Video: Souls of Mischief x Adrian Younge – “Finally Back”
With Their Concept Album, There Is Only Now, Releasing Tomorrow, Noisey Premieres the Latest Single, “Finally Back”
08.25.2014
The Video:
With the release of their highly anticipated, long-awaited collaborative concept album, There Is Only Now, a day away, the Souls of Mischief and multi-instrumentalist and renowned producer/composer Adrian Younge share “Finally Back.” “The legendary hip hop crew from East Oakland are here to fuck your shit up,” says Noisey in their premiere of the track, as the four MC’s weave in-and-out of the song contemplating their revenge on a character that crossed them.
There Is Only Now was recorded much like a blaxploitation film, so there’s a storyline full of love, loss, and revenge. Ali Shaheed Muhammad narrates the unfolding tale as the DJ for a fictional local Oakland radio station. Busta Rhymes makes an appearance as the story’s villain, Womack, on the track “Woman’s Lament.” William Hart from The Delfonics lends his falsetto, Snoop Dogg adds his perspective on young love on the title track, and Scarub from Living Legends plays the role of Stoney, who is dating a character named Miriam, whom Womack is trying to steal away.
Set in 1994, the album is based on a near-fatal incident involving Souls of Mischief early in their careers that involved a masked gunman cornering them in a parking lot and shooting at them, point blank. “We were hanging outside of a club, at a party, and a guy walked up to us pulling a ski mask down, telling everybody to get down, and as he said that, a shot went off,” recalls Souls of Mischief rapper Tajai to The Wall Street Journal.
The entire album was recorded solely on 2-inch tape together as a group in Adrian’s LA-based studio over the course of two months, showcasing a level of dedication, discipline, and skill rarely seen today. The project will serve as the inaugural release for Adrian’s newly launched label, Linear Labs. The album is available for pre-order in several formats: CD, digitally, double-LP, and cassette tape. All formats, including the 7 inch vinyl that features the title track on the A-side and “All You Got Is You Word” on the B-side are available here: http://linearlabsmusic.com/store.php
This Thursday, August 28th, the Souls of Mischief and Adrian Younge will be performing at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City with Adrian’s 13-piece ensemble Venice Dawn and ATCQ’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, celebrating the album’s release. Souls of Mischief are also performing the album in its entirety alongside Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Adrian Younge and Venice Dawn, The Pharcyde, Blu & Exile, Phife Dawg, DJ Rhettmatic, House Shoes and more, September 4th at The Mayan Theater in Los Angeles. You can buy tickets here.
Check out the Noisey premiere: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/watch-souls-of-mischief-x-adrian-younges-clip-for-finally-back
Watch “Finally Back”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ob7itWA64
There Is Only Now iTunes pre-order link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/id890335149
For more information/interviews regarding Souls of Mischief and Adrian Younge, contact Michelle or Rory.
Souls of Mischief Background:
Starting with their landmark debut ‘93 ’til Infinity, Oakland’s four-person rap group Souls of Mischief has blazed the trail for hip hop’s evolution. Members Tajai, A-Plus, Phesto, and Opio have left their mark sonically, lyrically, and stylistically on Kanye West, Just Blaze, Big Sean, Big K.R.I.T., P. Diddy, Vampire Weekend, John Mayer, and many more who have cited them as cultural icons and influencers. Souls is also credited as having pioneered the independent label movement when they started Hieroglyphic Imperium Records in 1997 following their departure with JIVE Records, creating the infrastructure blueprint for other successful independent hip hop labels. Co-founders of the Hiero label also include emcees Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, and producer Domino. Souls’ also forged hip-hop’s relationship with the skate, surf, and snowboard communities after iconic skate brands included their music in their VHS videotapes in the mid-90’s. The group’s creative output and legacy as a whole continues to thrive, and they show no sign of stopping. In 2013, Souls celebrated the 20 year anniversary of ’93 til Infinity, prepped a documentary film, embarked on a 50-city “Still Infinity Tour,” and released a joint 20th anniversary limited edition tee shirt capsule collection with Ecko Unlimited. They are now prepping for the August 26th release of their sixth studio album, There Is Only Now, a cinematic collaborative effort with renowned producer Adrian Younge on Adrian’s newly launched Linear Labs record label.
Links:
official site | twitter | facebook | youtube
“Ghetto Superhero” Lyric Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnzLlt0Soto
“Panic Struck”: https://soundcloud.com/linearlabs/souls-of-mischief-panic/s-zAoBz
HYPETRAK Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44uBxjQmNek
“All You Got is Your Word”: https://soundcloud.com/linearlabs/07-all-you-got-is-your-word
“There Is Only Now” feat. Snoop Dogg & Ali Shaheed Muhammed: http://youtu.be/4jLqfrBrDTw
Bio, pictures & streams available here: http://www.audibletreats.com/souls-of-mischief
Linear Labs store featuring all seven formats of the album: http://linearlabsmusic.com/store.php