Freddie Gibbs + Madlib - Crime Pays (Troy Davis Flip)

The Tidd E Song

S&S rough draft

DOWN

spend it flip

2018 cover of Paper Hearts by Tori Kelly.

This is the first thing I ever recorded on my own in the studio. I laid the guitar, arranged all the background vocals, engineered the sessions and even did a bit of mixing. I loved the emotion I could feel listening to it but I stopped in the mixing/mastering process because I couldn’t move past some of the vocal and recording “mistakes” I was hearing. A good friend kept encouraging me to release it but I was so hard on myself and eventually decided not to. 

Some days ago while I was going through my archives I was reminded of this song and went to listen to it. I found that everything I loved about it was still there and there wasn’t much I disliked at all. The parts of it that do stick out to me, or to the trained ear, are things I have so much grace for. I was learning and doing really amazing for my first time. 

My production skills have grown sooooo much since then but it was cool hearing my start. To hear pieces of myself that I’ve kept with me through stylistic choices — my instincts when it comes to arranging vocals and the overall feel and emotion I like my music to evoke in the listener. I’m proud of my growth AND I wish I was more proud of myself then, instead of letting “mistakes” get in the way of my creativity … it’s all part of the creative journey. 

So I’m releasing this almost ten years later for her because she deserved more appreciation and grace.

HUMPDAY

WizardKel

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