J dilla R.I.P., Pete Rock, Dj Premier, Large Professor, Just Blaze, Kanye, Timbaland, Tribe, . Jay Z, Nas, Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, Little Brother, Freestyle Fellowship, Gangstaar, MF DOOM, BeatNuts, Bootcamp Click, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, 3rd Bass, Abstract Rude. And of course...80's music!!!!
The streets of Los Angeles are as diverse as the people who drift through them. It’s these people that embody the City of Angels’ cultural and artistic history. While the musical foundation of LA is syncopated with the heartbeat of American history, the story of Hip Hop shares a bloodline with the souls that embody diversity and struggle. Within this historical tapestry are many groups who have woven their legacy into the Hip Hop fabric not for money or fame but for integrity and respect. This credo birthed one of Los Angeles’ most eclectic and respected underground crews; L.A. Symphony…
One-fifth of that crew was Jason Soto. Nicknamed “CookBook” based upon a studio session where he boasted, “I rap, sing, play piano, write songs, engineer and make beats. Call me CookBook, cause I got the recipes for what you need, and I’m serving them up!” The endowment to his do-it-all approach is a family that treated music as another beloved member of its household. Backyard boogies were set to Jazz, Blues, R&B, Hip Hop, Rock, Classic Rock whatever the Soto lineage could ingest…they devoured. And while group-think will pilot a crew, CookBook as an individual has tapped every last lingering note from his backyard to drive his solo career.
That solo career will reach a critical mass on June 23rd 2009. CookBook presents “I Love the 80's”. His self produced debut comes in the form of a retrospective set against the music of the ‘80s, a breakout decade musically for the City of Angels. The street level brand of skateboarding, (made famous in Dogtown, Venice, CA), went national while Reaganomics introduced crack to the world, and L.A. gang banging to a nation. The Los Angeles punk scene took off nationally and NWA and its individual rap cells took the Hip Hop nation by storm. CookBook intertwines those energies against a backdrop of 80’s pop culture references and disturbingly addictive beats.
The album itself has been a labor of love for CookBook. The pieces of the creative process have taken shape over the course of a few years. Call it luck that the current wave of music is reminiscent of the decade that CookBook's solo effort pays homage to. Most of the current incarnations were born late nights in a West Los Angeles studio where CookBook would listen to tracks from such ‘80's luminaries as Duran Duran and Prince and scheme a song equally catchy. Already a fan of 80's pop music Cook set out to utilize some of the bigger hits as samples buried in the track. As his project took shape he decided to let the music shine. He uncovered the samples and made the hooks of the 80's music he was a fan of the backbone to his story. Cook’s influences of early hip hop blended perfectly with the beefy choruses and the dance infused blends featured prominently on radio today. However, he was way ahead of the curve.
Traveling the streets and alleys of LA will allow you to see the depth of art and cultural, as well as some things you would never want to see. It creates a synergy between beauty and the unexpected not unlike the 80's did for our current landscape and not unlike what CookBook will deliver on June 23rd.....not for money or fame, (because it’s free!) but for integrity and respect.
For every breath in that sustains him, Cook exhales musicality. And while several members several members of The Symphony branched out and ventured in other directions; CookBook’s detour took him into his lab. What he concocted was an ode to a more gaudy era in music....the 1980s. With the music of the Reagan era serving as the backdrop, Cook brought the topics of artistry into present day scenarios. He cites everything from classic Hip Hop artists like, Diamond D and Rakim to modern rock luminaries Coldplay as a major source of his motivation.
Cookbook’s mindset pumps creativity while his bloodline carries music. He is distinctively Los Angeles but his music is multi-generational as much as it is timely.
I Love the 80’s will be available for a free download via Myspace, 30 years after the decade of decadence gave us some of the most unforgettable bloated music of any generation.
Track Listing for “I Love the ‘80’s”
1. Cylon-tro
2. Ready For The World
3. Reganomics
4. Molly Ringwald
5. Die Hard (feat. Playdough & Theory Hazit)
6. Electric Youth
7. Vision Street Wear
8. Growing Pains
9. Andre The Giant
10. Solid Gold
11. LOST BOYS (Still Believe)
12. 7up (feat. UNO Mas & King Charazmatic)
13. What's Happening Now
14. The Huxtables
15. Inner Space
16. Time Bandits (feat. UNO Mas)
17. Neverending Story (feat. Souldado)
Sometimes when i look around, all i see is misery, despair, frustration and pain...
Then, i close my eyes, take a couple deep breaths, RELAX...And ask myself, "WHAT IF all I saw was what I WANTED TO SEE?" Then, I open my eyes. I see the sun, I see the blue sky, I see my girls smiling back at me, I see life...
And then, lo and behold, I see nothing but OPPORTUNITY...
Thanks for reading. And if you enjoy these little sayings I send out, take a look at my site, http://TankJones.com and take a look at my blogs. You can also see a lot of pics of events I've done, music I've made and learn about my foundation.
A selection of tracks from 1773's upcoming sophomore album "Return of the New." Contains the three singles released so far ("It's On Again," "Return of the New," and "On the Move") as well as "Who's Dat?" (feat. Othello), and two bonus songs ("It's On Again Maker Remix" & "Get Up Get Down").
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MCEES. DJ'S. B-BOYS/GIRLS. GRAFF HEADS, AND ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN HIP HOP OR THIS INDUSTRY. THE PAINT OUT IS ONE OF THE LARGE
... CONGRATS ON THE SOLO ALBUM... ITS GREAT, I LOVE IT!!
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