afar

Although hip-hop is the most vibrant and lively music in the world, it’s ironically missing one crucial element: live music. Enter AFAR. With artists like OutKast, Ludacris and Lil’ Jon dominating the pop charts, Atlanta hip-hop has become the soundtrack of America. Now, Atlanta-based hip-hop band AFAR is defining the sound of hip-hop, one that is quickly dominating the musical landscape. AFAR is sonically complete--a five piece band including members with jazz, gospel, and R&B backgrounds--and rightfully so. When you think of the music of hip-hop, you think of a confluence of genres. The ear recalls the rock guitar driven soundscapes of Rick-Rubin produced Run-DMC or Jay-Z sampling The Doors for “The Takeover.” You savor the jazzy piano behind the best of A Tribe Called Quest or Common. The gospel sonics supporting Mary J. Blige. The R&B grooves of The Neptunes. Imagine all of these styles melding in one song, one band. That is AFAR music. The band is currently recording its eponymous second CD, playing gigs throughout the world with AFAR lyricist Jahah, and even backing up other rappers, the way The Roots did for Jay-Z’s Unplugged concert. Besides live music, AFAR combines two other concepts that are often woefully absent from hip-hop: unity and education. The five members conduct workshops at schools to teach children that in this era of electronic music, the source of it all is live instrumentation. And it gets no more basic, fundamental, nor utterly essential than AFAR. Indeed, AFAR is here to school all listeners on how real hip-hop music sounds. ***** In summing up the different live sounds of AFAR, drummer Che says “The more you have, the more flavor you have. It’s the new spice.” In the title of their 1996 album, A Tribe Called Quest aptly defined hip-hop as beats, rhymes and life. Now, AFAR has redefined hip-hop as music, rhymes and life.