3 Feet High & Rising: Inglewood-based Emcee LOW BLOW Readies Gospel, Funk & Soul-steeped First Book of Timothy (Common Good Records)

Since its 2017 inception, LA-based imprint Common Good Records has released a string of continually phenomenal records and tapes, including: Te'Amir Sweeney's Tiger Breaks 45 + drum kit, Drtysoap's Merry Chrithmith, Unown & DJ Ragz's Pasta & Wings cassette, and Jake Najor's D$RTY M$NEY BREAKS 45 + drum kit. Plus, label co-founder J.D. (@OlogistBBB) has been extremely hospitable and supportive of both myself and The Witzard; even mixing and sequencing Mitchell Kezin's festive Mitchell's 'SOUL SISTA' Holiday Mix for The Witzard extremely last-minute! Now, J.D. & Common Good Records have announced their next proper release: Low Blow's full-length debut, First Book of Timothy. "Soulful, West Coast Hip-Hop. A sound unique unto itself. A sound that recalls a classic era nostalgia. A sound steeped in the deep roots of Gospel, Funk, and Soul. Low Blow [@thereallowblow] builds on that tradition with his debut album, First Book of Timothy," reads an album description on Common Good's Bandcamp. First Book of Timothy has a sound evocative of, in my humble opinion, Sa-Ra Creative Partners AKA Sa-Ra, Janelle Monáe, Kendrick Lamar, and OutKast—due in part to its soulful G-Funk-inflected production/co-production work from both Allakoi "Mic Holden" Peete (@micholdenfresh) and Luke Ellington (@luke.ellington) throughout. Mic Holden has previously worked with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Blu, Shafiq Husayn, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, The Gaslamp Killer, Josef Leimberg, Fergie on Double Dutchess, Terrace Martin, and GB AKA Gifted & Blessed.


Luke Ellington, on the other hand, has had the opportunity to work alongside Anderson .Paak FKA Breezy LoveJoy, Jimetta Rose, Jonah Levine, Philip Ray, Tre Hickman, and Ernest Tibbs, as well as Mic Holden, Atwood-Ferguson, Washington, and Leimberg. Low Blow's First Book of Timothy features appearances throughout from many of Holden & Ellington's past collaborators and fellow LA-based artists, such as Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Uncle Chucc (1500 or Nothin') Jose Rios, Ernest Tibbs, LEAVING RECORDS' Jamire Williams, Jimetta Rose, Breezy LoveJoy, and Inglewood's own Damani Nkosi. Low Blow's First Book of Timothy is currently available for pre-order in a number of formats including: Test Press Vinyl, Test Press + Metallic Gold Vinyl, Metallic Gold Vinyl, Standard Black Vinyl, Black + Metallic Gold Vinyl, and of course, Digital Album. Ahead of First Book of Timothy's Friday, September 14th wide release, Common Good Records are now streaming 'teaser' singles "Outta Control / Gangsta Walk" and "Can't Wait." Ladies and gents, trust me, I've heard the entirety of Low Blow's 10-track First Book of Timothy and this album is phenomenal! IT'S NOT TO BE MISSED and is, hands down, one of the strongest albums of 2018 (so far!) Expect a comprehensive interview with Low Blow, Mic Holden & Luke Ellington coming soon to The Witzard...