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Words by THEO STERYANNIS “I know there are people that are starving for some REAL music: they’re the ones that are more than ready.” 
Let’s be honest here people, with today’s oil prices, the thought of riding in a Big Black Lincoln is a pipe dream Haight and Ashbury would be proud of. Luckily enough, there’s a sonic equivalent of the BBL that satisfies our expensive and decadent tastes. With the likes of Toronto hip hop heavyweights Saukrates, Agile representing Brass Munk, and T.R.A.C.K.S. from I.R.S., this amalgamation of talented producers has morphed into a five-headed hybrid of funk, soul, r&b, hip hop and house. Add the singing sensibilities of Shakari Nyte and the musical vision of Circle member Ro Dolla, and it becomes clearly evident that Big Black Lincoln has a starting lineup with every position fully intact. Don’t be fooled though: despite their long list of hip hop credentials (Redman, Xibit, Nas) BBL has chosen a completely different path, whereby gps is definitely a valued accessory to your listening experience. Heaven’s Caught on Fire, the spring 2006 Capitol Hill release, definitely charts its own ever-changing course of compositions, which tend to come off as influenced, not derivative, and experimental (not disjointed). The early ’80s club swagger of “Chocolate” and the deep house head nod that surrounds “All of You” are well-crafted tips of the hat to ass-shaking, sweat-inducing joints of the past. The Agile-inspired baroque guitar loop on “She Was” ironically takes us into a more current r & b spectrum with Saukrates and Shakari Nyte flexing their vocal chops nicely.
The main punchline to this record is that there are no punchlines: no extended metaphors or complex lyrical analogies commonly found in a hip hop song. Excluding the bonus track “Born Different” where emcees take control of the proceedings, this is an album full of melodies, harmonies and soulful vocal expressions. Speaking with one-fifth of the Big Black Lincoln family, Omar Barclay a.k.a. T.R.A.C.K.S., it was surprising to hear that BBL was, “never thought of as a side project.” He describes the change of creative direction as, “another project that allowed us to explore other musical facets.” Far from a contrived, marketing-driven super group with little or no interaction and exchange of ideas between group members, Big Black Lincoln has thus far managed to successfully channel their individual tastes into a “jambalaya or stew of musical journeys,” according to Barclay.
“It’s about vibe and timing. At any certain point, each of us went through vibing every song as a potential single, depending on what mood we were in at the time,” says Barclay. “It made for interesting conversations. It still does. It can be challenging but we make it work,” he says. From BBL’s inception, group chemistry and in-house production have played an important role in their success. This DIY motif led to a very scarce number of collaborations on the album, a stark contrast to the track listings of many new “urban” releases. In fact, the sole collaboration came courtesy of the renowned Detroit vocalist Dwele, who tried his own version of musical chairs by taking the production reigns on the soon-to-be-single “Creep Slow II.” Barclay explains the group’s self-contained philosophy by stating that, “for the most part, we wanted to explore our own artistry. Don’t get it twisted though, if you’re bringing that heat, and the song's done up right……we’ll be all over that sh!t. Every song on the album has its own story.”
When asked if Canada is ready for the BBL experience, Barclay pointedly remarks, “I know there are people that are starving for some REAL music: they’re the ones that are more than ready.” Barclay continues on with the assuredness of an artist holding major label distribution and fiercely independent inspirations, stating, “we’re gonna keep doin’ our thing, making healthy music. For those who get it, salute. For those who don’t, time to catch up…it’s a new day.”
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