After a three-year hiatus, neo-soulster Musiq Soulchild is back with his latest solo album, Musiqinthemagiq.

It’s his sixth career release and the Philadelphia native says he feels like he’s just getting started.

“There’s so much music out there to do,” Musiq said. “I haven’t even gotten into contributing to other genre’s of music like jazz, reggae, gospel. This is just the beginning.”

Since his debut release Aiejuswanaseing in 2000, Musiq has been a staple in a genre known just as much for its passionate fan base and quality of music than its overall album sales.

For Musiq, whose real name is Taalib Johnson, mainstream success is relative. He said his focus his fans, not his sales.

“What really matters to me is what people say,” Musiq said of his loyal fans. “I think if you invest in people, people will invest in you.”

He sat down with theGrio’s Todd Johnson and discussed his struggles to keep soul music alive and which hip-hop artists he’s inspired by.

Follow theGrio’s Todd Johnson on Twitter at @rantoddj