Big B’s experimental approach to music creation is freeing and his new album, “Wellness Check” is one hip hop and reggae fans will love
Photo courtesy of Regime Music Group.
Daily Reggae caught up with Big B to learn about the artist’s exciting new music mixing together hip hop and reggae, and new album “Wellness Check” due out July 26!
What’s good Big B?! We have been vibing to your new music and are so excited for your upcoming album! Tell us about the creative process on your album, “Wellness Check” due out this month - how did you mix it up?
With long time music mates Johnny Baldaray & Jared Palazzolo (also known as the music production duo TAVALANE) the mission was simple when we set aside dates in late 2022 to rent a house in Joshua Tree for a week.
With only a few unrehearsed song ideas, a hefty ration of food & drink and a minimal recording setup, we went into the songwriting process with no intentions only relying on our common trust with each other to experiment and have fun. The house, completely isolated in the elements, allowed us to completely immerse ourselves in the process.
Your new single out today features Killer Mike. We understand this came out of a custom motorcycle build you and Carey Hart did for him and he promised to give you a verse on a collaboration. Can you tell us about that experience?"
It’s true I got to know Mike while Carey and I were building his custom Indian motorcycle. We just hit it off and became friends. And through our conversations about bike building, music, and life, he offered to return the favor and throw down a verse when ever I was ready for him. I honestly never expected him to really follow through with his growing success and busy schedule in the lead up to his new album.
In early Spring of 2023, we had just built up an initial edit of ‘Pretend’ and I knew I had to share the tune with Mike knowing he could relate to the lyrics and subject matter being a similar age sharing similar interests of music, fashion and culture from the same generation growing up. I was completely surprised to hear his response of approval that he was pumped on the song idea excited to create something different with me.
Even with his album ‘Michael’ becoming rap album of the year and winning all of those well deserved Grammys, he still dropped the verse that absolutely heightened this song showing true testament to his character.
Mike is as solid as they come and I can’t thank him enough for making this song with us… I just hope he knows that when his vocal stem folder arrived in my inbox, I had that same internal glow and smile ear to ear as he did when he finally got that custom Batman Indian Challenger delivered!
You are able to blend musical genres in such a fun way and “Sidecar” featuring G. Love and your daughter, Peachole is a perfect example of your blend of hip hop and reggae coming together. How did this song come about and what does it mean to you?
Sidecar came from one of the initial ideas we brought to the table during our time in Joshua Tree. The infectious repeating chorus and hook is unchanged from its initial submission when we called my daughter in New York (Peachole) and asked her to come up with a melody via voice memo. Within hours, she had responded with a take and the song was essentially finished. Not only was it so special to finally create music with her, but this song also defined our free and experimental approach to the songs and the album.
With the undeniable influence of Tavalane’s affinity to soul, reggae and ska from their upbringing in the Riverside music scene, it is easy to hear many nuances that pay homage to those influential timeless styles. We owe many thanks to Kevin Zinger for having the idea of adding G. Love once he heard the initial mix and we were excited to oblige and get his amazing blues & funk steez on there.. in fact, its one of the best verses on the album!
The new album is also featuring other reggae stars like Common Kings, Jesse Wagner of The Aggrolites and Kip Wirtzfeld of The Debonaires. What was it like collaborating with these artists? Any fun studio stories?
We are so honored to have these talented artists on this album. I personally have always loved the dirty reggae vibes of The Aggrolites and soulful gritty vocals of lead singer Jesse, but always had a difficult time conceptualizing how it could actually mesh with my style/sound.. Again, Tavalane made these ideas come to fruition and I think the final product is amazing!
I know that Johnny and Jared are especially honored to have had their local idol Kip Wirtzfeld’s signature vocals and sax stylings on a track who also supplied the influential soundtrack to their Riverside youth (The Skeletones, Debonaires, Goldfinger, Lee Fields to name a few). And thanks again to Kevin Zinger for Regime Music Group colleagues Common Kings, it was easy working with such talented artists with such an infectious sound.
Recording the track 'Slow Down’ in Jared’s Riverside studio was particularly a good time. Backed by good whisky and BBQ, Jesse and Kip spent a couple of late nights with us recording the hooks including live tracking of the horn sections with trombonist Tom Cook (Debonaires, Tim Armstrong, The Aggrolites, Goldfinger) and trumpeter Marques Crews (Debonaires, Hepcat, Skeletones).
It’s super cool how you have so much pride in representing and sharing your SoCal sound. What does that mean to you?
I have always been ambitious to push the boundaries of what people perceive of my style and never wanted to release a group of songs that remained in one genre. This mentality is simply an homage and appreciation to all of the legendary artists and bands that have defined the SoCal sound before me and have paved the way to making it known worldwide.
I believe that the melting pot of diverse cultures and the various active lifestyles continues to be a beacon of feel good inspiration and party time in the sunshine within popular music.
The new album is dropping via Regime Music Group. What was it like working with them, and can fans expect to see you perform the album live soon?
Everyone knows the music industry can be brutal. So it’s always nice to work with people who make it less painful. And when it comes to performing live, we are ready when the time comes! The best part of releasing new music is playing the songs live to share the same energy and joy we felt when creating them. It will also be a fun experiment to see how these new tracks are arranged live!
