Rapper, pianist shifts gears as world does
Plan B: Oakland’s Kev Choice releases ‘Social Distancing’ album
April was supposed to be a busy month for Kev Choice. The prolific Oakland MC, bandleader and multiinstrumentalist regularly performs at clubs around the Bay Area, teaches music at the Oakland School for the Arts, and has duties as a governor in the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy. After months of work, Choice was set to drop an EP with his new collective, Black London; a release party was booked for April 10 at the New Parish.
Of course, that show — like all live music, theater and, well, most of civic life — was canceled in midMarch due to COVID19. The Black London EP, “Black Magic,” is on hold for now. Instead, Choice has spent the past couple of weeks releasing and promoting “Social Distancing.” An urgent, emotional collection of songs, it was written and recorded, primarily at home, in the days following the Bay Area’s shelterinplace orders.
The fulllength album, released on digital platforms, comes at a time when the vast majority of artists and labels, both major and independent, are postponing planned releases until at least the fall. Choice says he was cautioned by some in the industry that releasing music right now wasn’t a prudent move. And yet, “growing up in Oakland, there have always been hard times, times of struggle, and music has always been my response,” says Choice, a classically trained pianist who straddles the worlds of hiphop, classical music, jazz and R&B. (His resume includes stints as a keyboardist and bandleader for the likes of Lauryn Hill, Too Short and the Coup.)
On March 15, Choice and Black London were at 25th Street Recording studio in Oakland when they got confirmation of the region's shelterinplace order. In the days that followed the coronavirus shutdown, Choice realized he needed an outlet, so he began spending evenings on Facebook and Instagram Live, just riffing on the piano. He was surprised by how many people tuned in, and some sent messages to thank him.
“Of course there’s nothing like the energy of performing in the same space as somebody, but I still felt like I was able to connect, like maybe I was helping people process what they were going through,” Choice says. “That’s why I put it out so quickly. Why wait three months? People needed to hear it right now.”
Choice reached out to friends and longtime collaborators, asking them to contribute by recording instrumental or vocal parts at home. The resulting 12track record is a who’s who of independent Bay Area hiphop and R&B, including appearances by rappers Mistah FAB, Kevin Allen and Elujay; producer Drew Banga; and vocalists like Viveca Hawkins, Jennifer Johns and Lalin St. Juste of the Seshen. Working musicians who normally would have been on the road were available.
“Everyone’s sitting at home,” says Choice, with a halfhearted laugh.
Dame Drummer, who plays in Black London and also mixed and mastered four songs on “Social Distancing,” says the caliber of artists who “chipped in” is a testament to Choice’s work ethic and to the local music community. “It had everything to do with people, with
the artists and activists we have here in the Bay,” Dame says, “and nothing to do with money.”
Thematically, the songs run the gamut: Fear, grief and anger mingle with hope and positivity — a musical “time capsule,” says Choice, of our new reality. A strong current of spirituality is a constant, like in the record’s opening track, “Morning Prayer,” which features a guided meditation from Oakland educator Kusum Crimmel. “Take Me to Your Leaders,” meanwhile, makes pointed samples out of President Trump’s comments that downplayed the virus, like the Feb. 28 remarks in which he predicted it would “disappear.”
“I would go through all these emotions over the course of one day, and I wanted to let people feel it too: anger toward the government, anxiety, questioning,” Choice says. “But then, let’s think about the light at the end of the tunnel too.”
To that end, the album’s final track, “The Vaccine,” is a refreshing jazz instrumental with piano, saxophone and drum. It’s technically a Black London track, the last song the group recorded together before the coronavirus shutdown.
“I was listening back and realized that it felt very healing,” Choice says. “And I was thinking of it as: Music could be the vaccine that can get us through any situation.”
All told, says Choice, April turned out to be a pretty busy month after all: He’s still teaching classes via Zoom and has virtual meetings with the Recording Academy. He’s going on jogs near his home several times a week. And while it’s difficult not to see his daughter, a high school senior and basketball star who lives in Santa Rosa, Choice says they talk frequently — when she’s not busy with her own gig, coaching younger basketball players through drills over Zoom.
Of course, Choice has days where he worries about the future — both of his career and of the music industry. But he’s leaning on his spiritual faith, he says, and trying to take it day by day.
“People are always going to want music,” he says. “Maybe I won’t be able to travel the world for a year. No one knows right now. But I know I’m blessed to have my community, and the drive to keep going. I’m just trying to learn, create, connect, adapt and hope for the best.”