Sa-Ra

“Our music is a complete blend of American classics. When I’m talking about American classics, I’m just talking about all music. White music, black music and anything out of Europe, from Duke Ellington, Louie Armstrong, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder to Afrika Bambataa, Run DMC and J Dilla”, confesses Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra.

Sa-Ra is Shafiq Husayn, along with members Om’Mas Keith and Taz Arnolds musical trio, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners is the trios business entity title.

Shafiq Husayn says, “I met Taz in 89 and I met Om’Mas in like 94, up in Ice-T’s house. Him and I used to live together in Harlem, New York. The three of us started working together, when Om’Mas and I would come out to L.A, I took a moment in Taz’ house. Taz had a little studio set up, that would be the spot I’d work at, when I was in L.A and this is about 96, 97. We weren’t Sa-Ra then, we were still doing whatever we were doing. 2000, was when we officially got together, you know? We just felt it; we just felt there was a need for change, to get together and do some dope shit” has produced for Prince and Duran Duran to Jill Scott and many others. He says “Yeah. I mean; Om’Mas is the musically trained out of the three of us. He grew up in a house with jazz musicians. With that put in, a history of producing and record collecting. You know? We staying true to the music and we couldn’t help but express all of that. That’s what the next thing is, a combination of everything that we heard in the past one hundred years, in Sa-Ra right now”

The Hollywood Sessions is Sa-Ra’s debut album, an incredible album blending in soul and hip-hop, “Well, that’s always the goal” ,says Shafiq Husayn about his music coming from the soul. He continues, “First and foremost is to be creative. That was the main thing. Lets get together, let’s be really creative and let’s do something that will impress you. That would make you go damn, I wish I made that” He explains how Sa-Ra the name was developed, as it is unique!

“Actually it was a collective effort. Taz and I were at an election for one of the African Crios Scholars dealing with Ancient Kemit, of Ancient Egypt. Kemit is the Egyptian name for what they call the land of Kemit. Inside of the election this terminology kept coming up, sa ra. It is a very powerful name, it was used to describe the names of Jesus Christ the Sun of God or Buddha or Krishna. All these that walked the planet, were referred to as Sa-Ra, you know? We were like, man that’s what were about. That’s what where trying to manifest, we trying to manifest heaven on earth. Hence that name came about and when OM’mas gave it some thought. He was like yeah, here’s Sa-Ra and we should be like creative, you know? Because OM’mas worked at an advertising firm at the time and that was his thing. His whole thing was to come up with the slogan and what not. The Sa-Ra Creative Partners became our slogan, you know? Creative Partners was for our business, and Sa-Ra the group that’s the name of the three of us when we get together. So, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners as the production and business group and Sa-Ra as the group”, explains a cool Shafiq Husayn.

“I myself was born in Cleveland but kind of raised in Los Angeles and New York at different time periods. Taz is from South Central, Los Angeles, and OM’mas is from Hollis Queens” He proceeds, “My experience of growing up was, I moved around a lot, my step Father was in the military. I was being exposed to a lot of different environments, consciously and unconsciously, you know? A lot of things, different people, different cultures, to L.A’s gang culture. The gangs and crack cocaine, that’s like the 80’s but the L.A that I remember was in the 70’s. When it was just all beautiful and sunshine, everything that everybody kept saying about Hollywood. Sunshine, pretty women, fast cars and stuff like that. Being in New York, the experience, is you know? New York is gritty; it’s old, living on top of each other, a lot of people” He says, “It could be. It could be. I would say L.A is probably a little bit more frightening than New York because of the gang culture. L.A is wild, ya’nameen? L.A is just wild. There’s a lot going on out there, it’s an illusion. In New York, you pretty much know what you’ll get. As soon as you get off the plane and take a whiff of the air, you know what’s happening”

Sa-Ra member Shafiq Husayn speaks about the making of The Hollywood Sessions “The Hollywood Recordings was really just an album that was a crash course for people that were Sa-Ra fans in the beginning and it’s also a one on one class for people that had never heard of Sa-Ra. The majority of the record was recorded in Los Angeles. When you mention the world Los Angeles to people that have never been, you think about Hollywood. Instead of saying The L.A Recordings, say The Hollywood Recordings”

A very special collaboration takes place on this album, the song is called Fly Away and it features Erykah Badu and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Shafiq Husayn reflects on the experience of collaborating with these two talented female artists and multi-talents.

“Incredible"...

"Your talking about sisters that are doing the best at what they do, you know? Erykah Badu, well her name and her work speaks for itself. As I guess you’re a fan and I’m a fan of hers too. Then Georgia is this twenty year old kid, who was just amazing. She could produce, write, arrange, and play all the instruments, sing, it’s amazing. I want to have to say, in all our sessions we were students, just on the outside in, working with these people, we were actually learning their process. Like I say, were students first, let alone just working with these artists, all artists have a certain method or process, and how they make there music, you know? That’s what you hear in the music of Sa-Ra (not to go off point), is cats actually doing homework. Instead of just listening to a Stevie Wonder album or Charles Mingus Portraits album, were going to figure out what parts they play, and the equipment they are using. I like the arrangements of how The Beatles messed around with the time signatures, we should mess with that. So, that’s what you should be hearing in our homework but back to what we were saying. With all these particular artists were learning, studying and exchanging. It was brilliant. It was great”

And he expresses how he feels about the publics response to the album.

“Yes, were very pleased with the response because we had four mics in The Source magazine and we reached forty-four in the hip-hop and R&B Billboard charts. Its just the over all response. They just genuinely supportive of the project. They say ‘this is a breathe of fresh air’, ‘we love your work’ and ‘this is what hip hop and music needed’”

Shafiq Husayn thinks music as a whole, has changed. He says, “I would say music as a whole, not even just black music. I think music as a whole, is at an all time low. It’s like the artists have allowed the record company and the music business to say what type of record they make. They forgot there one purpose and that is to be creative. Now, if everybody made music like Stevie Wonder then Stevie Wonder would never have been special. You have to have the opposites but I’m coming in contact with a lot of artists that are not getting it. They’re not doing or pushing the thrush hold. They’re not even trying. I’ll give you an example. Journalists be perpetrating this. I’m not going to name no particular magazine but I’ll give you an example. This particular magazine, which is a major publication, they wouldn’t review our album because there was too much singing on it. I’m saying to myself, ‘wow’. Pharoache Monch, J Dilla, Capone-N-Noreaga, Kurupt, Lord Nez, Sa-Ra Mcing. How much more do you need to qualify as a hip-hop album? What kind of message are you sending out? The journalists are the ones that dictate that. They have the hand in saying what shit is wack because kids will pick up the magazine and they won’t see Sa-Ra’s album review in it and the magazine won’t be exposing these kids to other music outside of what’s being pushed on” He goes on, “Its not like that can’t and for the record. What is hip-hop music? Hip-hop music is The Beatles, is Led Zeppelin, it is James Brown. Wack music right now is real wack, because ain’t nobody trying to add or contribute to anything, that’s why its wack music but let me finish my point, there not trying to take wack music into the next level or to the next thing. Puffy was singing on records, now the same magazine that wouldn’t review our CD. There was singing all on the Diddy records and Nates records”

“Of course, these kids are not going to want to aspire to be something better, they won’t want to. They going to stay in the same vein, they keep viewing the same type of music that they think that’s going to make them get on or make them big. That’s kind of like denying that persons will because all of us in some shape or form, we all human, we human and we spiritual, at the same time. We’re spiritual beings experiencing the human experience. When you come in contact with people, your influenced by other people. No matter what kind of cloths you are wearing. If you’re into gangs, this is why people join gangs, because they influenced by other like-minded people. If you go to Church, spiritual people’ll influence you but it’s a different form of spirituality. Your comments and what you project onto other people are affecting other people. If your not giving the people content for them to be exposed to, then your suppressing there will” says an honest regarding the young readers of these music magazines not getting enough musical scope"

“Man, believe in yourself for one", advices Shafiq Husayn. "Not let other people dictate what music your trying to make. You do you. Can’t nobody be better than you. You can only be the best you. No matter how somebody might try to imitate, bite or impersonate you only you can be you. You can be the best example; the best form of yourself and let that translate into the music. That’s the best expression. We using everything. From old formats. I use live drums and drum machines. We use grand pianos, we use synthesizers, we use our hands, we use the Ice Cream truck as it’s going down the street, and we use the sound of birds. We use anything that causes sound vibrations. If we hear sound waves and we can find it, Sa-Ra’s using it. From the latest technology, pro-tools, HP Systems, 303 Rolling Samples, we try to use the old and the new. If it worked in the past then it’s still use able now”

Shafiq Husayn says what he likes to do outside his musical bubble, ”I’m a heavy chess player. I love chess, martial arts and painting. Om’Mas is a world-class chess, he’s a crafts man and he can build anything. Taz is a visionary and a fashion model. Probably the fliest dude on the planet and I can say that about my brother. Trying to raise his kids and be good to the community. I’m the oldest”

“Yes, there’s no information but its all coming. Wer'e actually trying to put together a tour schedule right now. We’ve been there numerous times"

"I would like to say peace to Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Bugz In The Attic, and Daz-I-Kue”

Shafiq Husayn ends this interview on a insightful note.

“I would just like to touch on again like I said. Man, be creative. Stay yourself, be free. Don’t let old thinking dictate how you moving in this new world, you know? Were moving into a whole different phase of consciousness on the planet. Your music, the way you step, and your whole way of life should reflect the same thing, the same movement. Like I said, you can only be the best you, nobody can be another you, there can only be the best you”

Phone Interview by Matthew Daniel

Soulisms 2008