A New Bloom

I mentioned discovering Wynton Marsalis’ other musically inclined relatives after digging into his discography. However, I came to know his brother Branford from a different path.

The name Buckshot LeFonque goes back farther than the group B. Marsalis put together to Cannonball Adderly. However, as my love of hip-hop continued to fuel the vestiges of fire in my weary soul in 1994, this album was life. I cried (notice a theme over these days?) more than once as I sang along with songs like ‘Another Day’ and wanted to dash off and join the Panthers as I boiled over the news story that inspired ‘Breakfast @ Denny’s’.

The video was directed by Spike Lee and features DJ Premier on the one-and-two (or for my Don Cornelius fans, on the wheels of steel).

I think I played the cassette of this until the tape melted in my car … It remains a favorite as well, not just for the innovative mix for its time of jazz and hip-hop, but for the social relevance of various tunes therein.