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Taking it back to the days of afros and bell-bottoms,
Terri Walker and
Nicole Wray are
Lady - a singing duo soaked in so much soul that not even a Spongebob Squarepants: Motown Edition could compete. Offering up copious amounts of unfiltered vintage soul sounds, their musical teaming is one welcomed with open arms.
Having just released their debut self-titled album on the highly regarded and ultimately respected
Truth & Soul record label, the girls are currently on the road in America tearing up the circuit with their authentic adaptation of retro soul-meets-classic Hip-Hop. Pushing a genre often overlooked by the mainstream, Walker and Wray, led by their head and their hearts, have an undeniable date with success.
Speaking to SoulCulture prior to their American takeover, the girls explain what it is about music that keeps them inspired still to this day, and the reasoning behind their resurrecting a genre that inspires a world of feeling.
It may be the summer holidays for many youngsters but class is once again in session thanks to the Hip Hop sensei Ski Beatz. Last summer, the seasoned producer rounded up a group of dope spitters and charismatic rhymers to cause havoc in the classroom in which he called the 24 Hour Karate School, an impressive compilation album which found newcomers and experienced lyricists slay a number of beats orchestrated by himself. After a hectic year which saw him work on projects with Curren$y, Terri Walker and even make a trip to the UK, the producer once again calls on students of the present and future stars of Hip Hop to provide the sequel to his spectacular first offering.
This double disc compilation is a truly international project featuring various artists working under the ‘37th State’ appellation. With the likes of Tony Allen, Dele Sosimi, Slum Village, Terri Walker and Keziah Jones on board, the listener travels sonically from Africa to the US stopping off frequently in the UK.
Judging from the colourful illustrations of an airport-based party depicted in the artwork, this intercontinental flavour was always the intention. It’s good to see acclaimed non-mainstream UK wordsmith’s such as Ty, Breis and Lyric L getting a look-in too.