Recently I became embroiled in the controversy involving trumpet player Nicholas Payton and his latest release "Bitches." A less than stellar review on my behalf caused as a former editor so eloquently described a "shitstorm" so I acted on a decision long in the works and walked away from two different publications as a contributing critic. To be fair this "storm" was a gathering cloud nationally while my review ignited a firestorm in the jazz community. Leathers is a virtuoso artist, a soulful improvisational musical poet. Leathers is not an individual that often operates with a sense of self absorbed entitlement as though he somehow holds the cultural keys to the kingdom based on jazz legends he never knew and a race card that causes others to aristically fold before their talent is fully realized. Brandon Leathers faces more struggles than the average artist.
Brandon Leathers would be the polar opposite of Payton. A Christian rap artist seeking not just the cultural keys to the kingdom for personal gain but the keys to a greater kingdom for the common good. Rap? Jazz? The common thread that ties these two cultural art forms together is not race and not that rap can easily be considered improvisational poetry thus establishing a firm commonality but instead a creative desire to open ones heart for the enjoyment of others.
While making some strides in gaining national attention, Leathers was forced to take a step back for health reasons. Currently waiting for a kidney donor, Leathers takes the pragmatic approach of simply playing the hand he has been dealt but is staging his own comeback in the world of Christian Rap. Music with a powerful message. The words of Leathers are of unification and a belief in a better world that he has found through his own spirituality rather than a road of anger, divisiveness and hate.
What do I know about rap? I look for compelling back stories. My personal knowledge of rap starts with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and for the most part stops with the more commercial flavorings of RUN DMC. I have a greater knowledge of differential calculus than I do rap but I know a genuine artist when I see one.
Neither Myspace nor Reverbnation allows for a direct video link here but check out the two embedded links below for a taste of what Brandon has to offer.
Brandon's brother Lawrence is a much sought after drummer on the vibrant New York jazz scene and appreciates that an artist must indeed take baby steps as he tries to climb the musical mountain.
From Brandon:
here in the Lansing/ Michigan area charts I came in at 21 out of 50
and in 5 days have jumped to #2
with hopes of taking over #1 within the next few days
and right now in the top 2000 nationally and the top 3000 internationally
so we will see what God wants to do..... :)
At a time when self indulgent art and artists seem to be eating up more time and space than should reasonably be allowed, Brandon Leathers takes the more honest old school approach of having his art built on a foundation of character and truth. Brandon Leathers is an artist comfortable with who he is and where he is going, his rock is a rock far more solid than one where you could rest a Grammy.
