Brockton rapper ET and Boston artist/producer Haasan Barclay’s mixtape, “Bell Biv Barclay” is a love letter to Boston and an homage to the new jack swing era.
Teddy Riley, pioneer of new jack swing, was at the center of a sonic vortex of inspiration for Barclay, whose earliest music memories included Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” and Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard to Tell.” Riley produced Jackson’s “Remember the Time,” and remixed Jackson’s “Human Nature” (also sampled in Nas’ ”It Ain’t Hard to Tell”) for SWV’s “Right Here.”
“Connecting those dots at a young age was a major moment in the development of my musical ear,” Barclay says.
The seven-track tape blends Barclay’s nostalgic, sample-driven production with ET’s unpredictable, charismatic flow to cover quite a bit of ground, from the spaced out swagger of “$sleeeeeep” to the California sounds of “PINK & BLU” to the backseat energy of “FRITO LAY.”
The release was a long time coming for Barclay and ET, who initially connected for a collaboration on a Camp Blood song, Barclay’s hardcore rap project. Although it didn’t pan out, the two stayed in touch over the years and finally united to pen a love letter to their home city.
“A love letter to Boston is audaciously black, vulnerable, and boisterous,” Barclay said. Asked what a literal letter would read, “Thank you for providing me with the education, the soul and the soil to be my truest self,” he said.
“Bell Biv Barclay” is streaming everywhere Friday, but you can hear it first at the CS Indie.
Haasan Barclay’s local recommendations:
Rilla Force
Doc Lek
Maka Oceania
Ryan DiLello is a musician and writer based in Somerville. You can submit your music for coverage by annoying him at a show or emailing ryan.hearfirst@gmail.com.
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