World Famous Magazine

Do you remember World Famous Magazine?
Do you remember Elemental Magazine?

The Atlanta cats (Chrisco, Nat Porter, The Judge, Marcel, etc.) responsible for all of the first and a great deal of the second are getting our act back together. We’re in the process of getting the archives for World Famous up here and trying to get the rights to our work for Elemental to put here as well.

If all goes according to plan, we should have the archives up in the next couple weeks and start contributing new material on all our favorite music and artists shortly thereafter. So stay tuned to this space. In the meantime, register with us so we can keep you up to date and you can become a part of our project. We’re looking forward to it.

Anthony David (or as I like to call him, Acey Ducey) has managed to effortlessly destroy three of my most basic assumptions within the span of an eight-year career and an hour-and-a-half of conversation. When the Savannah-bred singer/songwriter and I sat down at Atlanta’s Java-o-logy café one morning, I didn’t know too much about him except that he use to play guitar for the rock/hip-hop band El-Pus, he was friends with India.Aire and that the boy could write a damn good song. Remember “Butterfly” from India’s last album? Yep, that song was brought to you by Anthony David.

On his own debut album, Three Chords and the Truth (or 3CATT), David managed to sidestep the common neo-soul mistake of emulating one’s old-school mentor. He could have easily turned into a technicolor Bill Withers, but David seems to have mastered the fine art of being himself. The sound that he creates on 3CATT is a uniquely southern, contemporary soul vibe that blends diverse musical influences. David has eased quietly into his niche as soul music’s cool, wise, guitar-strumming uncle, but the fact that he doesn’t go out of his way to make a splash doesn’t change the fact that Acey Ducey’s approach to making music sets him apart from many soul musicians of his generation. In the brief time I got to spend with him, David’s mellow manner and common sense view of being a professional artist had me thinking about things a little differently. We touched on many subjects, but there are at least three commonly held biases that he gently crushes. Continue Reading »

Tags: Anthony David, India.Aire, Red Clay Chronicles

It’s never a good sign when an interview starts with, “Fuck him.” But when I asked Les McCann to talk about Eugene McDaniels that’s just what I got. Thankfully, a half second later he admitted: “Naaaw… I love him dearly.” What’s not to love dearly about Gene McDaniels? He’s from Nebraska. He’s the son of a preacher man, but even more importantly Eugene is simply one of the kindest individuals you could ever hope to meet. “He’s very polite,” his mother explains, proudly, “He’s a perfect gentleman.” One of the first things he ever said to me was: “I don’t know what you need for your interview, but I’m probably not the person everybody thinks of me as.” He was right. I was thinking he’d be more of an old, bitter, black militant songwriter, whose distaste for the music industry and people in general forced him into hiding in rural New England. Why else would the man who penned songs like “Compared to What” and “Tell Me, Mr. President” move to Kittery Point, Maine?

I could not have been more wrong. You see, Gene is as complicated as the music he makes. He’s 71, but looks likes he’s 50. He seems well-read, but claims to have read only one book in the last five years. He spends five nights a week in a Karate class, and in the last twelve years he’s spent more time writing screenplays than he has songs. When writers try to describe his music, they usually use a lot of hyphens. Unheard of genres like “jazz-folk” and “gospel-blues” suddenly appear whenever his music is in a magazine. “My music has always been different,” he explains. “I don’t know why, but I like it that way.” Continue Reading »

Tags: Eugene McDaniels, Les McCann

Carlos Nino is a man of two very different natures. On one hand, he is very much the kind of guy who talks about vibrations, cooperatives, and describes music that touches him as magical. But whereas many of the idealists he shares a vocabulary with fall short when it comes to execution, there is another side to Carlos that makes him an exception. Carlos Nino doesn’t just talk in ideas, he makes them happen.

“If he wants to do something, he’ll get it done,” says Fabian Ammon Alston, Carlos’ long-time friend and partner in the group Ammoncontact. “When we were in high school and he thought about getting a radio gig, he started moving in that direction. Next thing you know he’s got a successful show that he’s been doing for close to ten years. When we were first making beats and I bought my first ASR-10. At that point, I was like, ‘Ok, we’ll make a couple beats and laugh at them and whatever.’ But he was already talking about making an album, and it happened… When he puts his mind to something, he gets it done, no matter what.” Continue Reading »

Tags: Ammoncontact, Carlos Nino, Dwight Trible, Fabian Ammon Alston, Life Force Trio

I approach producer albums like blind dates. Sure, there’s a chance they’ll be good, but you probably shouldn’t hold your breath. The problem is that most producers fail to take control of their own projects. Instead of creating music and picking the appropriate contributors to round it out, most producers assemble an all-star cast of guest vocalists and proceed to let the guests drive the project toward mediocrity.

With that in mind, imagine what I thought when I read a line in the press release for Nicolay’s new album that called it “the most romantic album of the year.” Well, at least it’s got a theme. “I wasn’t aware of that,” Nicolay says of the romantic line. “I don’t really think it is though.”

Now that we know what it isn’t, let’s talk about what Here is. Continue Reading »

Tags: Foreign Exchange, Nicolay, Phonte

It almost seems she was destined for stardom. Between her family’s rich musical heritage, her continuous musical training, and her unique name, Algebra Blessett’s divine path to artistry was all but decided prior to her birth. “My first beginning with music was in the womb,” Algebra reveals. “My mother was a musician and an artist. She used to hold the bass guitar against her stomach and just play while I was in there. She used to sing all the time. I think because of that I sound like my mom more than anyone.” Her mother’s resonant voice echoing internally and bass riffs vibrating against here still forming self gave Algebra an early introduction to the formal and informal training she’s received.

“Everything that I’ve ever listened to is a part of me”

Treading the well-beaten path of hundreds of soulful singers before her, Algebra’s vocals were developed in the church choir as well as at home. “My mother and my granny sang with a gospel quartet,” she says. “They did a lot of gigs.” When asked whether her upbringing was more spiritual or secular, she mildly resents the division. “That’s always the dividing line, one or the other. Secular seems so… negative, so bad. Our household was a musical one; we listened to gospel, we listened to rhythm and blues, to soul music, funk – everything. My mom is a bass player so the funk was it! But my mother is also a minister, so she understands the balance of music. It’s about living life, spirituality is very important. Continue Reading »

Tags: Algebra Blessett

Alright, people, let’s say it together: SA-RA (pronounced sah rah). If you haven’t been under a rock for the past few months, you’ve probably heard the buzz about the NY/LA threesome, whose debut album, Set-Ups and Justifications, will soon drop, courtesy of Kanye West’s label, G.O.O.D Music. If you have been under a rock, it’s probably vibrating from the bass of SA-RA bangers like “Star Wars.” Here’s the quick bio. SA-RA consists of Taz Arnold, Shafiq Husayn, and Om’Mas Keith, three veteran producers who have helped shape the sound of music from behind the scenes for years. The resumes are too extensive to reprint, but briefly, the individual members of SA-RA have worked with the likes of Dr. Dre, Prince, and Lauren Hill, to name a few. As a group, they brought Bilal’s most recent album to life. The group formed only four years ago, but the guys go way back.

If you’ve already heard some of the singles like “Big Fame” and “Nasty You” or the legendary internet bootleg that supposedly got them signed, you know that SA-RA is… well, different. The infectious, head-nodding beats, silly lyrics, and weird-but-cool vocals come together in a way that is not only sonically impressive, but also – and this is rare – fun. Taz, Om’Mas, and Shafiq’s unique individual talents, when fused together, marry all the benefits of each man’s classical musical training, extensive production experience, and crazy natural talent. Maybe that’s because, like any good marriage, this one started out with a friendship. Continue Reading »

Tags: Sa-Ra

In London they call her “the queen of rare groove.” In Miami, Henry Stone of TK Records calls her “one of the greatest soul singers of our time.” But back in Pensecola, Florida, her kids call her “mama” and her grandson calls her “grandmama.” You see, Gwen McCrae was born and raised in this town, and except for a few hard years in West Palm and a few more in Orange, New Jersey, this place has always been home.

No matter how big she gets overseas, back home Gwen McCrae stills shops for her own groceries and cleans her own car. She goes to church every Sunday and sits quietly among the clergy of Pastor John Miller’s Warrington Baptist, singing hymns she’s loved since childhood. “‘Holy, Holy’ – You remember that one,” she asks excitedly, before belting out a few bars. “I love that one.” This music is second nature to her now. Back before she could walk, Gwen was singing these tunes with her mother, Ms. Minnie Moseley, on the piano. “I really didn’t want to do this,” she explains of her present profession. “I didn’t want to do no R&B. I was wanting to do some gospel, singing church songs. But then this came up on me.” Continue Reading »

Tags: Gwen McCrae, Henry Stone

Have you ever waited on something so long that you forgot you were waiting? Have you ever continued to hope for something even when the vast majority of the evidence indicates it’s not happening? Have you ever just blindly believed in something that you can’t see? Yeah, let’s do some of that for the next few pages. We’re going to talk about Bilal’s new album, Love for Sale.

This article started when we were sitting around and someone asked, “Hey, what happened to Bilal’s album?” It’s a question that’s been asked a million times by a million different people since Love for Sale got leaked early this year. At one point there was a release date in February, then a new one in May, promos were mailed out, and then… well, then everything got murky.

Rumors began to surface about the album being shelved because of the extensive internet bootlegging. No one wanted to believe it and neither did I. It had already taken more than five years for Bilal to follow up his incredible debut, 1st Born Second. I didn’t want to believe it would be still longer before we heard a new record, but I was starting to come to grips with the possibility.

So I set out to find out. The logical place to start any investigation into a record release is at the label. So I began my search for the missing Bilal album at Interscope Records. It was not a promising start. Here’s how it went: Continue Reading »

Tags: Bilal, Love for Sale

Dating back to his college radio show at Vanderbilt University, Stones Throw General Manager Eothen Alapatt has made a habit of digging up long-forgotten music legends. His love for musical history is at the heart of what he’s done for the past 10 years. All that said to lay the foundation for where Oh No’s latest project came from.

Exodus is a production project based on the catalog of Galt MacDermot. Alapatt is the connection between Madlib’s little brother and the man behind the music from Hair. Galt’s work has proved familiar sampling ground for Stones Throw’s artists since Eothen’s arrival at the label. But while the original connection isn’t his, Oh No’s sheer enthusiasm is the catalyst behind this record.

The original idea was to have Oh No make a couple tracks based on Galt’s work. He came back with a couple dozen. Inspired by the same MacDermot that served so memorably in work from Busta Rhymes to The Beanuts to Beck, Oh No thrives. Think a talented producer enlivened by his source material, add a list of the underground’s finest MCs, and you have a pretty accurate idea of Exodus.

Med is here, Dudley Perkins is here, Roc C is here, Aloe Blacc is here, everyone you expect is on this record with the possible exception of either Madlib or his alter-ego Quasimoto. Where Oh No has really outdone himself on this project is by dragging cats like Wise Intelligent out of the shadows to which they have irrationally been relegated. Wise Intelligent rewards Oh No with one of the albums best vocal turns on “Black.”

But my favorite song on this album comes from an artist I’ve never heard of. Maybe you know who K Jay is, but I don’t. But I’ll be checking for whatever he’s on from now on. He takes a beautiful production effort and knocks it right out the park on “To Be an MC.”

So despite the fact that these type production efforts are becoming ubiquitous what with every jazz label’s catalog getting remixed including Blue Note’s by Oh No’s own brother, Exodus is a project you should make a point to pick up. The reason is that it’s a hip-hop record. Oh No hasn’t gotten bored making rap music. Instead he’s continually upping his game. Don’t think of this as Galt MacDermot reworked. Think of it as a dope hip-hop record that samples some great records.

Tags: Eothen Alapatt, Galt MacDermot, Oh No, stones throw