The Life of Slim J

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I just returned home from Ain Shemz, where I brought my friend David to meet with Unigunz about recording a music video.  We are going to shoot it next tuesday.  Of course, I will need to finish the song with them on monday before we can make that happen.

I'm sure some of you are wondering about what this music project sounds like. I am therefore posting a small sample of the recordings.   I have been working very hard to write the music and record these tracks.  I leave it to the rappers to write their own lyrics, but I work with them to make sure the content of the song and the construction of the music is synonymous.  I also work hard to structure the composition to bring out the best in each rapper, and to create a meaningful experience for these guys so that the creative process is a tool for reflection, growth, and engagement. 

Please leave me comments on what you think of these songs.  The hard thing about writing music is that you never know how others will recieve the work.   I spend many many hours every week working with these guys and others to craft this project, so I am very interested in recieving any feedback. 

With the way things are going now, I expect the Unigunz album to be available on itunes in February.




The first is a sample of 'Africa Unite.'  Each guy in this track is from a different part of Africa, and all of them have been forced from their homelands by war and violence.  Consequently, this song is about their desire for people to quit dividing themselves over tribalism, and to simply embrace the good things they have available.



This other is a remix of The Life of Slim J.  The remix is very much my own aesthetic, as I'm not sure how many people appreciate discordant piano playing, but I think this song is just fantastic.  Jallo, the rapper, is in this song relocated to Cairo from Sierra Leone about 6 years ago.  He is now, within a matter of weeks, going to return home where his family has been recently reunited.  The first verse talks about his past in Sierra Leone, while the second the prospects of a hopeful future, and the third about his own need to reconcile these divergent experiences.