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The Alchemy EP

by Michael Leonhart & JSWISS

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1.
BLACKOUT 04:02 video
Lyrics: Chorus: No back door I’m tryna get it from the front Respect for my people we shoulda had it from the jump Loving the culture we always give you what you want Honor the history we ain’t waiting for a month Temperature rising think it’s about time, Name an element melanin couldn’t outshine We see the video ‘fore the body is outlined The trauma is real no time to appeal Couldn’t care less bout how you feel You don’t see it then you never will, When you know you under fire you could never chill Which sound like violence? The taking of a building or a body Murder for vacation it’s like killin is a hobby I’m just tryna have a normal day, it’s exhausting But I’m proud of my people and I feel it so often Caught between ropes I ain’t talking bout boxing But but we fighting like a bunch of Jack Johnsons Ali is his prime with the rhymes I’m too pretty Little Tupac in his prime don’t push me Latifah Jamie Foxx do a little of everything Welcome to the cookout and we playing Frankie Beverly I’m about my biz like it’s Greenwood Tulsa in 1920 Or Madame CJ Walker with product across the country You see the figures no longer hidden I’m Katherine Johnson We master rocket science like it’s nothing (Chorus) Touch hearts like Daniel Hale Williams With words like Morrison Hurston my pen working Fly as Tuskegee, the airmen not the experiment But know there’s always been a healthy fear of this If Hov handle the roc like Van Exel I, coach the team like McLendon on a fast break, Tenn State three-peating before Wooden This time around there be no overlooking Like you better not Coretta Scott or Betty Shabazz Can’t get this in class no, but you gon get in rap This like Howard U and Spelman mixed with Grambling State, Academics and athletics and forever great You see the legacy, we all enjoy it on daily basis Even if we don’t truly recognize the depth of greatness Since day one and it’s infinite From style to culture to product we invented Nothing move without us, control traffic like Garrett Morgan If earth was a person then Black folk is a vital organ That means you play us then you play yourself, think about it Check the history you ever start to doubt it let us breathe (Chorus)
2.
On The Money 03:49
Lyrics: Nana used to say ‘on the money’, So Imma keep my flow on the money, When she passed swear I heard ‘on the money’, When I pass put my face on the money A hundred dollar bill I know couldn’t bring her back for a second But some way maybe I could bring her back on a record No IG tributes, this is better Cuz you know once you put it on wax then it’s forever, You just like the brightest star and I’ll see you when I see the moon Was just there in the living room I’ll see you soon One day with you I had real luck That unconditional now it’s spiritual real love, So I guess now I got me an angel Taking me through the danger and easing up all the anguish Knowing where she was going made it all near painless, In a place where she can oversee the changes, I can’t let an obstacle create worry, for me Cuz I got a queen out there working, for me Shoot in empty rooms I am not alone Ain’t a time on a microphone when I’m not at home Makes it comforting in life when the chaos and strife keep you way up a night not a day off the fight Soul not for sale you could lay off the price With Nana out there I can’t stay out the light So look what you did the fam shining I’m glad when you passed was more laughs than crying I’m glad from you to mom I can see who I am, That’s a legacy I never see dying Chorus: Keep doubts outta my head and just remember what my grandma said Man I’m on the money It’s more than just cheese and bread as I remember what my grandma said Man I’m on the money Hey it’s Julian Michael R.I.P. Poppy there was no one like you A rock a foundation for the family I’m building steadily with an example paved ahead of me of what a man a should be A true gentleman in any definition written over 6 feet even bigger giant how he lived it And Imma stand tall too keep a positive view and if I need to I can just close my eyes and call you, A whole community was lifted up it by one man A legacy that just can’t fit up in a program It seems even Gods got a finite amount of time wit us So give your love and your life fearless And if wasn’t clear every bar got a little life in it So naw I don’t just recite lyrics And know his spirit wanna witness every victory now He’s not looking down naw I think he’s sticking around (Chorus)
3.
Lyrics: [JSWISS] When I’m alone in my room I get better with time And face my biggest adversary but it’s all in my mind Get to know myself better study all the designs My body soul and my goals let em all get aligned Get to know my own, strength power with no, limit If I can conjure it in my mind then go, get it Letting my mind wander and wildest dreams marinate Reset recalibrate e-mail gon have wait Phone is in airplane mode I’m in the zone Love self first then all else you know the code Spar in the dojo in iso I meditate in peace no telling just where I might go I’m clear of fear and the odds, rebel without a pause, Doing work on my spirit, never need the applause It’s silence, a couple of seconds I start finding the balance A couple of minutes my room feel like a palace Astounding every answer a mystery found it So connected to roots I’m officially grounded I sprout stems and leaves and drop seeds, I’m a garden incubated, centered as the equator Nothing to be afraid of unplugged no WiFi data The present is a pen the future is blank paper Live it to see it later solitude is a favor Depending on how you play it [JSWISS] Alone closer to God visions of grandeur but it’s not a mirage Pieces of life form a epic collage No facade take it at face value, In the silence hear the universe in great volume, Pure knowledge the richest resource in the earth For what’s it worth, too many friendly faces be a gift and a curse In a 4 corner room staring at fire inside of myself I need to look no higher for help, Thinking is this what we most fear Discovering everything we ever needed it was always there SOLITUDE
4.
Defeat 03:03 video
Lyrics: To bounce back from a battle launch another battle warriors know Could take defeat with the wins or have nothing to show No scars and a shiny sword You could say you never took a loss but never sparred And it’s written on your armor untouched but untested Without question gotta answer for that perfect record Zero losses come at zero cost the pay get delayed You fill the safe and don’t invest while history being made Don’t be afraid cuz the battlefield bloody but there’s honor And there’s beauty once you make it through the horror Among the defeated are those who never fail Cuz in defeat you earn a lesson you could treasure still It’s how legends build it’s the way of nature Ain’t it funny how playin it safe can’t even save ya The defeated the only truly victorious wounds speak for themselves The truest mark of a champion with a story tell of Defeat Chorus: Defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose It's defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose Defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose It's defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose Go to battle lose like a champion, Break a leg win the war if you stand again, A new slate the score vanishes to the experienced go advantages You see a scar I see a weapon you see damages A wound shows a man already been through something And your weapon might work shoot but it don’t stop nothing That’s a dangerous image, ain’t game or a scrimmage Could step in it and fall, but stay in it to win it It’s like the war is infinite, every start is an ending Victory is temporary oh you thought it was finished Not even, you victorious feel free to toast But roles get reversed watch if you need to boast You win by, not just winning how you execute The process, and success just a consequence Shoot for perfect post a less than perfect record Still walk like beast and a winner every second (Chorus) Speech: Only he who gives up is defeated The defeated are those who never fail You don't take the opportunity to lose, You don't get the opportunity to win (Chorus)
5.
What's Love? 02:47
Lyrics: Four letters, L-O-V-E Love more love better Love is natural but it does take effort Love could take us out from where hate tends to get us Love don’t forget us, Love of passion love as action Love is beautiful love is dangerous love is tragic Love is powerful love is wild unpredictable Love is never under control love is a miracle It’s miraculous we still love when it hurts and we know it Love’s a shepherd love’s a poet Love provides food for the body and the soul Love breaks the heart, love fills the hole Love could bring happiness love could bring pain Love could be told but could never be explained Love is all that matters and ain’t matter at all Everything is really nothing if love ain’t involved Love is scary but it’s comforting Love could just, piss you off but even still you know one day you’ll love again We feel love but could never get a hold You could love for decades still never really know what’s love Chorus: What's love, what's love, what's love, what's love Learn to love self, love to learn others Sometimes hate is just love undercover Love could be love shown out in the open Love could be lovers making love under covers, Love sustains love’s never mundane We could want one thing but love’s on some other Love is being open to what love might discover Love is a risk cuz you might not recover Love is a house and the concrete below Don’t jump live in it wait a minute let it grow, Love could be a dream and a nightmare Love is a battle and you know it don’t fight fair I strike air with blows but I always miss Fighting love, but love is some invisible ish And you never see it coming til you know it’s arrived Million ways to describe no way to define They say love is blind or we blind to it, Love’s the best way to define music Love’s a teacher that always reminds students, If you lived through it you could shine through it Love is fighting another day right after the fall Love is feeling rich when you got nothing at all Love’s a choice and accident but, never mistake Love is never contained but it’s never misplaced Love’s for everybody but love’s exclusive, Love loves faith don’t love excuses, Love is the direction on the compass of the soul Write a whole song about it still never really know what’s love (Chorus)

about

"The Alchemy EP" is a collaborative project from Grammy Award-winning trumpeter, producer, and orchestra leader Michael Leonhart, and rising rapper JSWISS. The union formed after a spark of creative chemistry during a monthly residency at NYC venue Jazz Standard, during which JSWISS guested with the Michael Leonhart Orchestra for performances broadcast on NPR & WBGO. 

The pair began working on the EP late 2019 after a successful string of shows together, during which they performed orchestral arrangements of the legendary hip hop tracks, “Electric Relaxation” (A Tribe Called Quest) and “Untouchables" (Eric B. & Rakim), which sample jazz records from the legendary label, Blue Note. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, it didn't derail the project, but forced it to be worked on remotely, with JSWISS and Leonhart completing their parts separately from home. The ability of the duo to meld their two musical backgrounds and strike gold with a body of work despite the universe's best efforts to put the music business on pause is what sparked the title "The Alchemy EP." 

Marrying the worlds of hip-hop and jazz, Leonhart and JSWISS meet in the middle, with both having plenty of experience crossing genre lines. Leonhart, besides playing on the smash hit from Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk", boasted a diverse résumé of collaborations including Steely Dan, Q-Tip, Wu-Tang Clan and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. JSWISS has also has also become a favorite collaborator of who's who list of some of the most sought instrumentalists at the crossroads of jazz, hip-hop and soul, including Nicholas Payton, Ben Williams, Marcus Strickland, E.J. Strickland, Chris Dave and Marcus Machado. 

"The Alchemy" EP expands on hip-hop's history of sampling jazz and dabbling with live instrumentation -- à la A Tribe Called Quest or The Roots -- incorporating orchestral elements and infects grooves to go with JSWISS' thoughtful approach and clever lyricism on subjects varying from Black empowerment, to love, to a celebratory tribute to his late grandparents. The last three songs on the EP are inspired by and focus on significant themes from "Manuscript Found In Accra" by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, coincidentally more famously known for his classic book "The Alchemist."

credits

released January 15, 2021

Cover artwork by Patryk Larney.
Mixed by Michael Leonhart.
Mastered by Alex DeTurk.

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JSWISS New York, New York

For my latest album "Bona Fide" with Michael Leonhart, click below.

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