2000 Rewind: Remember Musiq Soulchild’s Aijuswanaseing

Y’all ready to relive Y2K? All year long the Rewind column will revisit the year 2000, celebrating great releases that will mark 25 years in 2025. I’ll be joined by a host of old friends as we look back at a new millennium of music.

Twenty-five years ago today, Musiq Soulchild proved that this neo-soul thing wasn’t a fad, it was a sonic movement. His debut, I Just Wann… um, Aijuswanaseing instantly made him a player in the world of R&B and gave the burgeoning neo-soul era a massive boost. Tim Hall joins me to break it all down.

Let’s go! Share your memories of when you first heard Musiq and Aijuswanaseing.

Tim: In the mid or some might say late fall of 2000, when Musiq Soulchild’s debut Aijuswanaseing dropped it sent a fresh jolt into the male R&B/soul genre. That Philly soul sounded mixed in with hip-hop beats were a proverbial chef’s kiss. I was in college still wiping off the reside of high school. Moving ’round campus rocking cornrows or hiding my fro under a T-shirt turned into a headwrap.

Edd: I’ve mentioned this before but I credit my days working on the college newspaper staff for fueling my neo-soul fandom in 2000. Just like Jill Scott a few months earlier, Musiq Soulchild’s “Just Friends” was regularly featured on the staff’s playlists. While I wasn’t a big fan at first, I grew to appreciate it more and more, enough for me to finally cop the album sometime in early 2001. By then, “Love” was already a hit and along with future singles like “Girl Next Door” and insanely great album cuts like “Mary Go Round” and “Poparatzi,” I was hooked.  Aijuswanaseing might be an annoying album to spell but when the music was this good, who cares? It was clear that R&B was evolving before our ears and I was here for it.

What’s your pick for best song?

Tim: “Love” and “Just Friends”

It’s a tie for best song between “Love” and “Just Friends.” I guess I can say those 2 songs are interchangeable at the top because they’re undeniable smash hits and “Love” is always a go-to when I’m asked to sing.

Edd: “Love”

Originally I had “Poparatzi” at the top of my list and I strongly considered “Mary Go Round” for the top spot too, but I had to remember that I’m your Unbiased Album Reviewer. Sure, I may personally prefer those two songs but neither match up to the writing, the passionate delivery and the impact of “Love.” The concept is so simple but Musiq sings it so earnestly that you can’t help but fall into its warm embrace. Yeah, it’s VERY overplayed at this point and other tracks may get more mileage in my car but that can’t derail the impact of  “Love.” Truly a milestone of the neo-soul movement.

The award for best video from this project goes to…

Tim: “Just Friends”

“Just Friends” is the best video. It gives me all the feels of that late summer infatuation, and all the aspects that it may bring.

Edd: “Girl Next Door”

Musiq’s … um, music videos were pretty straightforward in this era. “Love” showcases the different fascets of love. “Just Friends” shows him hanging out with a friend watching Nutty Professor 2. But I’m going with “Girl Next Door.” As you’d expect, it’s just cute kids doing kid things while the adult versions get all mushy. But I have a soft spot for Young Musiq and his giant fro.

This project has great album cuts. Which one could have been a single?

Tim: “Mary Go Round” or “143”

“Mary Go Round” or “143” should’ve been singles. Either one of those songs being a single, being released that the right time, and a proper/fitting video treatment could’ve buoyed the album to more sales.

Edd: “Mary Go Round”

Musiq had a ton of choices if he wanted another shot at singles glory. “Settle for my Love,” “143” and my beloved “Poparatzi” all feel like they could have had a home on urban radio. But I think “Mary Go Round” is a no-brainer. Not only is that hook an earworm, it feels tailor-made for a video. Picture a nighttime amusement park date, where a stressed-out Musiq looks on while that no-good Mary enjoys the Ferris wheel with the dude she’s cheating with. Somebody run me my check, that video would have done numbers!

The songwriting still stands the test of time. What’s the best example of great writing here?

Tim: “You Be Alright”

The writing on “You Be Alright” is my favorite. They’re simple lyrics, but they pierce and stir my soul.

Edd: “Love”

“Love” by a mile, and that’s due to the widespread appeal of its message. Just take a listen – those lyrics could refer to a romantic relationship, a platonic friendship, parental love, a deceased lost love, even unconditional spiritual love. No matter who you are and where you are in life, its message resonates. So simple, yet some impactful.

Ayana on “Girl Next Door,” Ayana on “What’cha Gonna Do When the L is Gone” or AAries on “Settle For My Love” – which pairing was best for Musiq?

Tim: AAries on “Settle For My Love”

“Settle for My Love” is the best parting/feature on this album. They made this Patrice Rushen classic their own and a fresh, reimagined classic for R&B/soul lovers of the early aughts.

Edd: AAries on “Settle For My Love”

Tim is right. “Girl Next Door” might be a slightly better track, but “Settle for My Love” is a better duet. It’s perfectly reimagined for a new decade while still tipping its hat to the original source material.

Let’s talk about the term neo-soul. Some artists of this era have spoken against it, considering it to be problematic or detrimental. What do you think?

Tim: The neo-soul gernre would be much less of a juggernaunt that it was without Musiq’s debut album. I didn’t have an issue with the neo-soul genre but I can most definitely understand how the artists who didn’t like it felt, because it was a box that most of those artists weren’t ever able to get out of.

Edd: As a fan, the neo-soul label never bothered me. It just felt like another category of music, no different than New Jack Swing or hip-hop soul. it wasn’t until we interviewed Vivian Green on the Soulback podcast that I truly understood why R&B artists were against the term – it shackled them to one specific sound, boxing in their creativity and, possibly, derailing any hopes of attempting something new in the future. Musiq himself faced these hurdles when the longtime neo-soul guy tried being a rapper during his Husel era. Personally, the label doesn’t hinder my enjoyment of the genre but I certainly see how it could stunt an artist’s creative growth.

Where would you rank Aijuswanaseing in Musiq’s discography

Tim: Aijuswanaseing’s place in my discography for music fluxuates depending on the mood or headspace I’m in, however it will NEVER be placed lower than being his third best album. If anybody does have it placed outside 1-3, COME OUTSIDE LET’S TALK!

Edd: Aijuswanaseing is top tier in my eyes. The only album that comes close is the follow up, Juslisen; you can make a very strong case for it as his best work. But besides that one, it’s an open and shut case. Musiq has a very underrated discography – nearly every release hits that 4-star level – but Aijuswanaseing’s blend of signature hits and superior album cuts make it one of the most beloved releases of its decade. Musiq hasn’t topped this one yet.

Who did Musiq justice, Tim or Edd? Share your memories of Musiq’s debut below!