TruThoughts Recordings

Sly5thAve - What it Is [2xLP PURPLE VINYL IMPORT] - New LP

$ 25.00

Hand numbered purple vinyl edition of 500. #425/500

“It’s a little jazzy. There is some hip hop in there. A little bit of orchestral chamber vibes… It’s me”, Sly5thAve admits. From the NYC-Texas inspired sounds of “More Or Less” featuring prolific New York rapper Marlon Craft to the politically charged Brazilian-Portuguese “Expatria” recorded with Grammy-nominated Thalma de Freitas, the album spans a myriad of genres and offerings from fellow talented musicians.

<a href="https://sly5thavenue.bandcamp.com/album/what-it-is">What It Is by Sly5thAve</a>
<a href="https://sly5thavenue.bandcamp.com/album/what-it-is">What It Is by Sly5thAve</a>

<a href="https://sly5thavenue.bandcamp.com/album/what-it-is">What It Is by Sly5thAve</a>

Born in Austin, Texas, Sly5thAve moved to Pflugerville – a suburb outside of Austin when he was just a child. His father was from Nigeria and his mother was from Detroit, and together they exposed Sly5thAve to a mixture of West African music, soul and jazz. Sly5thAve grew inspired and aware and his passion to play music quickly unfurled. “I started to play in church, then all through high school —where I picked up the piano and a little bit of percussion— and then I decided I wanted to do it full time” he says.

Celebrating not only his own versatile musicianship but that of his collaborators and friends, ‘What It Is’ is a collection of tracks showcasing the best of the multi-faceted musician. A sought-after collaborator himself, Sly5thAve has attained much respect from his work with a host of highly fêted musicians including; Prince (as a member of the New Power Generation Band), Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Taylor Swift, Janelle Monáe, Freddie Gibbs and Quantic.

Having moved to New York over a decade ago, Sly5thAve found a home at The Clubhouse (AKA The Clubcasa or BKLN1834) in Brooklyn, home to a host of New York talent - Denitia, Melissa McMillan, Sene, Scienze, Lexus - Sly5thAve credits The Clubhouse as being largely responsible for his entire sound; “We hung out together, wrote music together, lived together. That house was our paradise where we could learn and grow... our Camelot. I came straight in from a jazz school mentality and pretty much had to forget all of that when it came to making music in order to vibe with these guys and I did in a major way.”

releases September 18, 2020