Art Direction & Design: Tyler Ann Nunley
8/25/12 10:04pm
I was put on the spot by Chris to make a beat with him. I had been visiting the Shadows Of Society recording sessions only as somewhat of an "second ear and overseer" (a la Rick Rubin). Not with the intention of being hands on and actually producing a record for them. Sure I wanted to at some point, but I wanted their in-group producer Renegade to handle the bulk of the production to hone their sound.
Like any beatsmith will tell you, you have your good days and your slow days in terms of your output for creation. Lucky for me, and the rest of S.O.S, he caught me on a good day, lol! 10 minutes later, in the middle of me programming the drums and chopping out the melody live, I had Jamal, Isiah, Jay, D.C, and everyone else in the room on their feet and starting to kick rhymes. No better feeling than that for a producer than to get an immediate reaction like that from a vocalist. Exactly a week later, all 8 members deep of the S.O.S. crew found themselves CRAMMED in my home studio (an apartment at that) recording their vocals. This record you are hearing now is a textbook example why, even in the age of e-mail collaborations, nothing beats being in the same room and vibing off each other's energy to create music.
I've said it before and I'll say it again here, being around S.O.S. reminds me of H.F.P. six years ago. When I only had a laptop, one dynamic mic (and I still use that mic on projects and at DJ gigs to this day) and my first Yamaha keyboard. When everyone was jammed in my room and the spot smelled like old fast food and dirty tennis shoes. When V.I.S.I.O.N.S. was only conversation, and the only stages we were rocking was the school open mics and coffee house. When it was just about the music. Nothing more and nothing less. When you get to a certain level of success, it's easy to forgot the basics, but it's because of the basics we're still progressing. Because myself, and the rest of H.F.P never forgot about the music, and our natural and unconditional love for it. And I always love working with others who never lose the "love" for it. And the love for Hip-Hop music, the love for good music in general, is ever present in this record.
The title "Young Kings" started as the working title for the beat, to the actual title given it was something that a teacher (as well as mentor) at the high school that most of the members went to was always called. I was always hear Mike "The Poet" refer to many of the S.O.S. members as "King." Thus, when you start reaching your late teens, early 20s, it's only right you should be knighted as you are now the leaders, the influence, and the trendsetters. It's now your world. You now have the right to have a say. It's the coming of age.
S.O.S, H.F.P, as well as many of our fellow peers, are the new generation of Young Kings. So I say to you all, rule with passion, rule with respect, rule with wide eyes, and most of all, rule with a big heart, and never forget your "love" for the music.
"All Hail To The Kings."
Soul Claps And Salutes, and Thank You For Listening,
DJ Chuck "thE oLd SouL"
Record Credits:
Verse 1: Isaiah Wisechild
Verse 2: Jay C.
Verse 3: Bombastic
Verse 4: Jamal Carter
Intro & Chorus Vocals/DJ Scratches : DJ Chuck "thE oLd SouL"
Produced, Mixed, & Mastered By DJ Chuck "thE oLd SouL" For Honor Flow Productions
Additional Recording & Production By Chris Justice For Shadows Of Society Music Group
