Gang Starr affiliate
Afu Ru is preparing his third album, State of the Arts.
Afu said that his latest
release is more diverse and more reflective of his musical tastes.
"With this album I
took a firmer direction musically in the way I wanted this album to go"
Afu-Ra told AllHipHop.com. "This album is Hip-Hop influenced with a lot
of diverse beats as far s rock and reggae. With this album I feel closer to
who I am as a person through music than I did with my previous albums."
State of the
Arts
is the first record of Afu Ra to be put out on his label Life ForceRecords which is distributed through Decon.
"I feel great about
my partnership with Decon because now as opposed to being an artist, I am a
partner," Afu said. "I own my own masters and I don’t have to worry
about recouping out of my royalties and stuff to pay the label back. In the
end it just all works out better for me."
State of the
Arts features collaborations with artists like Royce Da 5’9, Masta Killa,
Kardinal Offishall and Gentlemen.
Afu also reunites with DJ
Premier on the track "Sucka Free" to show that the Gang Starr crew
is still in effect.
A side from working on his
third album and starting a label, Afu-Ra is also currently working on an upcoming
Perverted Monks project.
"We are definitely
working on a follow up to our debut [Afu-Ra Presents Perverted Monks] from last
year," Afu said. "This album is going to show case our sound, which
is perverted without being raunchy. We are like an intellectual version of the
2 Live Crew."
Afu-Ra is also set to embark
on a tour of the United States with Inspektah Deck and Planet Asia.
State of the
Arts
is slated to drop on June 14th.Listed below are
tour dates, for more information log on to www.afu-ra.com.
Inspectah Deck, Afu-Ra, and Planet Asia Tour
May 30 – Brooklyn, NY North
Six
May 30 – Brooklyn, NY – North Six
May 31 – Buffalo, NY – The Icon
June 1 – Cleveland, OH – Peabodys
June 2 – Kingston, ON – Elxir
June 3 – Ottawa, ON – Babylon
June 4 – Toronto, ON – System Soundbar
June 5 – Montreal, QC – Foufones
June 6 – Lancaster, PA
June 7 – Philadelphia, PA
June 8 – Charlotte, NC – The Milestone
June 9 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
June 10 – Wilmington, NC – The Soapbox
June 11 – Fairfield, VA – Jaxx
June 12 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
June 14 – Orlando, Fl – The Social
June 15 – Tallahassee, FL – Beta Bar
June 16 – Memphis, TN – The Complex
June 17 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
June 18 – Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves (Dallas Suburb)
June 20 – Phoenix, AZ
June 21 – San Diego, CA
June 22 – Los Angeles, CA
June 23 – San Jose, CA – Zoe Nightclub
June 24 – San Fran, CA – Mighty
June 29 – Vancouver, BC – Richards on Richards
June 30 – Victoria, BC -Sugar Nightclub
July 1st – Whistler, BC
July 2nd – Calgary
July 3rd – Edmonton
