KEYS 2 THE CITY: OAKLAND WITH RAPHAEL SAADIQ (PART 1)

Raphael Saadiq is a man who never forgets his roots. And whenever you get a musician who always represents the people and places that made him the artist he is today, it's a guaranteed advantage for success. Raphael's first album in four years, The Way It Is, is a exquisitely executed throwback-project that surely brought back the true definition of soul music.

While many listeners were able to compare the album's vintage characteristics to the past, Raphael's recordings served as one of my first glimpses into an auto-tune-less period where a person's untarnished devolution to music was the only thing that mattered. In imeem's exclusive web video series "Keys 2 the City," Oakland-native Raphael Saadiq walks you through the setting that is responsible for all of his success - Castlemont High.