Musiq "shouts out" 30Below.net readers.

While Musiq worked various blue collars jobs, he also wrote music and songs in his spare time. Instead of complaining about where he was (i.e. “mad burger joints”), he chose to funnel that energy into his music after completing his shift. But don’t get it twisted. He worked those jobs while keeping a goal and music on his mind.

“Even though they did serve their purpose and put money in my pocket, and God bless those establishments in order to provide a way for people to make a living for themselves, but I ain’t trying to go back to that. Naw. If that means I have to stay up an extra hour to work on my craft then fine, I will do it. I will give you three more hours just so I don’t go back to that.”

In between the new concepts found on Soulstar is old soul – the voice of Musiq, which is the instrument that made him a household name before the age of 23.

The stunning highs of “You Love Me,” the weariness of “Her,” the confident “Romancipation” are all examples of Musiq’s maturation as a singer.

“I never thought I would hear another Stevie Wonder,” K-Ci Haley said, former lead vocalist of the r&b group Jodeci and one half of the duo K-Ci and Jo Jo. “But I did. You wanna know who it was? Musiq. You put on Musiq’s CD and you think you’re listening to Stevie Wonder. That boy is [amazing].”

In addition, millions of fans agree. Millions more have even experienced the soulful sounds of Musiq for themselves – albeit through an online “swap” system known as peer-to-peer file sharing. And while 50 Cent and Outkast sold five and seven million copies respectively, other popular artists allege that they can’t experience high volumes of unit sales because potential fans are opting to download their music free on the Internet.

“It forces us artists and the people involved in our career to step our [stuff] up,” Musiq said about online file sharing. “C’mon man, it just is what it is. Life happens. There’s nothing you can do about it, and it may be a hard pill to swallow, but as long as you still here, you still have an opportunity to get by it, find a better way and succeed.”