Forthcoming album to be released September 29, 2017

No Bad News (feat. Tony Allen, Kiara Lanier, Legit)

Cut the Infection (feat. Tony Allen, Oranmiyan)

The first single from  #WhatGoesUp drops today: "Race Hustle."

It was 2014. The number of unarmed black people killed by cops didn't seem to end. The Michael Brown killing in Ferguson was an immediate catalyst for the lyrics, written and performed by JC Brooks of the  JC Brooks​ Band. The tune isn't just about those murders. It's about people of color feeling like they have to work twice as hard for the same thing. About feeling like they have to be over-the-top respectful just to preserve their lives. And yet, they are still disproportionately exposed to violence from the police. 

The music itself was written first with that that looping horn intro and heavy snare/kick pattern. Kevin's horn lines were supplemented with a notable twist from Xaves. Dave wrote the heavy synth'd out pre-chorus section to be played twice as fast, and it was then cut into half-time with Garrick's suggestion. It made the tune more dramatic. It fit.

"Race Hustle" then evolved organically as all our tunes do. We performed it live until we headed into the studio with Tony. When he locked in with the main groove, it had to be the first single. 

#WhatGoesUp drops 9/29.

Race Hustle (feat. Tony Allen, J.C. Brooks)

Jose Marquez kills this remix of "I No Know" feat. Tony Allen and Ugochi. Check it!

What Goes Up Remixes

I No Know (Jose Marquez Afro-House No Go Die Mix)

"BMW" appears on the band's original 2005 self-titled release.

This reinterpretation of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues (Makes Ya Wanna Holler)" appears on Chicago Afrobeat Project's fourth studio effort "Nyash UP!" to be released in February, 2013.

Inner City Blues Makes Ya Wanna Holler (Marvin Gaye)

About

The story of Chicago Afrobeat Project begins a short 15 years ago. In 2002, a group of musicians sharing a common interest in West African rhythms met to jam in a West side artist loft on Chicago’s Lake Street. Quickly they realized that mixing afrobeat with Chicago house, indie rock, hiphop, or jazz opened new avenues for experimentation. Something clicked. The group had found a collective calling.

Fast-forward 15 years, hundreds of tour dates, and four studio releases, and the group has found ways of interpreting afrobeat through American urban sounds. Through it all, CAbP has been at the center of the emergence of the North American afrobeat scene. In its newest release, What Goes Up (September 29, 2017) the band features special guest and legendary innovative drummer Tony Allen, as well as many Chicago vocalists and MCs.

Allen, once exclaimed by Brian Eno as “perhaps the greatest drummer who ever lived,” plays kit on all 10 tracks, recording his signature beats behind the band and vocalists. This collaboration makes Chicago Afrobeat Project the first American band to produce a full-length studio record with Tony Allen.

Taking the vocal helm on the album are Akenya (Noname, Chance the Rapper), JC Brooks, Kiara Lanier, Legit (Chance the Rapper), Ugochi, Oranmiyan and Rico Sisney/Maggie Vagle (Sidewalk Chalk). The band’s new vocal-laden approach makes the songs of What Goes Up concise and intentional, and markedly different from CAbP’s prior recordings.

A staple of the American live music scene for years, the band’s live show now combines its historically instrumental style with the new vocal approach. Crowds feed off the spontaneity of the soloists and enthusiasm of the band.

Chicago Afrobeat Project has been a 100% independent artist since day one, with its new release What Goes Up following suit.

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