KWESBAAR by Neak
What are you VULNERABLE to?
That's the ethical question Neak's self-produced album asks of oneself...
Soaked in the elements of hip-hop, jazz, soul, funk, and driven by heavy synthesizing and collaborative instrumentation, Neak designs a musical platform allowing him to discuss his greatest insecurities, agonizing internal fears, and featuring the trials and tribulations of people through many walks of life. Employing fluent rhyme schemes on striking subjects like, "Lost Fathers," and "Gold," to crafting a tribute to soul/jazz/funk legend "Kool and The Gang" on "Dreamer's Sadness" where Neak orchestrates vintage synth leads, he plays himself. KWESBAAR pushes his musical prowess to a level beyond his past; demonstrating his love for retro production and true-to-life raps. Collaborating alongside a multitude of skillful musicians such as trumpeter Sam Trump, pianist Aminata Burton, alto sax player Caroline Davis, and rap luminaries such as GLC, Rita J., and Rashid Hadee, this album is nothing short of a masterpiece inside and out. KWESBAAR is Neak's first introduction as an all-inclusive producer using the landscape of his life as a classroom moving from his current consciousness, to the next.
Tracklist
| 1. | Elevation Everything | 4:04 |
| 2. | In My Life feat. DJ RTST | 4:09 |
| 3. | Cashed Up | 4:13 |
| 4. | Do It For Love feat. Rita J. | 3:45 |
| 5. | W.Y.T.A.M. | 6:32 |
| 6. | War feat. Rashid Hadee | 3:24 |
| 7. | Lost Fathers feat. Erthe St. James | 7:09 |
| 8. | Gold feat. Peter Jericho | 4:33 |
| 9. | Remember, Hold On feat. Spq-Her | 4:02 |
| 10. | Slander II | 3:47 |
| 11. | Kiss The Ring feat. GLC | 3:56 |
| 12. | Fight | 3:27 |
| 13. | Dreamer's Sadness (Ode to "Kool and The Gang") feat. Taylor Iman | 5:46 |
Credits
Production Credits:
GLC - Feature (Kiss The Ring)
Rita J. - Feature (Do It For Love)
Rashid Hadee - Feature (War)
Peter Jericho - Feature (Gold)
Erthe St. James - Feature (Lost Fathers)
Spq-Her - Feature (Remember, Hold On)
Taylor Iman - Feature (Dreamer's Sadness)
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Jeremy K. Jones - Bass Guitar (In My Life)
DJ RTST - DJ Cuts (In My Life)
Caroline Davis - Alto Saxophone (W.Y.T.A.M.)
FLYKelly - Additional Vocals (W.Y.T.A.M.)
Rashid Hadee - Tambourine (W.Y.T.A.M.), Korg MS-20 synthesizer (War)
Prentice Powell - Good Father Poem (Lost Fathers)
Kenneth Leftridge - Tenor Saxophone (Gold)
Aminata Burton - Grand Piano (Gold)
Slot-A - Outro Production (Remember, Hold On)
Sam Trump - Trumpet (Remember, Hold On)
Dave Bovyn - Electric Guitar (Slander Pt. II, Kiss The Ring)
George Wundsam - Electric Guitar (Fight)
Neak - Arturia CS-80 Synthesizer Synth Lead (Dreamer’s Sadness)
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Produced By Neak
Executive Produced, mixed, and mastered by Rashid Hadee
Design, Photography, and Creative Direction by Domi V
License
All rights reserved.
If your father performed alongside Funk & Soul legends like James Brown & Sam Cooke, chances are being a product of your environment meant only one thing; following the path of musicianship set directly before him. Chicago-based Hip-Hop rapper and producer Neak draws vivid verbal portraits which find inspiration in the spirit of U.S. black culture and his own deep-seating personal experiences.