What is Raphael Saadiq's Net Worth?
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has a net worth of $4 million. Raphael Saadiq rose to fame in the late 80s and early 90s as a member of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! He later became a member of the supergroup Lucy Pearl and the music production collective the Ummah, and released a number of acclaimed albums as a solo artist. Among his other endeavors, Saadiq co-founded the video game developer IllFonic. As a producer, Raphael has helped create hit songs for such major stars as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend.
Early Life and Education
Raphael Saadiq was born as Charles Ray Wiggins on May 14, 1966 in Oakland, California as the second-youngest of 14 children. He got into music early on in life, taking up the bass guitar at the age of six and singing in a local gospel group from the age of nine. When he was 12, he joined the group the Gospel Hummingbirds. As a teen, Saadiq went to Castlemont High School.
Career Beginnings
Just before his 18th birthday in 1984, Saadiq learned about auditions being held in San Francisco for Sheila E.'s backing band, which was playing on Prince's Parade Tour. He went to the audition and landed the part of bass player. For close to two years, Saadiq jetted around the world with Prince and Sheila E. on the tour.
Tony! Toni! Toné!
Following the tour with Prince and Sheila E., Saadiq returned to Oakland in 1986 to begin his professional music career in earnest. He became the lead vocalist and bassist of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, which included his brother D'wayne and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley. As part of the trio, Saadiq used his real name Raphael Wiggins. The group's first album, "Who?," came out in 1988. Although it was only a modest commercial hit, it launched the number-one R&B single "Little Walter," as well as the top-ten singles "Born Not to Know," "Baby Doll," and "For the Love of You." The second album by Tony! Toni! Toné!, "The Revival," came out in 1990. Both more critically and commercially successful than its predecessor, the album spawned four number-one R&B singles, including "Feels Good," "The Blues," and "Whatever You Want."
After their second album, Tony! Toni! Toné! recorded a number of songs for movie soundtracks, including "Me and You" for "Boyz n the Hood" and "Waiting on You" for "Poetic Justice." The group then released the album "Sons of Soul," an homage to classic soul music of the 60s and 70s. It was a massive hit both critically and commercially. Tony! Toni! Toné! subsequently released "House of Music," their final studio album, in 1996. A solid success, it launched the singles "Let's Get Down" and "Thinking of You." Following the release of the album, Tony! Toni! Toné! disbanded amid creative differences and tensions with management.
The Ummah
Toward the end of his days with Tony! Toni! Toné!, Saadiq joined the music production collective the Ummah. The group's main members were Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jay Dee. Among its many projects, the Ummah provided backing tracks and remixes for such artists as Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Busta Rhymes, and Jon B.
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Lucy Pearl
In 1999, Saadiq formed the R&B supergroup Lucy Pearl with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Dawn Robinson. The group was later joined by Joi. Lucy Pearl's only album, a self-titled release, came out in 2000; it spawned the hit single "Dance Tonight," and later "Don't Mess with My Man."
Solo Career
As a solo artist, Saadiq achieved his first and biggest commercial hit in 1995 with the single "Ask of You," which was featured on the soundtrack to John Singleton's film "Higher Learning." The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. Saadiq would go on to release his first solo album, "Instant Vintage," in 2002. A critical success, it garnered three Grammy Award nominations.
Dropped by Universal Records, Saadiq released his second studio album, "Ray Ray," through his own label Pookie Entertainment in 2004. Four years later, he released "The Way I See It" through Columbia Records. The album was very well-received, earning three Grammy Award nominations. Saadiq went on to tour the summer music festival circuit in 2009. A couple years after that, he released the acclaimed and commercially successful "Stone Rollin'." Saadiq earned further acclaim in 2019 for his fifth studio album, "Jimmy Lee."
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Other Music Collaborations
Saadiq is a prolific collaborator with a wide range of other artists. In 2000, he had a notable collaboration with D'Angelo on the Grammy-winning song "Untitled (How Does it Feel)." A couple years later, he produced and co-wrote Erykah Badu's Grammy-nominated song "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" for the film "Brown Sugar." Saadiq has collaborated with a plethora of other singers and musicians over the years, including but not limited to: Mary J. Blige, Teedra Moses, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Jaguar Wright, Lionel Richie, John Legend, Ledisi, Floetry, Luniz, Larry Graham, and Beyoncé. He has produced many songs for these and other artists.
IllFonic
In 2007, Saadiq co-founded the videogame development company IllFonic. The first game it successfully developed was called "Nexuiz," a first-person shooter. Later, the company gained renown for developing the games "Friday the 13th: The Game" and "Predator: Hunting Grounds."
Personal Life
Saadiq has had a difficult personal life, marked by the loss of multiple siblings. His brother Jimmy, whom he named one of his albums after, died of a heroin overdose. Another brother, Desmond, died by suicide. Earlier in Saadiq's life, his brother Ivy was killed by his sister's boyfriend, and then his sister was in a car accident that claimed her life. Saadiq has said that music serves as therapy to him.
Real Estate
In May 2003, Raphael paid $1.4 million for a home in Los Angeles. The seller was actress Melissa Joan Hart. He offered the home as a rental for $10,000 per month for a number of years before selling it in 2011 for $1.1 million.
