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We love a good mash-up album and this one by the self-described “Manipulator of Sound” Amerigo Gazaway is a must-listen. The ‘Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One)’ album features the intuitive rhymes of Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) with the music and ad-libs from the late soul man Marvin Gaye.
The 13-track collection brings two talented artists together for seamlessly-blended songs.
The set’s lead single ‘Inner City Travellin’ Man‘ is a mix of Bey’s 1997 song ‘Travelin’ Man’ and Gaye’s classic 1971 tune, ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).’ The ‘Definition of Infinity’ is a funky dancehall banger, which uses Black Star’s ‘Definition‘ and Gaye’s soulful ad-libs.
Another standout tune is ‘Ms. Fat Booty,’ which flips Bey’s classic summertime banger into a throwback ’60s rap ballad thanks to Gaye’s ‘Ain’t That Peculiar.’ Gazaway then flips the ‘Peculiar’ song again for the street track ‘Peculiar Mathematics,’ on which Bey spits analytical rhymes from ‘Mathematics.’
On the fantastic ‘Time (To Get It Together)’ producer Gazaway effortlessly mixes different Bey verses about time and lays them atop Gaye’s ‘Time to Get it Together‘ instrumental.
Finally, the project ends with the bombastic orchestral jam ‘Two Worlds’ featuring Kanye West. Over a familiar hip-hop breakbeat, Bey and Yeezy’s rhymes from ‘Two Words‘ are used along with Gaye’s 1965 classic song ‘It Takes Two.’
Overall, Amerigo Gazaway’s ‘Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One)’ is a masterful mash-up project. You can download the collection for free at his Bandcamp website.
Listen to Amerigo Gazaway’s ‘Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One)’
