Shaheed and DJ Supreme share visuals for “Jazz Men” featuring Eric Essix and “Something to Ride To” featuring Lauren Strain [Video]

Birmingham, Alabama rapper/DJ/producer duo Shaheed and DJ Supreme follow up their powerful single "Appreciate Life," feat. Chali2na from Jurassic 5. with brand new singles "Jazz Men," featuring Jazz guitarist Eric Essix and "Something to Ride To," featuring singer Lauren Strain. The singles also come with befitting videos to bring the songs to life.

The first cut "Jazz Men," is as the title suggests and sees the duo blending hip-hop and jazz in their true forms. Bolstered by the funky, soul-tinged beat provided by Essix and DJ Supreme, emcee Shaheed takes us on an enlightening journey as he details the history and influence of jazz music on hip-hop.

Armed with his smooth flow and easy-to-follow lyrics like "Jazz and Hip Hop is the food we trying feed ya/ No we won’t mislead ya we will show u the way/ We jazzy and classy with the music we play./ So far so good so good so far Supreme is on the beat Eric’s on the guitar", Shaheed seals the deal and delivers a true blend of craftsmanship alongside his cohorts.

In the accompanying music video for "Jazz Men," directed by Richard Giles, viewers join our three jazz men lounging and enjoying each other's company and music. The use of extensive performance shots of the three showcasing their respective craft plays a pivotal role in the scenes and keeps the feel-good brand of the duo true to form.

Shaheed & DJ Supreme's signature vibe of warmth and welcoming is accentuated by the cool calm of Essix dropping mad riffs like it's nothing.

Stream "Jazz Men" on Spotify

"Something to Ride To," continues in a similar vein with it's soul-hip-hop-jazz vibe with DJ Supreme at the helm of the sound. He crafts a bouncy West Coast influence backdrop with soulful summer textures and a solid groove to match Shaheed's joyful and somewhat playful bars.

The rapper even layered it with a handful of references to rappers that paved the way with lines like "No matter the weather we gon ride together respect to the D.O.C because no one could it better. Respect to salt and petter we gon honor the past in the south we like to blast the group outkast/Common’s like water for chocolate that album was dominate Jay Dillas production style was so prominent/ Slum village dropped a classic and it was called fantastic and this is what I rode to when I was stuck in traffic. Uh". Joining him is vocalist Lauren Strain who peppers the track with soothing melodic runs from start to finish.

The music video, once again directed by Richard Giles, follows our hip-hop heroes through their community as they enlighten fellow drivers (and even some BMXers!) to the joy of the ride. The intention expressed in the song's hook, "to provide you with something to ride to," is gradually fulfilled one encounter at a time, until no one is left without a smile on their face—and yes, we believe that will include you as well.