Living Colour have announced their EP Mixtape will be released on September 9. The EP is based on the rock group’s reinvention of Notorious B.I.G’s “Who Shot Ya” by producer Andre Betts. Betts’s remix features verses by Chuck D., Prodigal Sunn, Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch and Kyle Mansa. Listen to the track below.
The group members haven’t been afraid to speak up politically in the past, and were inspired to remix “Who Shot Ya” by the ongoing issue of gun violence and police brutality in the U.S. Of the project, guitarist Vernon Reid stated
“Our version of ‘Who Shot Ya’ was initially an organic outgrowth of pure fandom for the work of the brilliant Christopher Wallace. Corey [Glover, vocals] would frequently sing the song during soundcheck, so we worked it up. But tragically Biggie’s question has taken on new and urgent significance over the last year. The amount of people who die on a daily basis because of gun violence is unacceptable in a civilized society. The disproportionate use of deadly force in communities of color is equally unacceptable in a civilized society. It inspired the idea to reach out to some of the most provocative voices in hip-hop to invite them to add their words to the track. We all feel paralyzed as to how we can meaningfully affect change, but at the least we can keep our voices raised in solidarity and not let this plight fade into the background until it happens again.”
Living Colour have been touring this summer alongside Dinosaur Jr. and Jane’s Addiction. They will be performing at AfroPunk Fest next week in Brooklyn. The group is also working on their first full length album since 2009 titled Shade, which will be out in early 2017.
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