King E : J-Live/Roy Ayers "The Hear After" remix project

Still one of the best wordsmiths in the game today, J-Live seems to have hit a stumbling block when it comes to his ear for beats. He was once making music that was light years ahead of his peers with production from DJ Premier, DJ Spinna, Pete Rock, and 88 Keys amongst other greats and devout subscribers are dying for him to make a return to his classic days of old.

Many believe the junior full-length effort The Hear After was when J-Live started to slip. To the rescue came King E out of Springdale, Pennsylvania with a project that takes this album's acapellas over samples from Roy Ayers.

If you aren't familiar with Roy Ayers, your musical palate is pretty much malnutritioned. He's a master on the vibraphone and a genius producer/arranger/conductor in his own right as his music has always been chock full of soul, harmony, rhythm and all around goodness. If you're worth your weight in classic Hip-Hop knowledge, E Rule's "Listen Up" was a loop of Roy Ayers' hugest hit sped up. Ed O.G. and The Bulldogs' "Be A Father To Your Child"? Roy Ayers.

This project was a treat for me, as I knew most of the songs that were sampled. But even if you're unfamiliar you should wind up enjoying this as the blending of vocals and beats sound great.

Enjoy.