From the moment The Liquid Crystal Project begins, you know that J Rawls is on to something. The same type of something Bradford Marsalis, Guru and Jay Dee were on when Buckshot LeFonque, Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 and Welcome 2 Detroit hit the masses—receptiveness matched with a little bit of confusion, which equaled a whole lotta vision on their part.

With an amazing track record for working with such hip-hop luminaries as Masta Ace and the Beastie Boys, J Rawls has the unique ability to incorporate the right amount of elements that can transform a song into that song: Think back to your reaction when “Brown Skin Lady” came through the speakers…Nuff said.

Rawls’ latest release follows his two other solo undertakings, The Essence of J. Rawls (2001) and The Essence of Soul (2006), which have generated universal admiration for his process as a producer and extensive catalog as a musical connoisseur. Fusing the old with the new, “A Tribute to Troy” takes you back—either to Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s timeless 1992 single “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) or the infectious musings found on Tom Scott’s classic “Today.” Whatever your point of entry to The Liquid Crystal Project, be it the head nod heavy “Remember When“ and “Still Takin it EZ” or the multi-layered “So Fly” and “Tribute to Dilla,” you will be schooled. Not just on the extensive history on the art of sampling and the argument that the 1990s were a great time for hip-hop, but that there may possibly be something new under the sun.

Embodying the image of re-defined cool and re-imagined swing, The Liquid Crystal Project emerges as a seamless musical offering of the best smooth jazz and hip-hop has to offer.