Conceived as a studio endeavor 15 years ago by Rench, a Brooklyn-based producer handling vocals, guitar, and beats, Gangstagrass has evolved into a vibrant and improvisational band, forging camaraderie from the most unexpected of origins. The group harmonizes the unwavering array of skills from Rench, R-SON the Voice of Reason (MC), and Dolio the Sleuth (MC, Vocals), in addition to featuring Dan “Danjo” Whitener (Banjo, Vocals), and B.E. Farrow (Fiddle, Vocals), among other brilliant instrumentalists.
Gangstagrass, trailblazers in a distinct musical genre of their own design, have announced that their new 10-track album, The Blackest Thing on the Menu, will be released on Friday, June 14. The Blackest Thing on the Menu marks the band’s seventh full-length album. It embodies the zest and flavor that Gangstagrass infuses into the realms of bluegrass and hip-hop as they delve into the foundational elements of each genre.
The conception of the album’s title came about last year while the band was eating dinner at a “blues-themed restaurant in my hometown,” MC and vocalist Dolio the Sleuth explains. “There was a Juneteenth-themed menu that had a bunch of ‘blackened’ spicy items. One of us asked the server for ‘the blackest thing on the menu,’ and it turned out to be blackened shrimp and cheese grits… which, of course, we all ordered.”
Brought up again while on the road a few months later, “That ‘eureka’ look struck over all of our faces, the rain stopped, and I kid you not, TWO rainbows appeared in the sky,” Dolio continues. “We then had no choice but to acknowledge that the heavens were blessing the moment that the title appeared.” The band has released the album’s sophomore single and its official music video, “Good at Being Bad”. Co-produced by the GRAMMY-Award-winning Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell and recorded at the legendary Royal Studios in Memphis, TN, the track, with masterful mandolin playing, dynamic production, and energetic vocals, seamlessly blends funk with Gangstagrass’s distinctive fusion of bluegrass and hip-hop. Stream “Good at Being Bad” here.
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Image Gangstagrass performing live; Credit: Melodie Yvonne, courtesy of Milestone Publicity
L-R: Dan “Danjo” Whitener, Dolio the Sleuth, Rench, R-SON the Voice of Reason, B.E. Farrow
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