WHAT'S IN A NAME: "People called me Music Boy when I used to beat box and sing around Philadelphia. So I adopted that name," he explains. "Soulchild came later when people started thinking of me as some sort of music scholar. So I adopted Musiq (which combines the words muse and IQ) as my first name and Soulchild as my last name."

PHAT TRACKS: Like D'Angelo's gritty Voodoo, Musiq's Aijuswanaseing overflows with jam-session-filled good vibrations. Standout tracks include the hymn-like ballads "Love" and "You Be Alright" and the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell-reminiscent duet "The Girl Next Door," cowritten by Philly home girl Jill Scott and featuring newcomer Ayana of Aaries.

MAJOR INFLUENCES: "Donny Hathaway, Sly & the Family Stone, Funkadelic, and Ella Fitzgerald," he says, reeling off names. But it's Stevie Wonder who's had the greatest impact on the young artist. "Stevie Wonder is a very significant artist to me," says Musiq, who is particularly fond of Wonder's 1972 masterpiece Music of My Mind. "It was standard for cats to be progressive during the '70s, but Stevie really took it there."

WHERE HE'S GOING: "There came a time when the [R&B] music that was happening just wasn't enough," he says. "So cats like me started looking for the root of the music, as opposed to following secondhand music. That way, we honor soul music in its purest form."

ON HIS STEE-LO: "I've never been extreme [when it comes to fashion]," says the Afro-coiffed Musiq, who is partial to knit caps and silver jewelry. "But just because I'm supposed to be this eclectic, soulful artist doesn't mean that I can't rock a diamond if I want."

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY: "It was just a matter of time before Philly was back in the spotlight," says the proud Philadelphian, who can name check Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, and the O'Jays, as well as Liberty City's new millennium crew -- which includes the Roots and Will Smith. "And the time is now." Tracy E. Hopkins

November 16, 2000