Listen: Alissia: Hypnotic Night Feat. Nile Rodgers & EARTHGANG
Credit: Enmi Yang
Musician, artist, and producer Alissia has released her debut single, “Hypnotic Night,” featuring Nile Rodgers and EARTHGANG. The single straddles the worlds of funk, hip-hop, and R&B, held together by a groove instigated by Alissia’s bass. It is a big year for the artist who has made history as the ninth woman to be nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The honor comes after years of working with the likes of anderson.paak, Coco Jones, Kaytranada, Calvin Harris, Cee-Lo Green, Mary J. Blige and more. She also had the blessing to be recognized by Prince, Quincy Jones, and Bootsy Collins, the latter of whom she earned her first executive producer credit for work on his World Wide Funk album. Alissia has also shared behind-the-scenes footage of her working with Rodgers and EARTHGANG in the studio on “Hypnotic Night.” Check out the single via Amazon and see the BTS video below.
Throwback: Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan: Stop On By
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, covered Bobby Womack’s “Stop On By” for their 1974 album, Rufusized. The band had broken through with their sophomore album, Rags to Rufus, thanks to the Stevie Wonder composition “Tell Me Something Good” and “You Got The Love,” written by Khan and Ray Parker Jr. They didn’t want to lose their momentum so they quickly recorded Rufusized. Womack and Truman Thomas wrote “You’re Welcome, Stop On By,” which appeared on Womack’s 1974 album, Lookin’ for a Love Again. Commercially speaking, Rufusized was driven by the singles “Once You Get Started” and “Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me Of A Friend)” leaving the band’s cover of “Stop On By” as an album cut. Black radio played the song during night programming and fans were happy to compare both versions since they came out the same year.
Rufusized went platinum and hit the Top Ten on the pop and R&B charts. Their third album announced their arrival as a certified mainstream attraction and tour headliner. Rufus dissolved after their 1983 final studio album, Seal in Red. Chaka Khan had started her solo career in 1978 and those obligations made her role in Rufus difficult. Khan released her 11th studio album, Hello Happiness, in 2019. In 2023, Chaka Khan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Khan is part of The Queens Tour lineup with Stephanie Mills, Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight kicking off in the spring of 2025.
Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and Stephanie Mills Going On Tour Together
Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, and Stephanie Mills are going on The Queens Tour together. The singing legends will kick off their history-making songfest in May. They will wrap up the first string of dates in June and the second half of the tour will start in September. The four legends are excited to bring their songfest to fans who have loved them and followed their careers for decades. They had a resurgence in popularity during their appearances in the Verzuz online showcase during the pandemic. All of them shared their excitement in statements from a press release:
“Sharing the stage with my amazing sisters is an absolute honor,” says Chaka Khan. “Music is about connection, and this will be a celebration of the joy, power, and love that it brings to us all.”
“I am so excited to join these icons, who I call sisters, on this tour! It’s going to be something special. And I can’t wait to see everyone there,” states Patti Labelle.
“I’m excited to tour with my beautiful sisters! Our different styles unite in love, compassion, and understanding, and it’s important to come together now. Performing with Chaka, Patti, and Gladys for you will be electrifying. We can’t wait to see you,” says Stephanie Mills
Roy Ayers died March 4th in New York City at the age of 84 after a long illness. Ayers’ work as a vibraphonist, composer, and producer is always cited as a wellspring of the Acid Jazz scene of the ’90s. The Los Angeles native came from a musical family and was blessed with his first pair of mallets at the age of five from legendary jazz vibes player Lionel Hampton. He started his career in the ’60s playing bebop but his work on the 1973 film Coffy, starring Pam Grier, took him into the direction of funk and R&B. The discovery of his sonic home was informed by a desire to put a happy feeling into all of music.
The reinvention of his sound produced several key albums from Ayers in the ’70s and ’80s, including Mystic Voyage, Everybody Loves The Sunshine, You Send Me, and Africa, Center Of The World. Jazz players like Miles Davis and Weather Report opted for a more rock-oriented sound in their fusion. Others, like Lou Donaldson, blended jazz with blues and soul. Ayers had found a style somewhere between funk, R&B and jazz that was more accessible to the average listener. This sensibility was picked up on by people like Jamiroquai, Sade, The Brand New Heavies, Omar, Erykah Badu, and Digable Planets. When he named his band Ubiquity in the ’70s, he achieved the goal of being everywhere with an influence on every artist that tapped into feel-good grooves from the jazz, funk, and soul nucleus.
In the ’80s, he appeared on Rick James’ Throwin Down album and produced Sylvia Striplin’s much-loved debut album, Give Me Your Love. Ayers released new music in the ’90s and several popular compilations came out, including the Polydor Anthology. He also managed to have his vibes heard on two of the decade’s seminal albums: the Red Hot Organization’s Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool and Guru’s Jazzmatazz Vol. 1. In the 2000s, he started working with house music artists, including Masters At Work and Kerri Chandler. His connection to rap made it to another generation with an appearance on Tyler, The Creator’s 2015 Cherry Bomb album. Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge fulfilled their wish and had Ayers on a 2020 release from their Jazz Is Dead project. Ayers’ reach continues to grow because he is one of the most sampled artists. His last collection as a leader was Mahogany Vibe, which was his 40th studio album released in 2004.
