The Buildup

Aight, so tomorrow I'm releasing my debut album, "Fly". Until then, I leave you with a preview.

Altogether, I originally planned for the album to be more laid back, but I guess things don't always go according to plans. Whatever, though. the people I've let hear it say it's amazing. I'll even say I do like it a lot now, but get back to me in a few months on that.

1. Somethin' Else (Intro) - You'll recognize it, trust me.

2. God Willin' - Crazy Afro-Brazilian joint. English was the only language I was expecting to hear on this album, but as I said before, things do change. This was a good change. Every verse has a different feel to it, but every one works with the track.

3. Up The Stakes - Somewhat of a De La Soul tribute (which you should understand by looking at the title). Pretty heavy hittin track with lyrics that speak the truth about the industry and don't just straight up bash it without a strong argument. I won't be gettin' tired of this anytime soon, and you shouldnt either

4. I'm So - Smooth, top-down, cruisin' track. I initially planned to have an album that fit that feel more, but obviously, that wasn't how people were feeling during the recording of this album. In my head before I met EENJ, this track was a Score One track. It ended up being a Brad O. and EENJ track, which came out absolutely perfectly. Best if played at night with your good clothes on.

5. Nothing Left to Say - Deep, reflective track that set the mood for the rest of the album. When I first listened to Mic Jordan's songs, I knew this beat was pretty much made for him, so I made it happen. One of my favorite songs (Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy") came to make one of my new favorites. History repeats itself.

6. No Eraser, Pt. 1 - Only took two takes and has an incredibly raw sound over a Ghostfaced Ahmad Jamal sample. I felt as if this song shouldn't have been polished or anything, because it captured the moments where Justin and I were just vibin' with Brad and he would just freestyle full tracks. Stay on the lookout for Brad O. He's gonna fuck shit up.

7. Love - One of the lighter tracks on the album (but it's still very reflective). It captured a B-Boy feel that I felt was necessary for the album. I came up with he concept while watching the Radio Raheem love and hate fight speech in Do The Right Thing. You will have a smile on your face at the end of this song.

8. Got Me Goin' - Okay, now wipe the smile off of your face. Think about the most stressful moments you've had in your life. If you're goin' crazy (or have gone crazy before), you'll definitely be able to appreciate this song.

9. Revolution - Justin hates America. The End. Just kidding. Well, kinda.

10. Pain & Jeopardy - You learn a lot about Rasul in this song, but he's not doin' your cliche "It's My Life" track that the shittiest of rappers tries to pull off. It's way more to this concept. Rasul asks questions to himself about what's gone on throughout his life as he looks at the positives of the things that have happened.

11. Stay High - This track took the longest to get back to me because of different connections that were made during the whole process, but it was more than worth the wait. Joey Ripps and Luck explore the changes in the world. It's becoming cold, but you've gotta stay up.

12. If I Don't - My boy Cam wanted 2 get his boy Millz on a track and I heard some of his freestyles and thought they were incredibly ill, but I never heard an actual song by him. He came through on this one. He definitely makes you wanna start a revolution after all the terrible bullshit has happened. Hell, I might even do it tomorrow.

13. No Eraser, Pt. 2 - Brad O's execution of the card theme was impeccable. See the last 2 sentences of track 6.

14. Fly - The whole album may have been incredibly dark, but we're gonna end it on a positive note. "Spread your wings and fly". This beat makes it feel like the heavens are opening up and pulling you into something more positive, which is a great transition...

On that note, I wanna announce that I'm starting album 2 right away. It will have that smooth, sometimes chill, sometimes danceable feel that I wanted to capture. After such reflective album, I just wanna let people have a good time. You'll find out if I succeeded in about a year or so.

Peace,
Ant