Blackman Akeeb Kareem – Tomorrow – EMI Nigeria 0248

Here’s a great rarity that I’ve had in the shop only once or twice. Despite having produced a couple of heavy LPs that are quite sought-after by collectors, nobody’s done much digging on Akeeb Kareem himself. His records have been trading hands for a good amount of money, his tunes have turned up on plenty of mixes, so hopefully someone will track him down. His lyrics touch on politics, spirituality, world events; coupled with heavy rhythms, psychedelic guitars and keys, we have a real underappreciated masterpiece of 70s Nigerian afrobeat.  Heavy stuff, folks… strap in and enjoy.

Download HERE

EDIT: Re-upped.

This one was revisited recently for an Underground Kingz song (RIP Pimp C).  Real pretty tune.

Society Of Soul was a group made up of Atlanta super-producers Organized Noize – you know, the guys responsible for hits by Outkast, The Goodie Mob, TLC and many more – featuring the vocals of Espraronza “Roni” Griffin and the spoken word poetry of Big Rube (another Outkast-affiliated Atlanta dude).

I dug up my old cassette of this album and was playing it as I tooled around town running errands, bending corners and doing thangs. I jammed this hard back when it came out and feel it still holds up to this day. Beautiful soul music that exhibits some influence of the 90s but sounds timeless when you get down to it.

Taking you back to 1995, the sun was shining and sh*t was right on time. Enjoy this beautiful Sunday…

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Edit: I just read about the assassination of George Tiller this morning. May he Rest In Power. We must stop this madness.

This is a nice LP I got in stock a few months back and miraculously got back in recently. Initially I thought this was perhaps the famous highlife trumpeteer St. Augustine, issuing an LP under a pseudonym? No, it didn’t make sense, and my friend Uchenna over at With Comb & Razor confirmed my suspicions. In fact, none of us seem to know who Olisa is (side note: the Comb & Razor blog is fantastic, and indispensible if you are interested in Nigerian music).

And so, sadly, I have not much information to provide for this record. Olisa allegedly played saxophone under Cardinal Rex Lawson and Chief Osita Osadebe; beyond that, not much more is known, just one more late 70s release on the prolific Eastern Nigerian Homzy label. The cover is tough as nails, and the notes on the back describe an “era when most Nigerian musicians are either going reggae or influenced by their foreign counterparts”, For his part, Olisa intends to be “among the loyal few” “who stick to their roots and refuse to succumb to foreign influence.”

The sound is at turns jubilant yet mellow, a gear or two down from the more thumping dance band sound that was popular. Each side contains one Highlife and one “Native Blues”. With the exception of the title tune, the pace is almost lethargic; perfect for a nice day spent watching life go by. Hypnotic guitars, muted trumpets, a perfectly placed horn section (not too brassy or overbearing) all contribute to a really wonderful listen.

No Body Knows Tomorrow really stood out among the first crop of Nigerian records I received and holds up after many repeated plays.

Enjoy!

Download HERE

Yes people, it’s 85 degrees in New York City today! I blinked and Spring was gone, maybe we’ll get another taste but today sure is feeling like summer. Lennox Avenue is on fire, literally and figuratively. Things are a little more mellow downtown right now; I blame it on the a-a-alcohol like Jamie Foxx and them. Summer always brings me back, so let’s do a little reminiscing…

Here’s a little record I had lurking in my box for a while; never thought anyone cared much about it until recently when it made a few modern soul/boogie want lists. The group is the Studants, the record label is York (that’s the infamous Dr. York’s record label). The year is 1987 and the style is New Edition. The song absolutely rules, and reminds me so much of That Sound. It’s been putting a hell of a smile on my face of late, almost enough to forget about the potential for ill when you consider a group of young guys affiliated with York, who is now behind bars for over 100 counts of child molestation.

“Takes A Little Time” reminds me of The Big City during my childhood, in the 1980s – flashing lights and killer grooves; seedy vibes, but nonstop excitement. The song is full of raw desire… not for sex per se, but for fun. How awesome. Despite revealing in the 2nd verse that they’ve been around the block before, so to speak, the group’s lead-up into the hook is just perfectly innocent teenage love: “let’s go have some fun… let me be the one… takes a little time, to do our thing.” And dig the syncopated clock ticking. Unlike most Dr. York records, the backing track on this one is really strong. One of the better 80s soul records I’ve come across in a while!

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