June 02, 2006 @ 6:11 pm

Sa-Ra

Serena Kim

A disco ball revolves slowly like a planet in the solar system, scattering little illuminated paw prints around a living room in the artists’ community of Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Sa-Ra’s (pronounced sah-rah) crib is like a creative clubhouse. There are Afrocentric oil paintings, mixing boards, keyboards, drum kits, and beat machines everywhere. It’s a groovy take-your-shoes-off kinda place. A spot where the group, a recent addition to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music roster, can feel comfortable pontificating on a few of their favorite things: high art, Kemetic symbolism, and sex. Which explains the trippy name. According to Taz Arnold, 31, the flamboyant Yves-Saint-Laurent–sporting fashionisto of the group, Sa-Ra can either mean “child of the cosmos” or “offspring of the most powerful energy in the universe.” Om’Mas Keith, 28, the cerebral one, clarifies: “To define it is to compartmentalize it in this nonmultidimensional plane that we’re on.” Shafiq Husayn, 36, the quietest member, offers no further explanations and simply plays the tracks from their yet-to-be-titled forthcoming album. Their music is conceptual, hip hop with ironic references to the ’80s—a time when the crack epidemic exploded and Gucci-wearing drug lords roamed the land. More akin to a rock opera than a straightforward hip hop album, Sa-Ra are master teachers on an audio/visual quest to enlighten all of the senses. “It’s an ill plot,” says Keith. “It’s too ill.” In between, you get hip-shaking electro-rap that owes as much of a debt to Vanity 6 as it does the Velvet Underground. It’s a quintessentially esoteric sound and definitely not tailor-made for mainstream America. But this collective wasn’t always so far left. Back in the day, while Husayn was deejaying with Aladdin and making beats for Ice-T., Arnold was assisting Dr. Dre on Chronic 2001, and Keith spent some time working under Jam Master Jay. They came together as a group in 2000, winning critical acclaim in both Europe and underground hip hop circles for their production and remixes. In 2005, Def Jam and Atlantic, among others, made a bid for Sa-Ra, who ultimately decided to join the hip hop mavericks over at G.O.O.D. And they couldn’t have picked a better home in their quest to elevate the look and sound of black music. “Pharrell paved the way for Kanye who paved the way for us,” says Arnold. “Sa-Ra is a story, and we’re at the beginning stages. We’re introducing ourselves to the world.” Question is, is the world ready for Sa-Ra?

Do you want VIBE delivered to your home or office? CLICK HERE.

Article tags: SA-RA, Child Of The Cosmos 

Page printed from:
http://www.vibe.com/music/next/2006/06/sara/

Return to previous page