Musiq Soulchild & Hit-Boy Bring Neo-Soul Goodness On 'Victims & Villains'

Fri, March 10, 2023 at 12:45 PM

Hit-Boy has been on a successful run, and fans hope this continues with his latest Musiq Soulchild collaboration. The two have been teasing their joint album, Victims & Villains, and it finally arrived this Friday (March 10). Musiq is an icon in the industry whose classics remain favorites in R&B circles. As the singer's name suggests, Musiq's contributions to Soul are unmatched with songs like "Halfcrazy," "Love," "Just Friends," and "B.U.D.D.Y." He unites effortlessly with Hit-Boy on this project, and fans are already taking to social media to share their favorite moments from the release.

"The title is designed to address the topic of the challenges we all deal with in relationships," Musiq recently told Bill Bellamy during a visit to his podcast. "But I'm approaching it from a slightly different angle than I used to. It's more abstract, at the same time direct. A lot of people don't realize which one they are; they think they're one when they're the other."

Hit-Boy & Musiq Come Together To Make Magic

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Musiq Soulchild (@musiqsoulchild)

He also referred to Hit-Boy as a "GOAT of our time," a level of praise that isn't far-fetched. Hit-Boy's reign hasn't let up, and his King's Disease productions with Nas have earned not only respect from his peers, but the awards have also flooded in. In 2022 alone, Hit-Boy released Bulletproof Soul with Pacman da Gunman, Hitgirl with Dreezy. Additionally, his production credits read like a 'who's who' of the industry: Don Toliver, Doechii, Robert Glasper, Big Sean, Ty Dolla $ign, Jay Park, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Freddie Gibbs, Offset, Cordae, Blxst, Vic Mensa, A$AP Rocky, and many more.

On Victims & Villains, we find Musiq Soulchild's Neo-Soul vocals perfectly pairing with Hit-Boy's captivating productions. This a reunion for the hitmakers as they've worked together before, albeit it has been some time since they've released anything together. The generations of Hip Hop Soul colliding on this album speak to the ongoing conversations about the state of R&B and the "relevancy" of certain subgenres. Victims & Villains proves that onto only is R&B not dead, but it is thriving. Stream Victims & Villains, and let us know what you think.

Tracklist