And the Anonymous Nobody by De La Soul finally arrived in my inbox to download last week. The legendary Hip Hop group originally promised the album would be released in 2015. Things happen, but as the old saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait”. De La Soul is at a point in their career that transcends proving themselves to anyone. After all, they have been making music for nearly 30 years now. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from their new Kickstarter funded album. Yes and the Anonymous Nobody, is a product of crowd funding. High profile acts such as Lalah Hathaway and TLC have also turned to crowd funding to produce their latest albums. However, after listening to De La Soul’s latest release, here are 4 reasons why De La Soul has proven their worth with this Kickstarter.

A Super Extended Jam Session

When the group first sat down to discuss the new album, they immediately agreed upon a different route for the music. Instead of trying to get sample clearances from other songs, they opted to use over 200 hours of live jam sessions from various musicians (primarily in Los Angeles). Posdnous, Maseo and Dave took sifted through those songs to create the tracks that would become and the Anonymous Nobody. What was the end result? An amazing and more importantly, original sound.

We Are The Nobodies

This may sound like a slap in the face at first, but part of the name for De La Soul’s name album came from the fans. All of the nobodies (people they may never get a chance to meet and only see their names) came together to contribute to the album. This is their way of saying thank you by carrying the weight of the album’s name with the fans. This is yet another example of why De La Soul’s career has spanned nearly three decades. Together, all of those “nobodies” generated over half a million dollars to ensure this album saw the light of day.

The 411 Never Lets Up

I have personally backed several Kickstarters in the past couple of years. De La Soul, along with their dedicated Kickstarter communication team, kept backers in the know at all times. There was never a time where I felt like I was in the dark about the album’s progress. Howard, who personally backed $600 and still backed the project, even sent out a form of an apology for naysayers expecting more from the Kickstarter. Despite the delays with the album and occasional glitches, this Kickstarter campaign should serve as a model for other artists to pay attention to.

World Music

This one times into the jam session De La Soul so cleverly used as the backbone for their tracks. Although they are a Hip Hop group, there’s a sound for everyone here. Jill Scott opens with her own track on the theatrical “Genesis”. “Royalty Capes” effortlessly blends jazz, funk and soul while the trio acknowledges their well-deserved legendary status. The song has a very poetic vibe.  “Lord Intended” featuring Justin Hawkins has a high energy, hard rock sound with blaring guitars. “Whoodeeni” featuring 2Chainz has a heavy bass, thumping swagger that’s irresistible. Don’t mistake it though; De La Soul more than holds their own without the guest features too.

Plus, check out the behind the scenes footage of the making of and the Anonymous Nobody here.

I got a chance to check out some of Jay Jai’s work a few months ago. His unique style of music definitely caught my attention. He has a rap-sing style with hints of auto-tune mixed in.  Now, he’s back with a few new tracks. Jay Jai is definitely more socially and politically charged, compared to some of his previous music. The last few months have been quite a messy scene with race relationships and police authorities. His new track “Untitled” details his personal feelings on recent injustice headlines in the news lately. He definitely doesn’t bridle his tongue here. The production on the track is minimalistic. However, his lyrics needed to be the forefront here, not the music.

“Life’s A Lesson and A Blesson” is an uplifting song about not taking life for granted. He also details some intimate information about his family. This makes the track much more relatable. The song is back with pianos and showcases Jay Jai as a singer and a rapper well. “Open Your Mind” is my favorite track of all three songs. This song definitely requires an “open mind” to listen to. The production sounds a bit unconventional, which fits well for the song. There are also recorded voiceover clips that speak on justice and the lack thereof. The song is a wakeup call for everyone to pay attention to what’s going on around them. However, he speaks specifically for the need of unity in today’s society.

I’m not certain if Jay Jai will include these tracks on an upcoming album. Nevertheless, his music definitely will open some people’s eyes and tackle issues that need to be discussed. Check out all three tracks here on his Soundcloud page.

The last time I talked to Candy West she was preparing for the release of her new album, Candy West Live. “Turnaround”, the album’s first single, had just been released. Candy chose a great song to kick off her project. “Turnaround” is a high energy, mid-tempo track that speaks about reinforcing your faith in dark times. There is a time and place for everything. Consequently, many fans believe that Candy West’s time to shine is long overdue.  “Great And Mighty Is He,” is a great illustration of this sentiment. She had to include this song on the album, since it has earned her the moniker of the “Tina Turner of gospel”.

Candy West’s first live project (and first solo album) is carefully crafted, yet avoids sounding contrived. There is no doubt that Candy West can sing. Sadly, many artists fall into a pitfall of over singing. Candy West thankfully keeps vocal control and clarity throughout the entire CD. Candy West Live actually has more up-tempo songs than I expected, but she pulls it off well. “Victory”, a bold, spiritual declaration, is a great example of her versatility.

The most soulful track on the album is “Safe In His Arms”. Furthermore, the song has already stirred up quite a buzz with fans already, considering the album was just released on August 12th. “Overflow” is one of the most moving and heartfelt tracks. The song pleads for more of God’s presence, with a gentle but powerful melody. “Small Seed” is one of the most beautiful tracks on the album. Candy West speaks of the various kinds of seeds we sow in life. The song clocks in at over 10 minutes in length.  However, it’s hands down the most moving song on Candy West Live.

Candy West’s time may have been a long time coming, but she proves it was well worth the wait. “Praise Is My Weapon” is perhaps the song that best showcases her vocal maturity. Candy’s mastery of her voice could not have been birthed overnight. Her talents and gifts are seasoned, but have a familiar sense about them. Now she gets to showcase them on her own terms. Hopefully this is the first of many solo albums from a beautiful voice in music.

I stumbled upon Wild Beasts’s latest album last week on Tidal. However, the group has been making music for the past 10 years. Boy King, their fifth studio LP, detours from their indie rock roots. The group’s new album focuses on defying conventional notions of male stereotypes. “Big Cat”, for instance, has a quirky music video and lyrics that caution. “It takes all of me baby/Being the big cat/But I’m ok with that”. The funky “Tough Guy” follows in a similar vein (“I better suck it up/Like a tough guy would”).  That song has a heavily synthesized sound reminiscent of the 80s.

Wild Beasts opt for a heavier electronic sound on Boy King; a departure from previous works. Their detoured musical path actually suits them well.  Furthermore, the trippy “Alpha Female” takes their stand against modern masculinity to an even higher level. They sing “Alpha Female, I’m right behind you”. “Celestial Creatures” is one of the most lyrically dense songs on the album. The song speaks of “handsome women” and keeping your guts from spilling out. So, I know what you’re thinking. These guys sound morbid.  The group’s message of questioning society’s acceptable ideals of masculine behavior is believable. Their stance ironically comes with a dominant presence though.

Wild Beasts flip traditional gender roles on “He The Colossus”. They are perfectly fine being the prey here (“You could have me any time/Just flirt those come-to-bed eyes”). I couldn’t listen to Boy King every day though. “Dreamliner” is somber mood music, with deep waters. The song is actually a great closer to the album.

“Boy King Trash” is a 20 plus minute track that serves as a gritty behind the scenes tour of the album. The messy unfinished vocals and unpolished tracks sum up the beauty of this album. Boy King is conveyed as a cohesive social experiment that never quite gets resolved. Wild Beasts should be applauded. They successfully pulled off an album that is just as intriguing as it is conscious.