About
Born and raised in Phily, the home of the hugely influential
Philadelphia Sound characterized by its soulfully dynamic lush
arrangements (Gamble & Huff, MSFB, The O'Jays, Billy Paul, The
Spinners and many, many more), Bilal like many youths in urban Black
America began his musical genesis at the neighborhood church.
Moving to New York City to study jazz, Bilal was accepted by the New
School for Social Research, one of the cities preeminent avant-garde
universities. Immersing himself in the cities nightlife and culture,
the exposure of living in a cosmopolitan city like New York with its
underground music scene and equally creative milieu was to become a
very fruitful experience. Frequenting the famed lower Manhattan
nightclub Wetland's, Bilah started his acquaintanceship with a
veritable who's-who of hip-hop which included The Roots (who hosted
their weekly BlackLily party there), Q Tip, Common, Erykah Badu and
Mos Def. A fortuitousness encounter would further open another door
for Bilal when he hit it off with Aaron Comess, percussionist from the
alternative rock band the Spin Doctors. After numerous jam sessions
together, Bilal produced a demo that ultimately landed him a deal with
Interscope Records.
