RASHAD thaPOET, S-WRAP AND THE VARSITY
RELEASE “NEW DAY” MUSIC VIDEO
“New Day” Is From The Recently Released Spoken Word Poetry Album The Other Side Too
“It’s not every day you hear iconic award ambitions articulated so clearly”
- No Country For New Nashville
Featured by Magnetic Magazine, Nashville Scene,
No Country For New Nashville, and WNXP 91.1 FM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 17, 2022) - Nashville spoken word and hip-hop artists Rashad thaPoet Rayford, Saran ‘S-Wrap’ Thompson and producer trio The Varsity (Adrian Taylor, Kyle Hicks and Michael B. Hicks) are releasing the music video for “New Day,” the current single from their recently released spoken word poetry album The Other Side Too today.
“New Day” ushers in a poignant reminder that every day is an opportunity for a fresh start. The music video was directed by Jasmin “Shubey” Shuler and was filmed at multiple locations in North Nashville including the Jefferson Street Sound Museum (JSSM). The video celebrates Nashville's African American arts and culture, Jefferson Street’s historic legacy in music and showcases a mural by Artist Sir Joshua Black. Community leaders including Lorenzo Washington, founder and curator of the sound museum and Clemmie Greenlee, the founder of Nashville Peacemakers also make an appearance.
View the music video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkQ_1kICbg4
The Other Side Too follows the release of their spoken word poetry album The Other Side, lauded by the Nashville Scene as “an interconnected collection of uplifting pieces about a journey to finding peace and purpose, built atop a musical foundation of psychedelic soul.” The Other Side was part of a larger movement (100 Griots Movement) led by Recording Academy leaders and fellow spoken word poets to rally 100 submissions in order to split the Best Spoken Word Album category, and distinguish true spoken word projects from projects dedicated solely to audio book and/or narration. The last true-to-form spoken word poet to win the category was nearly 30 years ago.
With much success, this year marks the first-ever award for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, which honors excellence and spoken word albums, specific to the performance of poetry with or without music, a category formerly dominated by audio books. Read more (HERE).
S-Wrap and Rashad thaPoet spoke in depth with Magnetic Magazine about the influence of spoken word poetry, and their collaboration with producer trio The Varsity, read more here: https://www.magneticmag.com/2022/10/how-to-write-spoken-word-for-music-production/
Listen to The Other Side Too here: https://swrap.lnk.to/theothersidetoo
About S-Wrap
S-Wrap is an international Hip-Hop/Spoken Word artist based out of Nashville whose lyrical style and unique cadence sets him apart from his peers. His vivid wordplay, dynamic spoken word, and conscious subject matter paves the way for his eclectic sound. He has worked with respected artists and producers such as Michael Franti, Elan Morrison, Derek Minor, nobigdyl., Stelth of The Lumineers, the Flobots, and many more. He continues to raise the bar and set new standards in the hip-hop community.
About Rashad Rayford
Featured by the Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Huffington Post, The Tennessean and the Nashville Scene, Rayford is an 8-time Nashville Industry Music Awards (NIMA) winner and a 3-time SEA nominee (Southern Entertainment Awards) including a nomination for Southern Artist Of the Year (2018). As a speaker, his work earned him the honor of presenting aTEDTalk atTEDX Nashville. He’s also curated a curriculum on Civil Rights and Spoken Word/Hip-Hop for the Downtown Public Library in Nashville. He now leads workshops on Hip-Hop for The National Museum Of African American Music (NMAAM) and is a mentor for Southern Word, teaching literacy in schools using spoken word. RTP graced the stage with Nick Caveas as a part of his FEAT. series and opened the second annual Black Music Honors show, featuring artists such as The Jacksons, Guy, Oleta Adams, Slick Rick and Donnie McClurkin among others.
About The Varsity
Taking its cues from production teams like Organized Noize,The Soul Council, and 1500 or Nothin’,producers Kyle Hicks, Mike Hicks and AdrianTaylor came together in 2021 to form The Varsity — a full-service music production cooperative for artists, creatives and businesses. The team’s primary focus is on delivering first-rate hip-hop, soul and R&B music production. Between the three of them, Mike, Adrian and Kyle have accompanied, toured with or worked alongside a host of artists across many genres — the likes of which include Rascal Flatts, Pharrell,PJ Morton, Murs, Little BigTown,Taj Mahal, Propaganda, Keb Mo, Lauren Daigle, LeAnn Rimes anda score of others.
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