Even if only by its very name – Brown – this Québec hip-hop project is one more example of an unavoidable truth: the province, just as the country as a whole, is increasingly culturally diverse. The trio is composed of bothers Gregory (a.k.a. Dead Obies’ Snail Kid) and David Beaudin (a.k.a. Jam) – who collaborate with K6A and Alaclair Ensemble, to name but a few – and their father Robin Kerr of Uprising. Their first eponymous album is slated for release on Jan. 22, 2016, on the 7e ciel imprint.
“We started with a song titled ‘Brown,’” explains Gregory. “But it didn’t even make the album’s final cut. It encompassed the basic concept that we kept refining, but everything was there – the genetic and cultural legacy of our mom and dad. The meeting of influences was the true starting point of it all: being born of a white, Francophone mom and a black, Jamaican dad.
“When we started brainstorming on this project, discussions about the Québec charter of values were just starting and it provoked a lot of reactions at home. We decided to tackle the issue head on, and out of that came the 12 songs on the album.”
Musically influenced as much by current hip-hop – thanks to the input of notorious Dead Obies beatmakers Toast Dawg and VNCE – as by 70s psychedelic rock, where Brown also borrows its visual signature. The album’s tracks were produced by Sébastien Blais-Montpetit, and are mainly built around the father’s commanding voice.
“He truly is able to sing on anything,” says Gregory. “Whether it’s reggae, dancehall,or rock, his voice is like butter. We were really happy!” He adds that no one knows if the project will have a life beyond this album.
“We didn’t start a band, it’s just a moment we captured on an album,” he says. “We’ll see what happens with the album and what’s next. We have other projects with my dad, we’d love to produce a solo album of his… We’ll see!”