Show 8: Raphael Saadiq's Music Saved My Life + '25 NBA All-Star Game

It is bright, not just in the brilliance of the musicianship, the extroversion of the dance moves, but also the colors and styling of the outfits- except for the 7 second black and white intro of the old white man telling you to play the record as frequently as possible. Purple collars, yellow oversized sportcoats, poofy hats, lavender slacks, sunglasses indoors on the band and the female models on stage. Keyboards, drums, a DJ turntable, and 3 huge signs of “Tony” spelled in 3 different ways complete the stage. And completing the stage presence is the lead singer, Raphael Saadiq.

But it was the sound that got me first. Sure, the musical arrangement was excellent. But more specifically, it was Raphael’s voice. My favorite R&B songs are sung by men with girly voices. The voices need not be falsetto. Their voices just need to thrive in a girly range. I never formally studied music, so that’s the best description I can give. Think D’angelo or Bilal. It’s no accident that Raphael Saadiq produced/wrote their biggest hits.

From the ‘90s through now, Ray Ray has been the soundtrack of our lives in a literal sense, but many just didn’t know it, or cared enough to read the credits.

Do you like the film Boyz N The Hood? Well, I know you liked the song “Just Me and You”

Do you like Issa Rae’s “Insecure” or the series “Lovecraft Country?? Well, Raphael scored music for them.

Do you like Solange Knowles “Crane In The Sky” or the whole “A Seat At The Table” album? Well, Raphael produced/wrote like half of it.

Do you like Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter”? Check the credits to find his name.

And in a non-literal sense, Raphael Saadiq has been the soundtrack of my life.

Tony! Toni! Toné! music accompanied my awkwardness, heartbreak and occasional wins in junior high school. The last 2 minutes and 30 seconds of “[Lay Your Head On My] Pillow” made me feel like the most confident loverboy ever. It still does decades later.

“Ask of You” on the film, “Higher Learning” had the same effect in high school.

On the days when inches of snow would threaten my ability to push up the cellar door to leave my basement home, the song, “It Never Rains in Southern California” helped me picture a warmer reality.

The girly voice always settles me down. But this time, it was accompanied by an actual girl and the production/scratching of one of my favorite rap groups. Lucy Pearl just hit the radio airwaves. The “Dance Tonight” video was on MTV. Lucy Pearl was the Voltron of R&B and Hip-Hop legends- Raphael Saadiq from Tony! Toni! Toné!, Dawn Robinson from En Vogue, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest. The fashion was brilliant. The blend of R&B and Hip-Hop sounds were full and varied. Even when undocumented life made me feel heavy, I could put on Lucy Pearl’s “Everyday” to feel lighter. It’s not New Jack Swing music anymore but yet again, Ray Ray was making music and visuals that made me feel good.

In my senior year of college, I applied to for Ph.D Programs in Criminal Justice. It’s wasn’t a big envelope at first this time. It was just an e-mail. The e-mail was more than about an admissions acceptance. I was awarded the top fellowship for incoming Doctoral Students at the CUNY Graduate Center. With it came free tuition, a living stipend, and a position as adjunct professor. That’s a nearly $100,000 financial aid package.

A week later, I was asked by the financial aid office to provide a green card on file. I still did not have one at the time. And so, just like my experience with NYU as a graduating high school senior, all the money was rescinded. I chuckled in disgust. Fuck the almost $200,000 in money I earned. Fuck everyone. Fuck this country. Fuck God.

But then why was listening to a sound branded as “Gospeldelic”, grabbing for earwax-laden, oily headphones to rest upon my head while in the corner of the “new releases” section of the Virgin Megastore in Union Square, NYC?

It’s because of that girly voice, self-admitted lazy songwriting, and funky, simple basslines that at the very least kept me sane and in the worst times, still made me feel good. It was well-crafted funk and spiritual songs that I wasn’t sure the masses would love, but I got them- and surely music critics must also.

At the time of my most costly rejection because of immigration status, my favorite album of all time, the one that saved my life, had just been released. It was Raphael Saadiq’s first solo album, “Instant Vintage.”

In the promotional rollout of the album, I signed up to essentially become part of the digital “street” team, earning me posters and special editions of the CD and vinyl. And in the summer following the release of the album, he performed at Central Park Summerstage. Dressed in white bohemian linen shirt and pants, he sang his classic hits and the deep cuts on the new album. 20 minutes after the show, at the side of the stage with attire changed to a New York Knicks jersey, I nervously shook his hand for the first time and then he signed the Instant Vintage CD artwork.

Seven years later I crashed a lecture at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts that included an interview with Ray Ray. I was the first one to ask a question. I was the last in the audience to leave as I followed up to speak to him on stage. We took a picture for the first time.

In my favorite album is a song called “Different Times” that features T-Boz of TLC. It’s essentially a Gospel song about God showing up at your worst times. In it, Raphael rapidly sings the line, “Living in bad conditions can make you feel like no one is on your side that's why I always try and do my best to search inside.” Inside the basement apartment, inside the attic apartment, inside every level of school, it often felt like no one was on my side.

Inspiration starts within. Literally, inspiration starts with “in-”. That is the piece of advice I share out the most when I have speaking engagements. Raphael Saadiq’s music has forced me to look inside of myself, and in turn, I found some semblances of freedom.

It would take too long to list all the Saadiq concerts- the YouTube Studios private show in 2022, the Tony! Toni! Toné! reunion concert at Radio City Music Hall in 2024, and the 2002 show in Newark, NJ that I won from the radio- so I’ll give you my favorite moment.

On June 1, 2019, I went to the Roots Picnic concert festival for the first time. Mos Def had just taken the stage. Then came the entire Roots crew for a short set. Then Questlove introduced Raphael Saadiq, and he proceeded to go straight into a medley of three of the biggest hits in his catalog- “Ask of You”, “Anniversary”, and then “Whatever You Want”, with a cameo from one of my favorite rappers/singers, Phonte Coleman. The medley was just five minutes. To me, it felt like 30 years of gratitude.

So as we all enjoy the NBA All-Star Game in the Bay Area, just know that taking the stage to highlight the music of "The Bay” is my favorite artist of all time.

================

Concert access + more:

1. Raphael Saadiq just launched his vinyl club. Check it out here.

2. Saadiq is doing a one-man show in LA, Oakland, and NYC. The presale code is nobandwidth and tickets on the morning 2/19/25 here.

3. His work on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” will be on full display during her tour. If you didn’t get tickets yet like I have, here are the tour dates.

4. Atlanta, if you love R&B, Pandora is hosting a FREE event with rising star, Durand Bernarr on Thursday, 2/27/25. Sign up ASAP.

5. For Black History Month, if you’re in NYC, sign up for free community screenings of these amazing movies. I’ll be at the Mudbound screening to see Mary J. Blige on screen:

================

Los Angeles fire relief:

1. Adobe, aside from donating $1 to relief efforts, is matching donations to the Entertainment Community Fund and California Community Foundation: Wildlife Recovery Fund

2. SBA disaster assistance is now available to Southern California businesses, homeowners, renters and private nonprofit organizations This covers Los Angeles and the contiguous counties of Kern, Orange, San Bernardino, and Ventura. Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster. Applicants also may call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

3. MusiCares Foundation is offering $1,500 in financial assistance, $500 in food vouchers for music industry professionals: [email protected], 1-800-687-4227

4. Here’s a GoFundMe list to help the families rebuild in Altadena, CA

5. FEMA Assistance is available for residents impacted by LA County wildfires. Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, the FEMA app, or the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 (Calls are accepted every day from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST)

================

About the author:

C. Mercado is the award-winning Founder & CEO of GrantAnswers, an NYC-based data, strategy & consulting firm founded in 2013. His journey from undocumented immigrant to award-winning entrepreneur & immigrant rights advocate has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MTV, and Forbes. He has helped +1000s launch careers in tech & secure acceptances to top colleges & programs. His speaking engagements for the likes of Teach for America and the US Chamber of Commerce encompass immigration, career development, entrepreneurship, and tech diversity & inclusion. He is also an avid concertgoer for +25 years and counting, and likes to tell stories about it.