe Fiasco " & "Letter to Hermoine" from Black Radio
Tours
Little One Tour (2011)
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.bilal-the-man.com/home.html Bilal Online Official site
http://www.obnoxiouslisteners.com/album/1st-born-second-bilal/ Obnoxious Listener's Review of Bilal
http://www.soulrnb.com/communaute/groups? categoryid=10 Bilal Fan Group SoulRnB.com
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p454406|label=Bilal
MySpace|bilaloliver|Bilal
http://soulinterviews.com/progressive-underground/609-bilal-video-interview.html Bilal 2011 Video Interview Soulinterviews.com
Bilal Soulquarians Use dmy dates|date=August 2010 Persondata | NAME =Oliver, Bilal | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Bilal | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =23 August 1979 | PLACE OF BIRTH =Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Bilal Category:Interscope Records artists Category:African American singers Category:African American musicians Category:American male singers Category:American soul singers Category:Neo soul singers Category:Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Living people Category:1979 births
