MIAMI, FL – For more than a decade, Khalifa Lasana was a professional musician with the stage name Jahalla. He was a self-described conscientious rapper, and the stage name reflected that. And over that decade-plus of work his music was modestly successful – multiple EPs, a couple of hit singles and collaborations with big names such as CeeLo Green.
But after riding the waves of success and exploring multiple avenues of musical genres, Jahalla found himself at a crossroads, of sorts.
“I got to a place where I was contemplating whether I even wanted to keep going in the music industry,” he said. “Seeing the transformation in the music industry and knowing the kind of artist that I am, I began to ask myself if I continue to follow this craft, where would I be going with it? Had I said everything I wanted to say? I’d been doing it for so long, where did I want to go with it? It was a time of heavy introspection, and I reached a place personally where I went through a metamorphosis. A transmutation took place – musically, personally and mentally. I identified where I want to go, and it’s different from what I was doing before. I’m reaching back to a time where stories and content were more cerebral. I’m operating from a different frequency. But in that difference I’m trying to figure out where I can be placed in the realm of rap and where the music industry is today.”
Out of that exploration and new direction has come a new stage name and a new album. The stage name is Redd Fidel – Redd being the popular nickname in Florida for light-skinned brothers, and Fidel being a nod to his Cuban ancestry. The album is “Metamorph: My Last Beginning,” and it’s a project that features 15 songs, an intro and three interludes, all highlighting the new identity of an artist who is ready to make a unique mark on the hip-hop world. (Intro and interludes are only available on bandcamp version of album.)
“It’s a very organic album,” Redd Fidel said. “It’s more musically laden with orchestration than any album I’ve done before. It falls back from your typical or common rap songs and is more musical in nature. I suppose you could say my approach with this album is like a 90s mentality, when hip-hop was original and everything had a sense of creativity. I have an innate love for music and I’m a natural writer and poet, and this album shows who I am today. We as artists often battle and war with the inspiration behind what we do – what do we want to accomplish? Fame? Notoriety? Just making good music? Asking myself all those questions, I had to come to a place of peace within myself, and this album was born from that. What I want is to make good music with the intent of my music touching someone that will inspire and move them in a positive manner – whether that’s two people or two million people. As long as I’m motivating, I’m successful.”
Anyone who wants to sample the album can do so on Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, Tidal and many other popular streaming sites. Also, you can check more about his music and his history as an artist by visiting his website at ReddFidel.com. Fans can also follow him on social media on Facebook, or @reddfidel on Instagram and Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment