Sly5thAve To Release 'Let Me Ride feat. Jimetta Rose/Still D.R.E.' 7-inch

Out February 1st on Tru Thoughts, "Let Me Ride feat. Jimetta Rose/Still D.R.E." is the 2nd 7" featuring tracks taken from multi-instrumentalist Sly5thAve's The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute To Dr. Dre LP. In this instalment, Sly5thAve calls on West-Coaster Jimetta Rose on the captivating lead single "Let Me Ride", which oozes with Rose's powerful ad-libs and vocal trills, channelling her own experiences of being ignored and supressed through her daring measures.

The 7" also features the iconic cover of "Still D.R.E." from Dre's 2001. In true Hip-Hop style due to a manufacturing issue, please be aware that the 7" sides have been mislabelled. Who knows, one day it could be worth as much as the rare US misprint of Dr. Dre's 2001 on Discogs - just another homage to the Hip-Hop legend.

Sly5thAve's arrangement in "Let Me Ride feat. Jimetta Rose" ignites hip-hop samples which are guided by the orchestra's tightly-knit explorations and the soaring, soulful voice of Jimetta Rose, whilst pushing back against rigid genre constraints. Speaking about the significance of the samples in the original, Sly5thave explains: "My parents played a lot of Parliament and Funkadelic when I was growing up and 'Mothership Connection' was something I was familiar with from an early age."

In "Still D.R.E", Sly5thAve co-opts the timeless hook originally released on Dr. Dre's 2001 album, amping up the score with guitars, symphonic cymbals and vibrant horn parts. Praising the original, he explains: "The piano riff and the production are undeniable." Sly5thAve strives to find a balance between Dr. Dre's vison and his own interpretation, taking care to fine tune the musical phrasing his approach pioneers a fresh way to shape the score. "The challenge on this arrangement was pulling it into a new world that added something to the original. Hence, the re-harmonized slow intro," Sly5thAve explains.

Recorded with a full orchestra "Let Me Ride feat. Jimetta Rose", is an uplifting arrangement that reimagines one of the closest tracks to Sly5thAve's heart from Dr. Dre's iconic The Chronic album. This recording is the result of a concert assembled by Sly5thAve aka Sylvester Onyejiaka, Eric Coleman (Mochilla) and Kentyah Fraser - who brought in Playing For Change, the non-profit music charity - and was dedicated to building a music school in Compton.

Taking place at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, some of L.A.'s finest musicians performed at the "Cali-Love" show which was attended by Dr. Dre-who took to the stage to congratulate Sly5thAve's arrangements -and over 1,200 people who witnessed the first taste of Sly5thAve's orchestral tribute to Dr. Dre's legacy. Six months after the benefit show, Sly5thAve went into the studio to refine these twenty-three tracks which feature acclaimed artists such as Grammy award-winning keyboardist Cory Henry, Will "Quantic" Holland, Marc de Clive-Lowe and more.

Sly5thAve's limitless creativity has so far been met with support from tastemakers such as Lauren Laverne (BBC 6Music), Don Letts (BBC 6Music), Huey Morgan (BBC 6Music), Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music) and Jarobi White (A Tribe Called Quest), to Noisey, NPR, The FADER, Jazz Times, Indie Shuffle and Earmilk. Carving a name for himself through his former projects, Sly5thAve has also worked as an in demand collaborator and session musician with Prince, Stevie Wonder, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Janelle Monáe and Quantic.