Every once in awhile I just have to post a track by Electric Company, the collective from Boston that consisted of Insight, Dagha, Moe Pope, Anonymous and Raheem Jamal. As a five-man crew, they only released one album, Life's A Struggle years back. If you missed it, it's never too late to brush up. This song is way up there for me.
To continue running down the line leading up this show on Wednesday, I wanted to give some shine to another performer sharing the bill with Dagha and myself... Raheem Jamal.
Over the years, Raheem and I have gained a friendship out of being on the same label, but he knows I've been a fan of his since way back when I first heard him set it off on the Electric track, Respect Life.
Electric- Respect Life (From Life's A Struggle) -
(Raheem Jamal, left. Raydar Ellis, right)
Also around that time, I caught Project Move's debut track on 7L and Beyonder's Vinyl Thug Music. Alongside emcees Anonymous and Moe Pope, the trio would release a dually titled full-length in 2006, Love Gone Wrong / The Butterfly Theory. Here's one of the title tracks:
Project Move- The Butterfly Theory -
It was during Raheem's work on his solo debut, Boombox, that I really started to get to know him. Entirely produced by Raydar Ellis, the beats on this album are a perfect marriage to Raheem's subject matter and emotion. I was lucky enough to be a fly on the wall for some of these recording sessions, and have great memories of witnessing their chemistry and excitement first hand during the making of this record.
Raheem Jamal- Live It Up -
Raheem Jamal- The Thang -
Oh yeah, and that's Anonymous doing the uncredited bugging out on Live It Up. He'll be in the building Wednesday as well.
