4EVERMORE-An introduction to the new album

Howdy! Just figured since I've seen this on so many other blogsites (which I love!!) I might as well add it to my own. This is a little jernt I did with the homie Algebra, and Phonte, who I haven't actually met in person, but I've been a huge fan of for quite a while. I will even go on record as saying he's in my top 10,and could possibly be the illest MC out right now! And he's sick with the singing as well, evidenced by what he's accomplished via FOREIGN EXCHANGE. I give you 4EVERMORE!!



and oh yeah, you can have it free right here: www.zshare.net/audio/602842340a594fdc/
Might as well give you some background on how this came together. My good friend, and favorite DJ, KEMIT, dropped me some tracks, as we've been planning to do something forever. He knows more of the hiphop side of me, cuz we've been hanging out for years now. Somehow this hasn't come out in many of my records, but I'm a hiphop HEAD, so one thing I want to accomplish with this new album, is to get that side out. I got into Soul Music because I wanted to know what many of the records that were being sampled were. Of course I grew up with it, but that's how I went deeper. But I've always been a closet rapper, and that's where most of my flow comes from as a singer. I even have some verses scattered around the internet, if ya care to look, and even more when I was with El Pus-- google em.

Anyway, this sample spoke to me right off, and he even titled the track as "4evermore". I assumed that that's how it spoke to him, but as it turns out, the original song is called 4evermore from what he tells me. I haven't heard it yet. Many people think it's a sample from the song I had previously covered from Level 42, "Something about you". Nah, it aint, that's just a fairly common progression in music, so hey-- it works out like that sometimes. I figured those less informed would accuse me of being limited in my writing vocab, but uh-- I didn't write the first song at all, and this one, I didn't write the music. They just have that one thing in common. Familiarity is a good thing in my opinion anyway, as long as it ain't corny, which I don't feel like this is. At the end of the day, the hook just came out of my mouth and on to tape, and I felt like it was pretty damn anthemic, and a testament to real love, which is to be aware of how hard it can be to stay together, but be willing to give it a shot. I think that's an aspect that gets left out of lovey dovey dreamy songs, and people can get disappointed when the day dream wears off. Not many songs speak to the work involved.

Another friend of mine, Jeff B(shout out Mama's mustache!!} came through to work on another tune with me ("Ghetto Tango", sick one in my opinion) and I played him this one to get his opinion, cuz I had just laid my part. He said it sounded like it could be a duet, and that Algebra should be the one. Her and I had already tried a few times, just hadn't gotten the chemistry that we wanted, but I really respect her as an artist, plus we have good chemistry in regular life, so I was determined to get that on tape. I agreed, and I hit her up- BAM- she killed it!! Her voice matched mine perfectly, and her sense of harmony came in just like I thought. Plus she wrote it in like 30 mins, laid it like a G, and bounced. I view Algebra as a Young Whitney Houston with a more hiphop Swag. I think that came out on here, especially with her ill runs.

Next up- I thought Phonte as soon as I heard the track, because some of Little Brothers stuff has this feel. I heard his whole flow, and at first I was just gonna channel him, and do the verse myself LOL. Then I decided not to play myself, and since I had been following him on twitter, I gave it a shot at hollering at him.

Syke, that shit sounds hella sensational, but in truth, I got my manager to hit his manager up, and talked some damn business LOL. That nigga don't know me like that LMAO!

He did however let me know via twitter that he got the tune and liked it, so he put his thing down on it. What I have to say about that is- we did not talk about what I thought he should say-- he just knew. And he NAILED IT. What I like about dude is, he does the rhyme style, where you think he's leaving a phrase, then he comes back and smacks you with another one. Plus he gave it the grown folk perspective that I was tryin to get at, but needed just that extra something to bring it home. Between him and Algebra, the concept came complete, and I'm grateful for that. Kemit flipped the sample for the bridge just to give the track a little variety, and it was signed, sealed, and delivered.

So that's that, and now you have it. This is sort of the direction I wanna take for the new album, in some places. I like to make each project somewhat different, and this is where I'm at now. I've always loved samples, so I wanna play with a few on this one. Of course, I will be employing the guitar, some of you have heard the title track "as above, so below" , so you know that's on deck.

Oh yeah the title- As Above, so Below-- the surface, surface, SURFACE meaning of it is - the fact that my music will have the same integrity and intention on a major, as it did on an independent-- that's a question many people seem to have. I've always had the theory that it aint about the title of "major" or "indy", but the individuals you deal with, and my experience thus far has verified it. So-- As Above, So Below.

Theres more to it in my personal chambers, but I'd rather leave it open to interpretation, cuz that rabbit hole goes DEEEEP. It's a pretty classic phrase- look it up. Wherever it takes you, there you are.

Cheers. Hope you like the tune, look forward to more!