In building out the world of MoonGirlAndDevilDinosaur, the legendary R&B musician, Raphael Saadiq drew inspiration from the real New York, which is—like with many a Marvel property—very important to the show’s story.
Among those creators is Raphael Saadiq, the R&B polymath who has released beloved solo albums, writtenhe drew inspiration from the real New York, which is—like with many a Marvel property—very important to the show’s story. Prior to the show’s February 10 premiere on the Disney Channel, WIRED spoke to Saadiq aboutinspiration, being name-checked by the Wu-Tang Clan, and taking on a very different kind of musical project.
Definitely. There’s a lot of hip-hop, jazz, some funk. There’s some R&B, there’s a lot of salsa. There’s a lot of flavors in it. There’s songs, then there’s the score, and then there’s 30-second bumpers. It gives me a lot of chances to do surprising things.There’s little joints that are reflective of Wu-Tang Clan, which I’m a huge fan of. I selected some of my New York underground stuff that people don't know that I do. I got a chance to play like I’m from New York.
When I was a kid watching cartoons, there were orchestras and so much good music. I was able to take that music with me as I got older. I wanted to do the same thing for kids. Maybe it’s their first time hearing music like this. They can take it and do something with this.