For this week's premiere, we've got the latest from rapper Twan Mack. If "Marvelous" sounds like a callback to the heyday of '90s alternative rap, that's because Mack is a veteran of that scene, having been a founding member of Kali Tribe, the first Milwaukee rap group ever to get aired on BET. A quarter century later, the same mischievous spirit informs his music, and you can hear it on "Marvelous," a song that flips a widely sampled track from jazz pianist Bob James.
Stream it below.
Artist's statement
Quality and consistency best describe the body of work Twan Mack has provided us since his reemergence onto the global hip-hop scene nearly two years ago. This time around the veteran Kareem City (aka Milwaukee) emcee/producer/beatboxer/visionary brings us a party anthem he calls Marvelous. Wasting no time, Mack immediately lets his audience know that "Marvelous" is his way of paying homage to Bob James, one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, whose composition, "Nautilus," is one of the most sampled selections in hip-hop history. Everyone from Run-DMC to Wu-Tang has sampled this classic, while Mack gives us his beat-boxed version at the end of the song. Just as profound, Mr. James has already given Mack his approval of "Marvelous" via their twitter and Facebook correspondence.