Shades of Grace is coming soon! We continue our tales of the adventures of your favorite red rapper’s quest to put the Good News to good music. Red has recently stepped from the stage, back into the recording studio, only to emerge with his latest offering nearly ready for your ears. Inquiries have often been addressed to me as to whether such things will fill your ears sooner as opposed to later. The answer lies in the words of venerated emecee Talib Kweli, “It’ll be finished when it’s finished.” Trust that such a time is approaching. I assure you the Lord has given me something worth waiting for. My prayer is that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you. This time around, I have solicited the assistance of several old friends (Tomeka “Epiphany” Carroll, Stacy “Lyric” Merritt, William “Prince William” Gravely), a few new ones (David P. Stevens, Lisa McClendon, Kurtis Parks, Shamika Phoenix, Scenario, Nakeesha Benson and Karena Sheppard) and my lovely wife.
Conceptually this album grew out of a desire to navigate the intersection of faith and everyday living. How does my faith mollify our society’s urges to quench belief? How do I reconcile my faith with my racial identity? How does my faith drive my intellectual pursuits, or steer my quest to find a fulfilling vocation? How does it absolve the lingering doubts of my non-believing friends? How does it guide my search for companionship? These are the types of questions we all wrestle with once we leave our houses of worship. This project seeks to illustrate the subtleties of God’s grace working through our lives as we grapple with these issues.
Sonically, I wanted this album to embody a more holistic musical expression. Hip-hop as a genre has lost a sense of its compositional element, and too often rappers and their audiences have grown satisfied with monotonous melodies and looped drum patterns. That significantly diminishes the aesthetic appeal of the music, at least in my eyes. I envisioned this project showcasing the influences of genres that preceded hip-hop, in addition to other genres that grew along alongside hip-hop and those which contributed to its growth. I also, I wanted to display more of my own personal musical influences.
