专辑简介

“There’s black people in Portland?” As a black man from Portland, Oregon, I have been asked that question over a million times! Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but it does happen quite a bit. Until I got older and obtained more exposure, I honestly didn’t realize how small the black population of Portland was in comparison to the whole - less than 2% to be more precise. What is amazing, however, is that a city with such a small urban population possesses so much musical talent in the urban genres of hip-hop and R&B.

Throughout my travels, I noticed that my hometown had an abundance of under-represented urban talent as compared to other cities - even those with much larger urban communities. Based on this observation, I decided to compile an album featuring some of the best talent in Portland and market and promote it independently in order to provide exposure to an otherwise unknown region in the field of urban music – Portland, Oregon. Hence, the release of the “Rose City Players Club - Volume One” back in 1998.

Over the past 16 years, there have been considerable changes in the quality of urban music. It seems to have lost some of its soul and authenticity along the way. The level of urban musical talent in Portland, however, hasn’t. In fact, many believe it has improved! “Rose City Players Club - Volume One” exposed many artists to fans that would have been impossible to reach otherwise. However, back then social media did not exist. Today’s current social media environment allows for so much more exposure than previously available during the release of the first volume. The time is right for Volumes II and III of the “Rose City Players Club!”

If you’re a fan of good urban music, stay tuned for the release of volumes II and III of the “Rose City Players Club” compilation series and experience the latest in undiscovered talent from the great City of Roses aka Portland, Oregon.