REVIEW: Amerigo Gazaway presents Yasiin Gaye - The Departure: Side 1

     On February 25th, Amerigo Gazaway released his highly anticipated Soul Mates project, Yasiin Gaye - The Depature: Side 1. The Soul Mates project mashes the music of two great artists, past and present, re-imagining them into a new, yet familiar, sound. This first installment pairs Marvin Gaye together with Mos Def (or Yasiin Bey, for you snooty folk). Yasiin Gaye  is worthy of all the press it has received and has already garnered enough attention that the Recording Industry Association of America (a.k.a. Corporate America) sent Amerigo a cease and desist order while an agreement can be reached for distribution. But rather than go into the conspiracy of capitalism, let's focus on the beauty of the album.

     If you follow any major hip hop outlets on Facebook or Twitter, then the praise I'm about to give this album is not news to you. If you haven't checked any of the songs yet or didn't even know the album existed, then I strongly suggest you take some time out check the links out in this post, especially if you are a fan of Mos Def and you like, or can appreciate, Marvin Gaye. Check the track I Want You 'Til The Summertime. Mos has always had a soulful sound in his music, so laying his vocals over Marvin Gaye instrumentals isn't a stretch at all.What's smooth about the project is putting Mos Def's lyrics to Marvin Gaye's instrumentals give each one a different vibe, making two old songs sound like a new one. Check out the redux of Ms. Fat Booty and you will hear exactly what  I mean.

     The little extra hints of production make this project stand out as well. The lyrics aren't simply laid over a solid beginning to end type of track. The instrumentals are cut, looped, dubbed over with other minor vocals and samples; all done without sounding like overkill and keeping the original feel of Marvin. There is even an interview snippet where Gazaway goes into a little bit of what it took to create this slice of awesome.

     As I said earlier in the post, the Recording Industry Association of America hit Amerigo with a cease and desist for the download and stream of the album. While both sides look to find a middle ground so the album can be available again, the entire album can still be heard on YouTube by clicking here. I would strongly suggest you take some time out of your day and check it out. If you like what you hear, drop us a line at BestInTheMix@gmail.com so we can........discuss it further. I would also suggest bookmarking Amerigo's Bandcamp page and checking out some of his other joints. You might just end up keeping an eye on him to see what he has in store for the future.

Until next time, I'm out.

 *UPDATE - March 3, 2014* Yasiin Gaye - The Depature: Side 1 is currently available on DatPiff for download. Follow the jump  for the download. It is hosted by some dude named DJ SouthCentral (I have no clue who he is) Also, Ms. Fat Booty is not included in this version, so if you want to hear that song, you can either use the link in this post or get it from a homie. Don't miss out!