Hank Hill famously said,
It's always a risk when you bring two different musical genres together to form something new.
Christian Music and Rock & Roll has always been a tenuous pairing. Sometimes you get amazing results, see: Audio Adrenaline, Switchfoot, or House of Heroes. Sometimes, you get Stryper.
The mixing of Jazz and Hip-Hop, though, is something that flows together so seemlessly that you wonder why it didn't come around sooner than the late 80s/early 90s. Both build on a solid base of rhythm, improvisation and innovation. Performers in both genres know how to give and take, when to lay back, and when to grab the spotlight and go.
There was a magic time when it seemed like fusion groups were everywhere: De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Gang Star, Guru, Madlib, MF DOOM, and so, so many others were making interesting, vibrant and straight up sub-zero cool records.
Then, I don't know, something happened. Global warming, maybe. Who knows.
But, for today, let's get back to those glorious roots, those jams, those tasty lines of funk, soul and jazz all mixed up like one huge, delicious musical smoothie.
Enjoy.
