The Midnight Hour

Biography

Ali Shaheed Muhammed (of A Tribe Called Quest) and Adrian Younge are two of the most respected composers in hip-hop. They first collaborated in 2013 on the Souls of Mischief album There Is Only Now before tackling the score for Marvel’s Luke Cage.

The Midnight Hour is a guest-heavy affair described as “an ode to the cultural sophistication that the Harlem Renaissance established for its people.” The 20-track record explores the jazz, soul, and funk sounds that became the bedrock on which producers in the ’80s and ’90s built hip-hop. Muhammed and Younge gathered a jazz rhythm section and a full orchestra in the studio, as well as guest contributors including Raphael Saadiq, Marsha Ambrosius, Bilal, Eryn Allen Kane, Questlove, and more. There’s even a reimagining of Luther Vandross’ 1986 single “So Amazing” that reuses the original vocal stems.

Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.