Sa-Ra Creative Partners member Shafiq Husayn is back with a new album. Matt Horowitz recently spoke to him about The Loop, future music from Sa-Ra, his experience of working with some of the world’s most icon artists, and more.
About how long has The Loop been in-the-works? I remember seeing a video teaser entitled “Preview of the making of forthcoming Shafiq Husayn Album ‘The Loop’” as far back as 2012.
I started in 2010 and finished in 2014.
How exactly does working with Ice-T, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, The Coalition, White Boiz, etc. differ from writing and recording your solo work?
With Ice it was all new, my first production gig outside of my group the Nile Kings, who were also signed to Rhyme Syndicate/Sony at that time. I was producing with DJ Aladdin under the moniker SLJ of the Ammo Dump, so that’s where I learned how to produce with others and being in a group with others first. With myself there is a lot more freedom in decision making obviously but I still rely on my interaction with other creatives for inspiration and their input as well – it’s an exchange just like being in a group. But working by myself in the inception of the process is probably the most different part than working inside of a collective.
How would you personally say your sound, music, and style has grown and progressed between Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka (2004) and The Loop?
I have learned more music theory in that time, the freedom and courage to go after certain elements (horns, strings, etc..) in the music probably is a lot more daring the first album and the intent going in was direct over all opposed to En’ A Free Ka, which was just a collection of songs I put together in three months just to let people know I was open for business as a solo artist and producer.
What’s the current status of Sa-Ra Creative Partners? I’ve noticed yourself, Om’Mas Keith and Taz Arnold have been largely inactive since 2009’s Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love.
Sa-Ra is working on new music. I have a bonus song featuring them and Jon Bap on the North American The Loop vinyl release.
Are yourself and Krondon (Strong Arm Steady) planning on working on the follow-up to White Boiz’s Neighborhood Wonderful any time relatively soon?
Yes, indeed. He’s in town now getting concepts together for some joints and his film schedule is pretty hectic.
The Loop features a who’s-who of all-star musicians, players, and producers including Anderson.Paak, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Flying Lotus, Hiatus Kaiyote, Robert Glasper, Thundercat & Jimetta Rose. Now, might you happen to have any enjoyable in-studio stories?
Wow, so many… The Anderson Paak and Jimetta sessions are always fun, Bilal and Badu are super wavy too. I’m going with Thundercat one day watching Robot Chicken in the pillow room in the Sa-Ra house, and these characters and commentary was super funny and wonky and abstract, but we totally understood the whole thing. Maybe an hour later we made Dirty Beauty in the infamous Kitchen (for those who know, then you know how much of a hookup spot that was for a lot of music).
What type of life-long lessons did you learn from your years working alongside hip-hop luminaries Afrika Islam, Ice T, Lord Finesse, and King Tee?
Ice totally showed me the music business from a creative and hustler point of view. Afrika Islam showed me leadership and how to network a close crew of people all at once. Lord Finesse how to keep it funky and technology, and long rides from the BX to record stores in the city and just being a solid dude, #Respect. King Tee and DJ Pooh would put together cohesive albums with dope skits and keeping the concept throughout. He always had dope ideas from start to finish all ready to go and knew what he was looking for to fit into the concept. Super-Nigger is a great example of that ((look.. up, up in the sky)) ((it’s a bird, it’s a plane)).
Would you mind telling us a bit about the making-of your 2018 album, The Blueprint with Blu? Were you two ever in the same studio together during the album’s recording process?
Blu took instrumentals from various beat CDs I gave him years ago and then he recorded over them through his computer. So that’s all the input I had on that project.
Now that The Loop has been properly released into the world, what do yourself and Nature Sounds have planned for the album roll-out?
Plenty of vinyl with bonus songs, tapes, CDs, and even limited edition wax as well with unreleased music.
In addition to your multiple collaborations already released, what sort of collaborative efforts do you currently have in the works or waiting to be released?
I have just completed the Dove Society album entitled So Gold featuring Jimetta Rose, KarenBe, Anderson .Paak, Gyo Bunchy, Colin Devane, Sharis Rhodes, Bobby Earth and Didda Joe just to name a few, coming out through Nature Sounds later this year…look out for the 1st single Sofas coming this summer.
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The Loop is out now. Buy it digitally here, and order physical copies from Nature Sounds here. Follow Shafiq Husayn on Twitter.
Matt Horowitz has been a hip-hop fan ever since he first heard Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) back in the mid-90’s, which positively or negatively changed his life ever since, depending on who you ask. He single-handedly runs online music publication The Witzard, and has been fortunate enough to interview Eothen ‘Egon’ Alapatt, Guilty Simpson, Ice-T and Mr. X, Dan Ubick, Career Crooks’ Zilla Rocca & Small Professor, Cut Chemist, and J-Zone, amongst countless others. He enjoys writing about and listening to hip-hop, Punk/Hardcore, and Indie Rock on vinyl with his lovely wife, while drinking craft beer, red wine, or iced coffee. To paraphrase both Darko The Super and the Beastie Boys: “Already Dead fans, they want more of this… I’m a Witzard like my man Matt Horowitz!”. Follow Matt here.