On June 8th, the incomparable duo of Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge will release their long-awaited album, The Midnight Hour.
Originally started back in 2013, Ali and Younge set the project aside so they could work on the score for Marvel’s Luke Cage series on Netflix. And with the second season premiering June 22nd, the timing couldn’t be better for them to finally get the music to the masses.
An ode to the cultural sophistication that the Harlem Renaissance established for its people, The Midnight Hour is “black excellence” in every sense of the phrase—combining soul, jazz and hip-hop to reignite the conversations started by yesterday’s jazz and funk pioneers; those that created the bedrock of samples for hip-hop producers in the 80s/90s.
For the lead single, Ali and Younge have teamed up with CeeLo Green for the soulful “Questions.” It’s a song Kendrick Lamar fans should recognize, as the Compton rapper decided to sample an early demo of it for To Pimp A Butterfly, before eventually including it on untitled unmastered as “untitled 06 (06.30.2014).”
Check out the tracklist and vibe out to “Questions” below. Pre-orders for Midnight Hour are available now.
- “Black Beacon”
- “Mare” f. Ladybug Mecca
- “It’s You” f. Raphael Saadiq
- “Questions” f. CeeLo Green
- “So Amazing” f. Luther Vandross
- “Gate 54”
- “Do It Together” f. Bilal
- “Redneph in B Minor”
- “Better Endeavor”
- “Smiling For Me” f. Karolina
- “Don’t Keep Me Waiting” f. Marsha Ambrosius
- “Bitches Do Voodoo” f. Angela Muno
- “Possibilities” f. Eryn Allen Kane
- “Mission”
- “Dans Un Moment D’errance” f. Laetitia Sadier, Questlove & Keyon Harrold
- “Love is Free” f. Eryn Allen Kane
- “Together Again” f. No I
- “Feel Alive” f. Karolina & Loren Oden
- “There Is No Greater Love” f. Loren Oden & Saudia Yasmein
- “Ravens”
