It's no wonder Robin Thicke tells us how impressed he is by 15-year old Justin Bieber, whom he calls "wonderful"—the seductive singer has been making tunes since he was basically the same age. Thicke has been in the limelight since he was a kid—at first by association with his famous parents (TV actors Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring), and then in his own right as as a 16-year old writing and producing wunderkind, knob twiddling and penning tracks for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya and more. 

Sixteen years later, Thicke is a grown, sexy man and heading down a whole new path professionally and personally—he and his wife, actress Paula Patton, are expecting their first son this May, and his latest release, the seductive Sex Therapy, is full of determined beats that allow Thicke to stretch beyond his customary boudoir R&B into dancefloor-ready hip-hop. (He's a student of history, too, as his opening track, "Mrs. Sexy," is a clever cover of Eric B. and Rakim's classic "Mahogany.") "I just kind of wanted to explore my hip-hop roots a little more on this album," Robin tells us. "Take some chances and work with some new people."

That he definitely does. Read on to hear what the silky-voiced crooner thinks of the state of hip-hop, whether it was a mistake to re-record "We Are The World," and the significance of Justin Bieber. More »