Bless the Mad

Released in 2020 and pressed on vinyl in 2021, Bless the Mad aka Ibrahem Hasan and Matthew Rivera’s self-titled debut is a tribute to Chicago and its rich musical and cultural history. Much like the album cover, Hasan and Rivera’s production takes a record diggers collage style approach, connecting the dots of Black music history from blues, jazz, gospel, soul, to R&B, funk, and hip-hop. References to Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, Phil Cohran, DJ Premiere, J Dilla, and other greats appear across the album’s 14 tracks, but while this might seem like just another sample-heavy hip-hop album, trust that it’s not – the beats here are fresh and recorded almost entirely from scratch by a community of deeply talented musicians from Hasan’s current home, Brooklyn.

Recommended – Full Listen