A new supergroup called Dinner Party, featuring Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, and 9th Wonder, has released its first single, “Freeze Tag”. The cross-genre pairing of musicians will release a self-titled debut album on July 10th.
While this grouping of musicians might seem random, they actually have an intertwined history dating back decades. Washington and Martin attended high school together and met Glasper at jazz camp. Martin and Glasper are both members of jazz fusion outfit R+R=Now, Washington was featured on Martin’s protest song “Pig Feet”, and Glasper, Washington, and Martin all contributed to Kendrick Lamar‘s 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. The final piece of the equation was rapper 9th Wonder.
In the song, which also features singer Phoelix, a smooth R&B beat counts off to an idyllic guitar loop as the vocals come in. The mellow mood of “Freeze Tag” is conversely paired with lyrics that depict that harsh realities of racial inequality in the United States that led to the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Even as the horn section comes in for what would otherwise be considered just another chill groove, the lyrics paint the picture of a grim reality: “They told me put my hands up behind my head/I think they got the wrong one/I’m sick and tired of runnin’/I been searchin’ where the love went/I been lookin’ for a dove/Then they told me if I move, they gon’ shoot me dead.”
Listen to “Freeze Tag”, the first single from Dinner Party. The group’s self-titled, debut album is available on July 10th, scroll down to see the full track listing.
Dinner Party — “Freeze Tag”
[Video: Sounds of Crenshaw]
[H/T Consequence of Sound]