Today is release day!!!
HUGNIFICENT is now available for streaming!!!
Here is the full album on YouTube. 16 tracks and an hour and nine minutes.
If you want to purchase a physical copy, I have the really cool realistic, purple heart-shaped USB drives for sale for $20 on my website. It contains the album and the instrumental version of the album.
SAFETY TO SELF is a collaborative album between myself, and composer, and multi-instrumentalist David Teike. The title comes from the dangerousness criteria for mental hospitalization that must be met for temporary detaining orders, DANGER TO SELF OR OTHERS. We aim to flip that concept on its head, thus, SAFETY TO SELF is the title of our collaboration, as we center good mental health and music plays a big part in that process.
The name of the album, HUGNIFICENT comes from the tv show the Boondocks. There was a character named THUGNIFICENT ( an over-the -top mocking, caricature of gangsta rap) on that show, we took the concept of THUG and turned it into HUG instead because hugging is good for the immune system.
I added drums, bass, and in some songs, vocal samples to David's compositions.
The result is 16 tracks, two featuring my friend Maria, and one featuring Gary Rue, Gravy and Tony Roberts (all three who are psychiatric survivors). There is even an epic, 11-minute song with Maria titled THE CYCLE, which is the longest song I have ever made.
I encourage any new listeners or listeners of my catalog who are more familiar to check it out, I think it is a great work of art, I am very happy with the positive, uplifting lyrics, they are heartfelt, full of innocence, childlike wonder, and David's production is whimsical, light and dreamlike. I think it is a jewel in my catalog.
The lyrics deal with concepts such as hope, faith, and remaining confident and positive even during duress. They are deceptively simple, with repeating refrains and motifs throughout the album, capturing your imagination and working their way into your brain through repetition, like earworms. Crisp, distinctive lyrical refrains are delivered in a calm, nonchalant manner that holds onto the gravity of the meaning of the words and centers that meaning.
It is also nice to listen to music in a format that isn't "loop" based. Traditional hip-hop is based on loops, and while there is nothing wrong with that, in fact, it's one of the strengths of hip-hop, there is an element of having live compositions underneath drums and bass. The music breathes, instruments come in and out of the production and it has a nice composure and feel to it. It is lush, rich, and full of warmth. Just like a good hug.
I hope everyone enjoys this album and all the hard work that went into it.
Hug someone you love today!!!
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