Before coming together to form the group Brotherly Love in 2007, Big Meezy and Soleternity had collaborated with and produced for artists including Bone Crusher, Adina Howard, Young Noble of Tha Outlawz, Lil Scrappy, Young Buck, Angie Stone, 8ball, J-bo Of The Youngbloodz, Lloyd, Khujo Goodie of Goodie Mob, and many others.
Following the release of Big Meezy's Double Mixtape Classic in '07, Brotherly Love released their first project as a group, the mixtape "The Prologue" in June 2008. "The Sequel" is Brotherly Love's first official retail ready release as a group. Running 25 tracks long and featuring talented artists from different corners of the map, The Sequel is a nostalgic dose of hip hop at its rawest and finest.
The album/compilation features performances by Brotherly Love, Lili, Tha E.D., Pair-A-Dice, Ol Koon, Money Dogg, OG Spicy Mike, Loch, Los The Jackal, Rie Rie, Conner Cocaine, and BlackSoultan. All songs were produced and mixed by Soleternity. "The Sequel" was executive produced by Big Meezy and Soleternity. The album artwork, music video, Hustle House Webisode Series and Promo Videos were created by McGill Original Films.
The Sequel's guest appearances are all standout performances as the album progresses at a rapid pace. Nearly every verse of The Sequel has replay factor for a hip hop fan such as myself. "Suppressors and Dormants" examines the public outcry over the Young Buck controversy from earlier this year from two different perspectives while crew collabos like "Put Your Money In The Air" and "We So 100" take us to the club. Tracks like "Everywhere We Go," "Rags To Riches" and "This Life Of Mine" offset the rugged street tracks with a more somber and introspective balance. Brotherly Love also serves up gritty tracks like "Fake Rappers" and "Laughin' At You." The album closes with the Wu-Tang esque group crew cut "Dolla Bill" showcasing a variety of personalities with emcees from Denver, Rockford, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nassau (Bahamas), and Detroit all spitting fire.
"The Sequel" (Street Edition) starts off in a flurry of synths and bells eerily surrounding one of Tupac's passionate monologues about maximizing efficiency in the studio. "The Sequel" is full of throwback audio clips that remind the listener of an earlier era of hip hop, including quotes from Notorious B.I.G., Pimp C, Eminem, and Jimmy Iovine, amongst others. The music that is interwoven with these audio clips, however, is anything but throwback. The album starts off dark and cinematic, developing into a potent combination of midwest rhythms, southern trunk rattling bass, west coast funk and east coast grit. The Sequel is simultaneously full of lyrical insight and party/club rhythms that make it easy to listen to yet interesting to analyze.
Brotherly Love also has issued "The Sequel" Studio Edition, which features the 18 full length master recordings from The Sequel without any of the audio clips or blends. Promotional Materials For "The Sequel" include a music video for the song "Put Your Money In The Air" and various promotional videos and webisodes on youtube. Brotherly Love is currently on tour promoting this album.
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