J.J. Brown
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J.J. Brown

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"J.J. Brown - Connect The Dots. - HipHopDx Review (Nov. 2009)"

J.J. Brown - Connect The Dots.
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It’s hard to imagine a better title for J.J. Brown’s new record than Connect the Dots. The main theme of the album seems to be that all music is linked to each other by the people who make it and the people who love it. Brown obviously fits in both categories and he succeeds here in not only stringing together his favorite sounds, but in taking their various parts and building an impressively cohesive whole, a whole that not only speaks to his talent but proves his album’s thesis on the interconnectivity of music correct. While not flawless, the LP is immensely enjoyable, a sustained vibe of aggressive, though not violent, energy carries it and with few exceptions it manages to hold the listener’s attention over the course of its hour running time. Throughout those 60 minutes Brown and a handful of collaborators, most notably longtime conspirator Louis Logic, make stopping points at '60s Bubblegum, '70s Heavy Metal, '80s New York boom bap, '90s G-Funk, Dilla’s '00s oeuvre, and a dozen other places in between. Brown and company want to draw a clear line between all the sounds relating them all back to one basic idea: music, at its most uplifting, is a celebration for those who make it.

The album is riddled with highlights. “The World’s a Stage” takes the music of James Brown and marries to an OutKast sample and accentuates both with strutting piano and irreverent vocal drops. “Frozen Prose,” which shows up in two forms here, features a catchy chorus by Brooklyn Academy's Block McCloud, with colorful production bursting with details from synths and chipmunk Soul croons and faux-sitar plucking and a string sections and more. Eastern tinged guitar and thudding drums make “It” a standout track, as does a sparse production job from Brown, which is complemented by Poison Pen's laid back, side of the mouth delivery. “Watch the Star Shine” could have played out like just another piece of artificial nostalgia-humping, but J.J. Brown’s recreation of Rick Rubin's '80s Def Jam sound make it record. The album's two best tracks are showcases for Brown and Louis Logic, respectively. “You & Me (Bombay)” finds Brown disassembling then reconstructing the Jackson 5’s “ABC” into an ode to the Gin of the song’s title. Brown takes a familiar song and isolates strands of it while highlighting the great drumming of Gene Pello, specifically his cymbal work, and makes a propulsive rhythm track of his own, albeit from already impeccable source material. “He Is I” is Logic’s spotlight moment and he makes the most of it, the track is a G-Funk leaning, Snoop Dogg-quoting platform for Logic to go in and he does not disappoint.

The record, as mentioned, does have some lesser moments. J.J. Brown has a clear and confident flow but with little of consequence behind it and little variation tonally throughout the record. This is isn't a huge problem, as the album’s overall mood is positive and its purpose is to be the soundtrack to your good time. In fact the artist stumbles most often when he tries to tackle overly serious themes. “Fantastic Four” is old school posse cut that features some heavy hitters, but nonetheless breaks up the party-like flow of the album. “Brother In Arms” features great breezy production touches, seventies lite-Funk guitar and mellow electric keys in the background, but Brown’s tale of lost loved ones is incongruous to the beat and the results are a little jarring. Last and least there is “Grand Groove” whose fanciful swirling prog organ sticks out awkwardly against the ham-fisted backing beat while guest Travis McCoy, of Gym Class Heroes, drops some corny lines about sexing your daughter after meeting her on MySpace which could be unsettlingly accurate.

But don’t worry about those missteps as they are easy to skip. The main thing to focus on with Connect The Dots is how good a job J.J. Brown has done creating a record that is an eclectic but cohesive, positive yet forceful celebration of all the music he loves. A lot of artists try to make music out of all their disparate influences. Most of them end up sounding too much like their heroes than themselves. Brown has pulled off the trick of making an album that is clearly indebt to the past but not beholden to it, he made his influences serve him and not the other way around.

Rating: 3.5/5 - http://www.hiphopdx.com


"More News/Press"

For a full listing of press visit the 'news + updates' section of www.5GProductions.com - L. Valbuena


Discography

Full-Length Commercial Releases
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J.J. Brown - Connect The Dots. - Released Nov. 10th, 2009 (Well Done Entertainment)

louis logic & J.J. Brown - Misery Loves Comedy - Released June 6th, 2006 (Fat Beats Records)

Photos

Bio

Veteran DJ and music producer J.J. Brown steps into the limelight on his solo debut full-length Connect The Dots. being released worldwide November 10th, 2009 on Well Done Entertainment in association with 5G Productions.

Armed with over a decade of industry insight, and production credits for artists from the underground hip-hop scene and the mainstream alike, there is no need to wonder why Brown's album garners first-class support from featured guests like multi-platinum seller Gym Class Heroes front man Travis McCoy and pioneering rap legend Craig G.

Connect The Dots., which combines Brown's "golden era" hip-hop sensibility with his eclectic new-age creativity, is sure to earn the attention of all urban music consumers. Visually, the album artwork incorporates hand drawn portraits by Adam Wallenta (the artist responsible for the official Public Enemy line of comic books) of every featured artist on the album. Musically, J.J. Brown calls on Philadelphia power lyricist Reef The Lost Cauze, longtime collaborator louis logic, Bed-Stuy ambassador Poison Pen, the gruff voice behind numerous memorable hip-hop hooks Block McCloud and many more. The lead single and music video, Gender Bender, boasts support from established Canadian rap starlet Eternia and the latest songstress to burst out of New York City's budding Lower East Side pop-fashion scene, Miz Metro.

Of the album title Connect The Dots., Brown explains, "the phrase 'connect the dots' actually comes up a lot in the studio, because 99% of this industry is hustle, and the harder you're grinding, the more people you end up knowing. The real trick is to be clever enough with how you connect all those dots to make yourself a part of the most fruitful network possible for where you're trying to go. My album came together just like that, from every guest appearance to all the VIP's behind the scenes making it happen.

Brown first began connecting dots as a child growing up in New York's entertainment industry. His creative talents were channeled through his charisma in front of the camera, earning him spots in touring theatre, radio commercials and television shows. His impressive childhood acting resume also includes film work, such as bit parts in New York Stories (which found Brown working with renowned director Francis Ford Coppola) and Rocky V. When he wasn't on set, Brown was happy to be a regular kid playing drums in his junior high school marching band alongside best friend and future business partner Dan Maier. Through their formative years, it was a fascination with music and how it's made, that planted the seed for what is now 5G Productions.

The business partnership began to take shape when the two became roommates while attending Penn State University in 1998. Maier's passion for all things technical, combined with Brown's natural albeit unconventional production techniques, lead to the completion of two demo albums that Brown produced and Maier engineered and mixed. The projects featured local talent the two had discovered while spinning records on College Avenue. The newly formed roster of talent included a battle M.C. named R-SON the Voice of Reason, rapper/singer/songwriter the1shanti, and a freestyle fanatic with a knack for punch lines, louis logic.

Out of these early connections came the production duo's first taste of commercial success in 1999, when 12" singles recorded with louis logic and -later that year- the1shanti were picked up and released by budding indie labels Superregular Recordings and Soul Spazm Records respectively, to critical and consumer acclaim. Brown and Maier used their quickly growing resume to open the door to the majors, and in 2000 were granted their first shot at mainstream success producing for Mr. Cheeks (of The Lost Boyz) on his solo debut for Universal Records.

It was during this process that Brown and Maier officially went into business as 5G Productions based out of New York City, and solidified their spot in the hip-hop ranks by releasing work with Apathy, Celph Titled, The Demigodz, Majik Most, Dutch Massive, J-Zone, Poison Pen, Skitzofreniks and numerous other 5G discoveries.

The two also flexed their ability to shape entire albums by executive producing what is widely recognized as an indie rap classic Sin-A-Matic by louis logic, Alcohol/ism by The Odd Couple and the louis logic & J.J. Brown magnum opus Misery Loves Comedy on Fat Beats Records, which set the tone for what is now commonly known as the hybrid rap sound (blending multiple genres into one seamless product.) This was a milestone for logic and Brown, as it was the first time they were presented as an official group with Dan "The Deacon" Maier as sole engineer and mixer.

J.J. and Danny continued showcasing their talents with two remix albums starting with Re-Release Therapy, on which the two innovatively matched up the vocals from the Grammy award-winning Ludacris album Release Therapy with beats constructed solely