New York, NY (Top40 Charts) New York's Blue Note Jazz Club announces an important run of Talib Kweli (one half of iconic duo
Black Star) shows alongside heavily-sampled jazz pioneer Bob James. Taking place this February 7-9, the shows promise to be the can't-miss kick-off to 2023's 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop celebrations. Living legends Rakim, DMC and Slick Rick, who will receive a Lifetime Achieve Award from The Recording Academy next month, are confirmed as special guests joining this culture-filled run. Slick Rick,
Talib Kweli and
Bob James performed together for the first time last year at Blue Note.
"I'm very happy for this opportunity to join up with my friend
Talib Kweli to perform with Slick Rick again on the Blue Note stage," states Bob James. "We had so much fun last year, and I'm excited to have legendary artists DMC and Rakim join us this time around to revisit the past and make new history together."
"The re-joining of forces at Blue Note between icon
Bob James and
Talib Kweli with legends Rakim, Slick Rick and DMC is an exceptional moment," states Blue Note
Director of Programming Alex Kurland. "Bob James' depth of history and contribution to hip hop and musical culture is remarkable. Our inspiration with these shows is to revisit that history and vibe through the samples originating from Bob James, in collaboration with three of the most prolific, powerhouse and pioneering MCs of all time who have a legendary connection of drawing from Bob's music."
18-time Grammy-Nominated artist
Bob James forever cemented his place in hip-hop history with the release of his 1974 album One. The groove-heavy closing track "Nautilus," featuring
James on keyboard, Gary King on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums, is one of the most sampled and interpolated songs of all time, beginning with Ultramagnetic MC's using the bassline in their 1986 single "Bait." In 1988, elements of the song found their way into Run DMC's "Beats To The Rhyme" and Eric B & Rakim's "Follow The Leader." Slick Rick then famously used "
Nautilus" as the backbone to his groundbreaking single "Children's Story." The list of artists who have since sampled or interpolated "
Nautilus" is a who's who of hip-hop history: 9th Wonder, A Tribe Called Quest,
Ghostface Killah, Jeru the Damaja, Wu-Tang Clan, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Big L, El-P, Onyx, Ice T, Wale, The Game, EARTHGANG, Yung Lean, Salt-N-Peppa, and dozens more.
Bob James' "Take Me To The Mardi Gras," from his album Two, is another staple of hip-hop culture. Alongside Run DMC's "Peter Piper," James' single is a building block found in many classics including NWA's "Straight Outta Compton," Beastie Boys' "Hold It Now, Hit It," LL Cool J's "Rock the Bells," Missy Elliott's "Work It," Common's "I Want You," and Talib Kweli's
P-Money collaboration "Celebration Flow." Talib also sampled James' "Love Lips" on his single "Moodswing" alongside Soulution.
Talib Kweli with Live Band featuring Bob James: Feb 7 - 9
Special guests include:
February 7: DMC
February 8: Slick Rick
February 9: Rakim
After nearly 20 years of releasing mesmerizing music, Brooklyn-based MC
Talib Kweli stands as one of the world's most talented and most accomplished Hip Hop artists. Whether working with
Mos Def as one-half of
Black Star, partnering with producer Hi-Tek for Reflection Eternal, releasing landmark solo material or collaborating with Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Just Blaze, J Dilla, or Madlib, Kweli commands attention by delivering top-tier lyricism, crafting captivating stories and showing the ability to rhyme over virtually any type of instrumental. In 2011, Kweli founded Javotti Media, which is self-defined as "a platform for independent thinkers and doers." Kweli has set out to make Javotti Media (which released his 2011 album, Gutter Rainbows, and is named after his paternal grandmother) into a media powerhouse that releases music, films and books.
Bob James' recordings have practically defined pop/jazz and crossover during the past few decades. Very influenced by pop and movie music,
James has often featured R&B-ish soloists (most notably Grover Washington, Jr.) who add a jazz touch to what is essentially an instrumental pop set. He actually started out in music going in a much different direction. In 1962,
James recorded a bop-ish trio set for Mercury, and three years later his album for ESP was quite avant-garde, with electronic tapes used for effects. After a period with
Sarah Vaughan (1965-1968), he became a studio musician, and by 1973 was arranging and working as a producer for CTI. In 1974,
James recorded his first purely commercial effort as a leader; he later made big-selling albums for his own Tappan Zee label, Columbia, and Warner Bros., including collaborations with
Earl Klugh and
David Sanborn.
James remains relatively busy in the studio and since 2000 has released several albums including Dancing on the Water in 2001, That Steamin' Feelin' in 2002,
Hi-Fi in 2003, and Urban Flamingo in 2006, among others.
