Earlier today I got an email with some great news. Oakland’s Crown City Rockers are returning with a new album! Their first since the dope’ness that was Earth Tones in 2004.
CCR have built a reputation for their driving sound derived from live instruments fused with traditional hip-hop production, which makes their live shows particularly dynamic. Emcee Rashaan Ahmad commands the crowd in the tradition of the block party greats, with a tight backing group infusing funk energy into the bouncy hip-hop sound.
Though the group has remained intact, the album represents a reunion of sorts, as many of the contributors have been focusing on solo projects recently. Rashaan Ahamad’s solo album Push (2008) furthered his reputation as a party rocker par excellence, which he supported through tours with People Under The Stairs, Common Market, and others. Bassist/producer Headnodic recently helmed the boards for last year’s Mighty Underdogs project on Definitive Jux with emcees Gift of Gab and Lateef from the Quannum camp, and keyboardist Kat recently completed a solo project and is currently working with People Under The Stairs’ Thes One.
I was told I’ll have some audio soon, but until then you can check the artwork and tracklist after the jump…
01 Intro
02 Break
03 Soul
04 Kiss
05 Go On
06 Astroshocks
07 Go Away
08 Crusin’
09 Let’s Love
10 Clap Your Hands
11 Make it Hotter
12 That’s Life
13 The Forever Song
The Day After Forever, September 29th via Gold Dust
