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PlantLife is more than a group, it’s a movement! Bored with the
constraints of existing genre’s, PlantLife set out to break down the
barriers between hip hop, soul, rock and good old fashioned FUNK music.
In the tradition of legendary funk and soul godfathers like James
Brown, George Clinton, Sly Stone & Prince, PlantLife serves up a
healthy dose of sensuality and politics while providing a groove strong
enough to shake the system to it’s core. It’s no surprise then that
PlantLife came about by pure experimentation. Classic!
Consisting of Jack Splash (lead vocals, instrumentation & production),
Panda One (instrumentation & production), Dena Deadly (vocals) and
Rashida The Beautiful (dj and background vocals), Plant Life has
created a musical soundscape that critics are considering an instant
classic. Their debut LP, “The Return of Jack Splash!” contains
elements of 70’s soul & funk, 80’s electro, 90’s b-boy politics and
futuristic ideals. In the intro to the album, Jack Splash declares
“Fuck their lies & fuck these wars. I put my thing on 24’s. I love
these queens but fuck these whores, I’m back!” Politics, 24 inch rims,
sex…what more could you ask for? Jack explains “In the middle of all of
the madness that was going on in the world, I decided to put some rims
on my Escalade and to stop messing around with all of the strippers
that I had been dating. I had been trying to find something beautiful
that wasn’t there.” Interesting. Not to be confused as a misogynist
though, Jack Splash clearly shows his love, respect and admiration for
the ladies in his songs. Song titles like “Appreciate” & “When she
smiles she lights the sky” show the true intent of Plant Life…love.
Dealing with issues of addiction (“We Can Get High”, “Bottle of Hope”),
love lost (“Why’d U Call Me?” , “Beautiful Babies”), and even world
politics (“Got2Get2gether4Luv”), Jack Splash writes from the heart and
sings from the soul.
"The Return of Jack Splash!" is definitely an experience that you
won’t forget any time soon. Jack Splash breaks it down even further,
“There is a movement going on. It’s not necessarily a cohesive
movement, but it is definitely a movement. Some of the best emcees like
Andre 3000, Mos Def, Cee-Lo, Medusa, Pharoah Monch, Lauryn, and my crew
have been spreading our wings and delivering our messages in a style
that’s not really considered rap anymore. I think all of us still
consider ourselves hip hop artists first, but the type of music we’re
making is something brand new and exciting. There’s definitely elements
of funk, soul and a lot of other influences, but we all come from the
hip hop generation so the way we do it and the way we write is always
going to reflect that.”
With critics and like-minded musicians already buzzing about them
(while their debut album hasn’t even been released yet!), Plant Life is
definitely poised to make their mark in 2004. As Jack explains, “All we
really want to do is contribute some serious positivity to the world of
music, and if some beautiful ladies shake their asses in the process
then I think we did our job!”
“Step aside Outkast, we have PLANTLIFE people!”
Giles Peterson (BBC Radio)
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