Raw Poetic releases new single ‘Sunny Water’, and announces new album ‘Laminated Skies’.
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- January 12, 2022
Today, Northern Virginia rapper/singer and producer Jason Moore aka Raw Poetic announces his new album ‘Laminated Skies’, set for release on 18th March on Def Pressé, along with lead single ‘Sunny Water’ out today.
“The premise of the song was all about reflection… Not a deep reflection, just a look at how the world sees you. So I thought of a lake on a sunny day. What looks back at you when you look out into the world?”
Jason Moore aka Raw Poetic
‘Laminated Skies’ was produced alongside friend and frequent collaborator Earl Davis aka Damu the Fudgemunk and features guest musicians Pat “P” Fritz on guitar and Luke Stewart on bass. Sessions for ‘Laminated Skies’ took place in the sweltering summer heat in 2019 at Windom Road studio in Brentwood, Maryland; with Damu’s production adding a tapestry of instrumentation including live and programmed drums, strings, vibraphone, kalimba, melodica, vinyl scratching and synthesizers. Musically pulling from the genres that make hip hop; the multidimensional work also draws inspiration from Ralph Ellison’s novel The Invisible Man, spirituals, and their individual influences – on which Jason says “I was an English major, Luke is a jazz bassist, Pat a classically trained guitarist, and Earl brought in a wealth of knowledge that funneled us through a direction that worked.”
‘Laminated Skies’ is Raw Poetic’s sixth solo album and first official solo release on a label (London’s Def Pressé). It’s also his most personal album. He explains “I still can’t fully describe what kind of album this is so I’ve now reserved myself to telling people it’s a “Jason” album. I wanted to tell people what the hell is going on through my head sometimes; how I feel as a guy from Northern Virginia. Sometimes it’s invisible, other times invincible. Sometimes loved, sometimes hurt. Once we got started mixing and matching ideas, well… it became something that I am very proud of.”
Damu says, “I’m extremely proud of what we did on this album. When Raw asked me to get involved I was amped. I’ve watched Raw become a producer over the last ten plus years, teaching himself how to record and lay tracks. His production style is so unique, free and different from mine that I soak up a ton of inspiration from collaborating this way. With both of us usually exclusively perceived as hip hop artists (which we don’t mind), ‘Laminated Skies’ feels like a victory for us to show our appreciation while creating honest art, but escape the box without actually making a formal announcement. It’s easily one of the best things I’ve been a part of”.
Raw Poetic was born in Philadelphia to a rich family legacy including both parents in the original Black Panther Party and legendary jazz musician uncle Archie Shepp. Eventually settling in Northern Virginia where he was raised in the Washington Metropolitan area, the two east coast cities have had a major influence on his artistry. By college he founded Restoring Poetry in Music aka RPM and became the lead MC in the duo Panacea (Rawkus), formed by producer/beatsmith Kyle Murdock, who released five albums before disbanding on a high note in 2010. As a newly solo act, Raw Poetic saw the changing demands of indie artists, building a skillset that allowed him to be the versatile DIY artist he is today. Produced with Damu, their recent 2020 album ‘Ocean Bridges’ with saxophonist Archie Shepp was considered one of the year’s best efforts.
Quality is synonymous with Raw Poetic’s reputation with a resume stacked with national tours, collaborations with K-Def, Blu, Kev Brown, Archie Shepp, and Luke Stewart, airplay on MTV, VH1 and BET, spins on Sirius/XM, Gilles Peterson Worldwide FM/BBC 6 Music, syncs on the Showtime series Shameless and Weeds, featured in Pitchfork, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jazz Times, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone.
Raw Poetic ‘Laminated Skies’
Release Date: 18th March 2022
Label: Def Pressé
Format: LP // Digital
Cat No: DFPRROM12
Tracklist:
01. Open Road
02. Chewing Gum
03. Ralph Ellison
04. Guide
05. Intertwined
06. Sunny Water
07. Hey Autumn Pt. 1 / When Autumn Replied Pt. 2
08. Reflected Pearls
09. Cadillac
