Shafiq Husayn – Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka
Plug Research Records
Rating: 4/5
Words by: Andres Reyes

You’ve probably heard this ad nauseam at this point, but Los Angeles is the current musical mecca of the western world. While the rest of the domestic musical climate is stuck on tight jeans, soul-less snares, auto-tune and the death of auto-tune, the city of Angels has its collective vision on the future. Shafiq Husayn, of the much buzzed about Sa-Ra Creative Partners, is the next L.A. resident to break through to the surface with his debut solo album Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka coming out on Plug Research October 6th.

Rather than present you a collection of songs made over a given time, Shafiq would like to take you on an experience. The title of the record draws on ideas of freedom and exploration, Ka means mind or spirit in Kemetic, so being in A-Free-Ka literally means a free state of mind. From the first couple of bass lines and snares, it is apparent Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka is coming from, and headed to, a different place. The urgency in the percussion of “U.N. Plan” is electrifying and there is something unnerving about the space in which “Cheeba” exists, with its haunting vocal feature from underground powerhouse Bilal. The lead single “Lil’ Girl” featuring UK newcomer Fatima is perhaps the closest the record gets to a straight-forward song, but even beneath the aesthetic sweetness of the ballad the songs lyrics cry to something more complicated, “eventually you shall embrace the last day/ time is running, better choose the fast way.”

“No Moor” plays like a musical history lesson, chronicling the hardly-mentioned Moorish history in North America. The journey that is En A-Free-Ka hits its darkest points with “All Dead” and “Evil Man,” two songs that seem to accompany each other in theme and structure. Another highlight is “Major Heavy,” a tune so sweet that if ever clouds were assigned a melody, this song is where it would happen. The ballad boasts a sung chorus by underground Hip Hop veteran Count Bass D and verses by L.A.’s Sonny Coates.

Classifying Shafiq’s music is self-defeating. The album spans the range from R&B to soul to electronic to afro-beat. There’s hardly any rapping on the album yet the sound is firmly rooted in Hip Hop aesthetics, but Shafiq also enlists the help of numerous talented instrumentalists on the album like Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner and his fellow Sa-Ra partner, Om’Mas Keith. The list of collaborators on the album is large, yet there is somehow more cohesion on this than most modern albums. It is as if Shafiq gathered a village of musicians and singers and led them with his MPC. While many are stuck looking towards the past or each other for direction, Shafiq enlists the best of the past to craft a bold new sonic future for himself and those around him. Truly a Master Teacher.

Words by: Joseph Poakwa

After the well received debut of Hollywood Recordings and the construction of a production catalogue as deep and obscure as the analog bass slaps that reside in their music, the trinity of fresh is back!  As rumors of a breakup began to circulate,  Sa-Ra (Om’Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn) was away in the studio producing hit after hit for artists such as Erykah Badu, John Legend, and Fonzworth Bentley among others.  With a wider fan base and time to relax to put their all into each strike of the Moog “The Source” synthesizer, Sa-Ra has returned to the surface to deliver their sophomore album, Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love.  With a strong body of work ready to present to the masses and a college tour in the works, Sa-Ra sat down with Vapors to discuss how they continue to produce quality music, working with Dilla in his last days, and why sex is the key to their success.

JP: How do you guys manage to stay consistent through the years?
Sa-Ra:   We listen to that good shit! Steely Dan, Roy Ayers, Bob James, Michael, and David Bowie. Thank God for David Bowie! What would the world have done without David Bowie?  The only thing we can do is display what’s inside.  Most people don’t get it initially because, most people cannot put content as extensive as the repertoire we keep into their stream and know first how to aggregate it and then deliver it.  So if it sounds crazy, that’s cuz nigga, we crazy!  We are crazy dudes.  We hang with billionaires and we hang with your favorite drug dealer on 54^th and Crenshaw.  That’s the diversity of our lifestyle.  White trash in a trailer park, that’s our fans.  Billionaires that own fuckin’ Facebook, that’s our fans.  Niggas on Crenshaw, those are our fans. 

JP:  What is your most memorable studio session?
Sa-Ra:  Herbie Hancock by far!  Were so in the world that getting Herbie Hancock ultimately wound up not being a  problem, but we had no idea homeboy was gonna roll up in the brand new yellow corvette that the Grammys had lent him for two weeks cuz he’s a fuckin’ God!  He showed up to our house at like 9 o’clock at night and was like “Hey, it’s Herbie!” To our House!  There he was by himself. No crew, No entourage, just Herbie Hancock at our lavish studio house in Silver Lake.  He was like “I’m ready to do what y’all want me to do”, and that was a night where we spent six hours producing and recording, talking with and learning from Herbie Hancock.  The song that we did with him, called “Fantastic Vampire,” is gonna be on our next record “Black Fuzz.” Sa-Ra featuring Herbie Hancock and Erykah Badu. That was probably the most memorable session cause you’re talking about somebody who is just a true Master Teacher.  The second most memorable one is Bambaataa.  He passed us the torch and made us all Zulu Kings.

JP:  What was it like working with Dilla on “Thrilla” right before his death?
Sa-Ra:  He stayed at our house for about three or four days.  We went to go pick up Dilla from Common’s house and we came to the studio; for three days we crafted blunts, beats, verses and food.  We picked his brain, he picked our brain. Dude immediately gravitated to us because he saw our show at the Temple bar that night.  He and Madlib watched our show that night; right while they were making Jaylib.  Dilla was like “Wow, I get it”.  The process was just the most organic and beautiful thing.  He’s so talented.  He didn’t want to leave our house without finishing the record.  Dude was in pain the whole time, but his interaction with us was what was keeping him out the pain. I can assure you of that; interaction with brethren that were just like him.  Sa-Ra loves J Dilla.

JP: The lyrical content on Nuclear Evolution is very sex driven as is much of the Sa-Ra catalogue.  What is Sa-Ra’s infatuation with the sexual conquest?
Sa-Ra:  There is no Sa-Ra without sex.  We exude sexual energy.  Sex is creation.  It’s nature at its finest.  It’s one of the most natural things you can do, and we are natural men.  Take that for what you may, but that term encompasses so much.  It means you’re in charge; unaffected by the system.  You’re natural.  You’re not property of or a member of anything other than what you decide.  That goes right over to the sexual realm where we do a show and there’s some skinny black girls with big titties and fat asses on leashes that we walk out.  And why don’t these women feel like they’re being marginalized?  Because it’s just a natural game of courtship and play that plays out on record.  Records are one of the most amazing vessels to play out your fantasies and your realities.  Demonstrate reality because people don’t get the opportunity to be around you.  We’re so focused on hiding everything.  We gon’ dispel the myth and reveal the truth.  That is one of our primary goals. 

JP: What’s next for Sa-Ra?
Sa-Ra:  We got this whole other record [Black Fuzz] that ain’t got nothing to do with this shit [Nuclear Evolution] that’s got Iggy Pop on it, Afrika Bambaataa, Bilal, John Legend, and Herbie Hancock.  We’re putting out this Ubiquity record and then we are all putting out solo records before the end of the year.  Then we’re gonna drop Black Fuzz.  That’s five unique pieces of product from the Sa-Ra entity within a year period.  It’s gonna change the world. It’s gonna change shit up.  We’re gonna inundate, overwhelm, and collect. Ha! Flood, Stun ya, and Take ya Money! That’s some Johnny Cochran Shit!

Hello my name is…

Black Spade aka Stoney Rock.

I was raised in…

St. Louis, Missouri.

The reason you’re reading about me is…

I’m an MC and producer.

I work for…

Myself—I haven’t had a real job since, like, ’96.

Right now I’m working on…

Different things, but I have a project out now called To Serve With Love on Om: Hip Hop.

But I’d rather be…

Online trying to find some more vintage equipment.

My most prized possessions are…

The albums my father gave me.

But I’d give it all away for…

The machine that Stevie Wonder used on “Pastime Paradise,” the Yamaha DX-1.

The first thing I do in the morning is…

Look at Hoda Kotb on “The Today Show.” Ain’t nobody smashing that yet?

The last thing I do at night is…

Make another beat.

My momma always said…

Get a job.

I love it when people…

Don’t realize it’s me that they like, and I’ll be sitting in the circle the whole time. Then I mention that I’m Black Spade and they’ll be, like, “Oh yeah!”

I hate it when people…

Tell me, “Yeah, you’re tight, but I think you’d sound hotter on my beats.”

The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen is…

Either Ramsey Lewis at the Sheldon or some lady I had my eye on.

If you ever see me walking down the street…

Chuck the deuce, you know what I’m sayin’? Because I’ll chuck the deuce back.

My most notable run-in with the law…

A cop told me he would slap the shit out of me if I didn’t tell him my real name. My real name is Veto Money and he thought I was playing. He was like, “Dude, it’s been a long day. I’m gonna slap the shit out of you if you don’t stop playing and tell me what your name is.”

I lose control when…

When I hear certain music, like a Dilla beat that slipped past me and I haven’t heard before. It used to be like that with Sa-Ra, and Georgia Anne Muldrow, she still surprises me a lot. I get inspired by these people because they’re doing what I’d like to do.

The last time I swore I’d never drink again was after a night of…

That’s hard…there are a lot of those! Last night was one of those nights.

Future projects and plans…

Hawthorne Headhunters—me and this guy named Proh Mic and a brother by the name of Cedric Norah. I’m also working on the second album and hopefully doing some stuff with Naledge of Kidz in the Hall.

I’m voting for…

Obama, of course.

And before I leave I’d like to give a shout out to…

Cobblestone Rock Music, Om: Hip Hop, Jonathan, Wolf from Red Bull, Rita J, All Natural, Sean Doe, C Destiny, Moms and Dad and St. Louis!

Eric Lau is creating a new definition for the producer in today’s industry. With his first major release, New Territories, the British-born beat junkie is showing that he is on his way to the top.  Lau, though fairly new to the game, is definitely going to be one of those peeps you name-drop. Separated by gallons of ocean, I recently spoke with Lau about his newfound success, growing as a producer, and why there will never be another Dilla.

How is the music scene different in the UK compared to the States?

The UK is obviously a lot smaller so there are less supporters of music than in the US, especially for independent music. I feel the mentality is very different over in the UK, in terms of work ethic and competition. In the States you have so many more people competing that it makes people hustle and step up their game up more. Over in the UK there is a scene, however we are far less direct in our hustle. That’s just British people; we are more reserved and less hype, which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of folks below the radar on the album; who would you like to work with in the future?

God willing, Jay Electronica—I really wanna help him save rap in some way. Muhsinah—she has such great energy, would love to be part of that. Erykah Badu—she has been setting such a great example for hip-hop and for me personally. I would love to shape something for her one day. Bilal. D’Angelo, Elzhi Eska, Heidi Vogal, Annabel. Fatima Szjerdene, Joy Silva.

You have a similar style to Dilla and Sa-Ra; have you ever worked with them in the past, or is it just a coincidence?

I haven’t worked with Sa-Ra yet but I’m definitely open…I feel that if you are to achieve greatness then you start out by looking at the best; Kobe Bryant I’m sure studied Michael Jordan’s game and took some elements, same with Magic Johnson. After a while he [Kobe] has come into his own and has his own signature style. The main fundamentals are there but his interpretation of a fade-away jump shot is obviously different to Jordan’s. I’m sure me and a lot of other producers would say Dilla set the bar. Once we master the fundamentals then maybe we can take things to a level near him. 

Dilla has recently gained a large following due to his untimely death.  In terms of success, Does Eric Lau want to be the Dilla of the UK?

There will never be another Dilla like there will never be another James Brown or Marvin Gaye. However, after James Brown, there was Prince and after Marvin there was D’Angelo. I am definitely inspired by what Dilla did. His music, the way he carried himself and his work ethic. So in terms of being the Dilla of the UK, I will never be. The one thing that I want to do is try and get a Dilla-like work ethic so I can become the best I can be. Same as Madlib, Pete Rock, Premier and 9th Wonder. I want to be doing that.

For more visit: http://www.myspace.com/ericlaumusic