Bilal (musician)
| Bilal | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bilal Sayeed Oliver |
| Born | August 23, 1979 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Neo soul,R&B, funk, jazz, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, guitar |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels |
Interscope Plug Research Purpose/E1 Music |
| Associated acts | The Roots, Kimbra, Soulquarians, Common, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Cee-Lo, Musiq Soulchild, The Dresden Soul Symphony, J Dilla, Nottz, Kendrick Lamar |
| Website | BilalMusic.com, Bilal on Twitter |
Bilal Sayeed Oliver (born August 23, 1979), better known mononymously as Bilal, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is currently an independent artist residing in New York City.
Bilal is noted for his wide vocal range, his work across multiple genres, and his live performances. He has been well received, both nationally and internationally, with an extensive list of collaborations including Kendrick Lamar, Common, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Guru, Kimbra, J Dilla, Robert Glasper, The Roots, and many more.
Bilal was born as Bilal Sayeed Oliver in Germantown 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 where Bilal grew an interest in music and singing. Bilal attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Attended and Graduated from the High School for Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA) in 1998.
Bilal began to familiarize himself with the music scene in New York City, meeting big talents such as Common, The Roots, and Erykah Badu. Eventually, he was discovered by Aaron Comess 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. 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. The album peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and it has sold 319,000 copies.1st Born Second received universal acclaim from music critics; and holds a score of 82 out of 100 at Metacritic. The album earned rave reviews from publications, including The Village Voice, Chicago Sun-Times, and USA Today, and it also received comparisons to the music of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, Prince, and Curtis Mayfield.
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