Is this another case of an artist having an identity crisis or what’s really going on here?

Musiq Soulchild is on some new ish lately. Dressed in all black, crowned and sometimes masked, he’s currently going by a new moniker called The Husel, and he dropped a new mixtape that strays far away from the neo-soul sounds that made us fall in love with him in the first place.

Sort of like The Artist Formerly Known As Prince or Snoop Lion, Musiq Soulchild is attempting to create a whole new identity for the new direction he’s taking with his music. The mission statement on his mixtape states that, “The Husel is not a person, THE HUSEL is a state of mind. Everyone has their own interpretation of the hustle, this just happens to be mine,” and this new venture is inspired by how people hustle on a day-to-day basis to make money.

The question is: Is this what a well-known R&B artist has to do to make money in 2014? According to Musiq, the answer is “Yes!”

His explanation simply is that he was no longer marketable as Musiq Soulchild:

“I’m starting this whole new thing. I turn on the radio, and people seem to be feeling the kind of stuff that I’m doing as The Husel. The other brand (Music Soulchild) is R&B. But right now it’s kind of challenging to see or hear that sound being popular right now. For whatever reason, R&B is struggling.

I’m the type of person who likes to entertain people based on what they’re saying entertains them, and right now this sound is what’s entertaining them. As an artist, songwriter and producer I sit back and listen and say, ‘Okay, if that’s what y’all like, I can do that.’”

http://necolebitchie.com/...ore-283770

What??!!

Ohh lawrd..............

After the agonizing experience of listening to a couple of ''TheHusel's'' tracks, I'm convinced that he should be chased out of town by a torch-bearing mob.

Damn, I can't say I'm a big musiq Soulchild fan but I appreciate the type of artist he is/was. It's sad he feels he has to conform, just to stay alive in the music industry. I actually listened to the tracks and it's not bad, but coming from him, it's odd. Better than Chris Brown though! Best of luck to him on his new image.

Wack as hell for this, lost all respect.

as I been saying for the past 10 years, particularly since 2003

R&B is destroyed because culture got obliterated over the past quarter century

it has been exploited, drained, depleted of all that richness and left null and void with no way to re-emerge.......

this all started in 1987, when we trace it, this is when the decline started.......

"Nobody's digging you, oh buddy what a f@#king waste." He has some gift for melody and a smooth gritty soul voice. Instead he turns into this Tora Tora Tora bullshit. At least Prince did it as a side project. He looks like Kanye West attempting a mugging here. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

Everybody's got a freakin' gimmick....smh.

it's over......

been over a long time ago

R&B has been robbed of all its richness of culture by so many particpants representing various forms of music

even during the late 90s, the NEO-SOUL movement, which acted with good intentions, tapped into the richness too

it's mindboggling how all this happened and how fast it turned

robertgeorge said:

"Nobody's digging you, oh buddy what a f@#king waste." He has some gift for melody and a smooth gritty soul voice. Instead he turns into this Tora Tora Tora bullshit. At least Prince did it as a side project. He looks like Kanye West attempting a mugging here. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

To tell you the truth, he looks like he's in a Halloween costume. I mean what's up with the "Mr. T" chains?

[Edited 9/15/14 18:32pm]

Well it's not like he hasn't strayed away from his sound before

several years ago.

ATL Crunk sound

And what the fuck is up with the burger king hat?

phunkdaddy said:

And what the fuck is up with the burger king hat?

Let's go to Tha BK Lounge, Dawg.