Contraband From India (LP)

Featuring production and guest appearances by:

Diamond D, Waajeed, Kev Brown, Prince Po, John Robinson, Supastition, yU & Uptown XO (2/3 of Diamond District), Let The Dirt Say Amen, J Scienide, Substantial, Asheru, Hassaan Mackey and more!

DJ 2-Tone Jones presents a special album inspired by his travels to India doing Hip Hop diplomacy work as part of the inaugural Next Level program. After nearly a month in the land of Gandhi he returned home with a stack of rare traditional and jazz-fusion records from Calcutta, and hand-selected tracks to send out to a range of legendary, heavy-hitting Hip-Hop producers to sample from. The result of this cultural experiment is Contraband from India.

2-Tone is more commonly known for his groundbreaking work as one of the co-creators of SHAOLIN JAZZ, which originally started as a mixtape series where he seamlessly blended jazz originals and breaks with lyrics from the mighty Wu-Tang Clan. Since then it has evolved into a creative brand that produces unique engagements exploring the intersections of jazz, hip-hop and martial arts culture. To date their work has received praise in publications such as Hypebeast, Okayplayer, NPR (online) and The Washington Post; and by some living legends including Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Rich Medina and the Wu-Tang Clan themselves.

As opposed to the mostly hands-on production he provided for the SHAOLIN JAZZ mixtape series, 2-Tone played more of an executive producer role in the development of this project. He called in some favors and received production on the album by OGs like Diamond D, Waajeed and Kev Brown; and some new jacks who've been making noise on the scene like Drew Dave, Praise and KO. In addition to curating the production and laying down cuts on select tracks, he also assembled an impressive line-up of artists to contribute to some of the tracks; many of which represent his stomping grounds of the DMV and Charlotte to the fullest. Overall this album is not only inspired by 2-Tone's experiences in India, but it is a reflection of his influences and accomplishments throughout his career thus far.