The great chronicles of our age are full of epic team-ups- technoic individuals crossing arms to achieve something for the greater good. Like Godzilla and Jet Jaguar doubling up to put the hurt on Megalon, or Captain America and Falcon taking that bitch Red Skull to task, and so on and so on. Now, we can add one more: producer Tall Black Guy & lyrical bard Ozay Moore have combined their powers to take on the rest of the world's scoundrels, but rather than fighting with their fists, these gregarious gurus are waging a battle for peace and enlightenment with a battery of words and vibes. Of Process and Progression is the motto etched on the banner they've raised- a rallying point for a conscious appraisal of one's self-knowledge and history, electrified and illuminated by the power of Anderson .Paak-esque funk, spiritually charged boom-bap, and lush neo-soul that's been chopped and refashioned to meet the speed and ferocity of Ozay's delivery, like Kung Fu Kenny dicing up tomes of intangible wisdom until they servable as sushi-sized kicks to the cortex. What's notable about TBG and Ozay's combined efforts, is how much bigger the results feel than just the sum of their duel enterprise. In fact, it sounds like there is a whole community behind them, a larger-than-life cast breathing life into every verse, with each song on the album being drawn out of a different character they encounter while making the rounds of their neighborhood, checking in on all their comrades and associates and asking every one to expound on the world as it is revealed through their eyes. It takes a village to raise a child, and about as many caring souls with no shortage of love in their hearts to make an album like Of Process and Progression a reality.
* Today's color purple inspired my review of TBG and Ozay Moore's album because of the cool, rich vibe I associate with the color, which matches the cool, rich color of their album.
