Sa-Ra

Last updated

Sa-Ra
Origin Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Labels
Members
Website Official website

Sa-Ra is an American musical group from Los Angeles, also known by its full name, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners. The group is composed of Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn. The name translates roughly to "the children of God". The group's name, style and creativity are allusions to the similarly named jazz composer Sun Ra. Their music has been described as progressive soul, neo funk, and alternative hip hop.

Contents

History

Sa-Ra formed in the late 1990s from a trio of industry producers, musicians, and executives. The group’s discography [5] includes songs with artists such as Jurassic 5 and Pharoahe Monch, and have collectively and/or individually produced songs for artists like Heavy D, Bilal (specifically his Love for Sale album), [6] Dr. Dre, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Frank Ocean, Fonzworth Bentley, Jay-Z, John Legend and Goapele. The group had previously been signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music label, where it planned to release their debut album. The label was dissolved by distributor Sony BMG, and the group signed a deal with independent label Babygrande.

Releases and recent music

Several singles and recordings have been released under the group's own name, primarily on independent labels such as ABB Records, Ubiquity Records, and Sound in Color and on various compilation albums, and include "Glorious," and singles "Double Dutch" and "Second Time Around." Newer material was released on the promotional SetUps and Justifications album sampler in mid-2006, including songs such as "Big Fame," "StarWars," and "Hollywood." Their "Second Time Around" single was released in CD format, and is generally available from major online retailers as well as iTunes. The group’s original vinyl singles ("Double Dutch" and "Glorious") were limited releases on Ubiquity Records. A full-length album, titled The Hollywood Recordings , was released on Babygrande Records on April 24, 2007.

In 2006, the group said that their sound is unlikely to gain much attention from MTV. [7] However, beginning in 2009, Om'Mas Keith became a regular cast member on Diddy's MTV programme Making His Band drawing more attention to Sa-Ra.

Discography

Albums

Appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Records</span> American record label

Capitol Records, LLC is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note in the United States in 1942 by Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn E. Wallichs. Capitol was acquired by British music conglomerate EMI as its North American subsidiary in 1955. EMI was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012, and was merged with the company a year later, making Capitol and the Capitol Music Group both distributed by UMG. The label's circular headquarters building is a recognized landmark of Hollywood, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faithless</span> English band

Faithless are an English dance music band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, Reverence, was released in 1996 and their most recent, All Blessed, in 2020. They have sold millions of physical records, and their catalogue has been uploaded to streaming sites in 2018. They average almost 3 million streams a month. Faithless' records have charted at #1 in numerous countries and they were voted the 4th greatest dance band of all time by Mixmag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vee-Jay Records</span> American record label

Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Ayers</span> American funk, soul, and jazz composer

Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and record producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk. He is a key figure in the acid jazz movement, and has been dubbed "The Godfather of Neo Soul". He is best known for his compositions "Everybody Loves the Sunshine", "Searchin", and "Running Away". At one time, he was said to have more sampled hits by rappers than any other artist.

7L & Esoteric (7LES) are an American underground hip hop duo from Boston, Massachusetts, known for battle rhymes and boom bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/producer and Esoteric is the MC. 7L & Esoteric are both prominent members of underground hip-hop collectives Army of the Pharaohs and Demigodz, as well as being 2/3 of Czarface along with Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dru Hill</span> American contemporary R&B group

Dru Hill is an American R&B group, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. The group was founded in Baltimore in 1992 by Tamir "Nokio the N-Tity" Ruffin, and as of 2023, is still active. Dru Hill recorded seven top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B number-one hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise" and "How Deep Is Your Love". Its original members were lead singer Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, Larry "Jazz" Anthony and James "Woody" Green. The group achieved popularity in the mid 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jedi Mind Tricks</span> American hip hop group

Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) are an American underground hip hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1996 by two high school friends, rapper Vinnie Paz and producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. In 1999, rapper Jus Allah joined the group to record their second studio album, Violent by Design. Jus left the group shortly after, but returned in late 2006 and began working on the sixth studio album, A History of Violence. In 2011 Stoupe left the group because "his heart wasn't in making JMT records anymore". In 2013, Jus split from the group indefinitely, and Stoupe returned in 2015.

Babygrande Records is an American independent record label based in New York City, founded by Chuck Wilson. Babygrande is distributed by The Orchard and represented by the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esoteric (rapper)</span> American rapper

Seamus Padraic Ryan, better known by his stage name Esoteric, is a Boston-based underground hip-hop artist. Esoteric is half of the hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric, a third of Czarface and is a member of underground hip-hop collectives Army of the Pharaohs and Demigodz. He started his solo career in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilal (American singer)</span> American singer

Bilal Sayeed Oliver is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is an independent artist, noted for his wide vocal range, work across multiple genres, and intense live performances.

Angel Luis Aguilar, better known by his stage names Agallah, 8-Off, 8-Off the Assassin, Brad Piff, Swagallah and Agallah Don Bishop, is an American rapper and producer. He was a member of The Diplomats-affiliated group Purple City and he is the CEO of his label Propain Campain. He was formerly known as 8-Off Agallah.

Georgia Anne Muldrow is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. In 2008, she co-founded the SomeOthaShip Connect record label with fellow artist and former husband Dudley Perkins.

<i>The Hollywood Recordings</i> 2007 studio album by Sa-Ra Creative Partners

The Hollywood Recordings is the first studio album by American hip hop group Sa-Ra Creative Partners. It was released on Babygrande Records in 2007.

Rodney Franklin is an American jazz pianist and composer.

Shawn Lee is an American musician, producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the co-founder of London-based yacht rock duo Young Gun Silver Fox, along with Andy Platts. He is known for creating the entire score for the acclaimed video game Bully. His song, Kiss the Sky, was featured in the Telltale video game Tales from the Borderlands. He is currently working on an upcoming album Janktone Productions, composed primarily of cheap and fun home-made instruments. There is no set release date. He currently lives in London, England.

<i>Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love</i> 2009 studio album by Sa-Ra Creative Partners

Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love is the second studio album by American hip hop group Sa-Ra Creative Partners. It was released via Ubiquity Records on June 23, 2009. The Wire listed it as one of the "Top 50 Releases of the Year".

Om'Mas Keith, also known simply as Om'Mas, is a Grammy Award-winning record producer, musician, composer, engineer, and songwriter from Queens, New York. He has worked with Frank Ocean, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Jay-Z, Kevin Abstract, and Vic Mensa. He is also known as a member of The Sa-Ra Creative Partners, alongside Taz Arnold and Shafiq Husayn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strings (band)</span> Pakistani pop/rock band

Strings was a Pakistani pop/rock band composed of two members, plus four live band members from Karachi, Pakistan. The band was initially formed by four college students—Bilal Maqsood, Faisal Kapadia (vocals), Rafiq Wazir Ali (synthesizer) and Kareem Bashir Bhoy —in 1988. In 1992 the quartet disbanded, only to make a comeback with Maqsood and Kapadia in 2000. While the initial band rode the new wave of Pakistani pop music, the later lineup ushered a revival in the Pakistani music industry.

<i>Love for Sale</i> (Bilal album) 0000 studio album by Bilal

Love for Sale is the unreleased second album by the American singer-songwriter Bilal. It was recorded from 2001 to 2003 at Electric Lady Studios in New York during the height of the Soulquarians era, a period in the studio's history marked by the frequent and innovative recording activity of that musical collective, in which Bilal was a member. Written and produced mainly by Bilal, the album was a departure from the producer-driven, hip hop-influenced neo-soul music of 1st Born Second (2001), his moderately successful debut album for Interscope Records.

Josef Leimberg is a producer, lyricist, and trumpet player from Los Angeles. He contributed to Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy Award-winning album, To Pimp a Butterfly, and is currently signed with World Galaxy, the jazz imprint of Alpha Pup Records.

References

  1. Peisner, David (June 2007). "Sa-Ra Creative Partners: The Hollywood Recordings". Spin . p. 95. Retrieved January 23, 2021 via Google Books.
  2. Cordor, Cyril (n.d.). "Sa-Ra: Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  3. Zeisloft, Jacqueline (May 16, 2019). "Anderson .Paak Takes It to the Bank on Ventura". Nashville Scene . Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  4. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/best-rb-albums-of-2016-so-far-170635/
  5. "Sa-Ra Creative Partners discography". Discogs. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  6. Anon. (January 31, 2013). "Bilal 'A Love Surreal' CD Release, Tuesday, February 12 at Highline Ballroom" (Press release). Carolyn McClair Public Relations. Retrieved July 20, 2020 via All About Jazz.
  7. Steve Yates (January 12, 2006). "Sa-Ra interview". BBC.co.uk. Archived from the original on February 9, 2006. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  8. Del F. Cowie. "The Force of Sa-Ra Creative Partners". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on July 10, 2012.