JFHP-5 Generations Oakland-based True Vibe Records has launched its music to greater heights with the release of its new album titled JFHP-5 Generations. As the titled suggests, this project showcases a diverse collective of San Francisco Bay Area conscious hip hop and spoken word artists, vocalists, and musicians who span five decades in age-bridging the generation gap. According to TVR producer/ owner Bill Jackson, this marks the fifth in a series of albums pioneering a musical genre called Jazz Funk Hip HoPoetry, a term coined by Bay Area poet/ spoken word legend Paradise (AKA Richard Moore). On this album, you can hear the influence of Common, Mos Def, Brand New Heavies, Gil Scott-Heron, Eryka Badu, to name a few. This ambitious project brings masterful fusion of Conscious Hip Hop, R & B, Jazz Funk, Spoken Word, Latin, and Blues. This album kicks off festive vibes while putting a positive spin on under served Black and Brown communities with its lead track featuring veteran Bay Area hip hop star D Labrie the E.O.G. (East Oakland’s Greatest) AKA “Mr. Network” on a new remix of “To the Flow,” an upbeat conscious hip hop song celebrating Oakland in particular, and the San Francisco Bay Area in general. Over the jazz funk beat, he tells a story about vibrant people enjoying fun times and makes sure folks know that Oaklanders, who work hard and play hard, also feel empowered to stand up for social justice. In addition, D Labrie gives a snapshot into the life of an upcoming conscious hip hop artist and pays tribute to Bay Area sports teams—especially those which have won championships this decade. Listeners get a special treat when they dig two slammin’ solos by powerhouse tenor saxophonist John Patrick Douglas. Talented vocalists Caley Kenny, Vendetta Jeanjacques, and Bill Jackson sing background The second track, “I Love Everything About You, But You,” is a brand-new version of spoken word icon Paradise’s provocative signature piece, which he has performed on BET (Black Entertainment Television). He sings, raps, and delivers spoken word with comedic wit and political satire on this social protest song to criticize America’s White power structure and its exploitation of African people, their talents, valuable assets, world contributions, and the way this power structure continually refuses to accept Black people collectively as first-class citizens in the USA. Progressive-minded listeners will love both the short and long versions of this controversial and thought-provoking song. Noted Bay Area rapper-producer Naru contends that, “this is one of the best songs ever written!” KPFA Radio’s Greg Bridges (in Berkeley) calls it, “the New International Black Anthem!” Percussionist extraordinaire Babatunde Lea asserts that, “it’s the Song of the Century!” Legendary Chuck D of Public Enemy fame chimes it, “that says it all!” Bay Area femcee Beastella proclaims, “Paradise has forever been dope!” “Master Peace” treats listeners to the smooth, melodic stylings of veteran tenor saxophonist John Patrick Douglas. During this mellow Latin Jazz gem, you can hear the melodies, styles, and rhythms reminiscent of late musicians Wes Montgomery, Stan Getz, Mongo Santamaria, and the still vibrant Poncho Sanchez. John Patrick Douglas is a distinguished bandleader who has played with many and various groups, including the Afrofunk Experience, Groove Doctors, and Rene Escovedo (of the famous Bay Area Escovedo family, which includes Rene’s Uncle Pete and Cousin Sheila E). The fourth track, “He-Done-Ism,” takes you to the sinister underworld of hard-core drinking, drugging, pornography, prostitution, and gambling. Once again D Labrie runs it down, telling a story about people caught up in self-destructive situations before seeing the light and finding peace of mind in recovery from addictions. D Labrie, who often tours the U.S. and abroad (including South Korea), is a representative of Hip Hop Congress, a politically active non-profit organization very influential with young people. Female hip hop artist Kalizay, originally from El Salvador, is featured on the fifth track with her sultry “Mucha Alegria,” a jam that takes you on a mellow Latin groove describing fun times in Chicano culture. This song also pays a brief tribute to Mexican-American heroes such as Delores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, and Stanford University Heisman Trophy winner and former star Oakland Raider Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jim Plunkett. Other tracks include: “Afro-Cuban Sax Brothers” featuring Ben Ball on alto sax and piano, Dave Ellis on tenor sax, and Bill Norwood on percussion; “Ain’t Yo’ Mama Black” featuring Paradise at his best rendering spoken word; “Bold and Beautiful” featuring songstress extraordinaire Shavone Pickett, premiere Bay Area hip hop diva Keldamuzik, and virtuoso alto and soprano saxophonist Ben Ball; “The Chili Is Hot” featuring Ben Ball on alto sax and keyboard; “Give It All U Got!” featuring lead vocalists Brianii Savage and Bill Jackson, Spanish and English hip hop by Kalizay, spoken word by Paradise; and an uptempo version of Charles Brown’s classic song “Merry Christmas Baby,” featuring the incredible classic soul vocalist Rufus Wonder. Professional recording studio The Wally Sound raised this project to peak quality as veteran engineer Wally McClellan recorded, edited, mixed, and mastered the album tracks. The artistically-gifted Aidan O’Flynn illustrated the impressive portraits of artists on the album front cover and designed the rest of the graphics. For more information, visit the True Vibe Records website at www.trueviberecords.com