Review Text
Shafiq Husayn is a talented musician, producer, songwriter, and recording artist who has defied boundaries and worked with some of the top artists in R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and beyond. Perhaps best known as one third of innovative Los Angeles musical collective Sa Ra Creative Partners, Husayn has produced for the likes of Erykah Badu, Andre 3000, John Legend, Kanye West, Hiatus Kaiyote, Jurassic 5, Bilal, and many more. Shafiq's musical roots date back to when he attended parties thrown by both by the Zulu Nation and Uncle Jamm's Army, carrying crates for pioneering DJ Afrika Islam. By the early 90s he was working under the alias SLJ, producing tracks for hip-hop luminaries like Ice T, Lord Finesse, and King Tee. In recent years, Shafiq has helped launch the careers of some of the most influential new artists to emerge from L.A., serving as an early mentor to Anderson.Paak and working with Ty Dolla $ign before his rise to fame. His solo debut "Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka" received widespread critical acclaim, and he earned a Grammy for his work on Robert Glasper's breakthrough album "Black Radio". Recently, Shafiq Husayn returned with the long-awaited new project "The Loop". The eclectic album features an all-star cast of Shafiq's most prominent collaborators, including contributions from Erykah Badu, Anderson.Paak, Robert Glasper, Bilal, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, and more. Blending lush live instrumentation with futuristic synths and otherworldly vocals, "The Loop" is a genre-defying opus incorporating spaced-out funk, raw neo-soul, free jazz, hip-hop beats, and electronic elements. This the official instrumental version of "The Loop", showcasing the album's stellar production on limited-edition vinyl.
