What’s Raphael Saadiq’s Golden Rule for Making Music?

Raphael Saadiq has been influential to the music industry since he burst onto the scene with his group Tony! Toni! Toné! — since then he’s produced hits with artists like Beyoncé and scored countless film and TV projects. 

He’s now nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his blues anthem “I Lied To You” from the blockbuster film Sinners. He breaks down what went into creating the song, his connection to director Ryan Coogler and his golden rule for making music for movies. 

Plus, Raphael remembers his late friend D’Angelo and shares the story behind their iconic song “Untitled (How Does It Feel).”

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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.