DJ Iman - Singing Lawyer & Black Frank White

Iman Ishak releases a mash-up album paying tribute to the legendary Dato’ Sudirman Arshad & Notorious B.I.G. 
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 22 nd February 2012 - Fans of Hip-Hop and local classics will be treated with a release from Kartel Records entitled Singing Lawyer & Black Frank White. It is a producer’s album involving a mash-up of songs from two iconic musicians, Dato’ Sudirman Arshad and Notorious B.I.G.

Mash-ups, also known as Blends or Crossovers, are songs that are combinations of two or more pre-recorded songs. Producer Iman Ishak had sampled songs of local legend Dato’ Sudirman and layered Hip-Hop icon Notorious B.I.G’s raps over them. The album was released online for free download (http://tinyurl.com/SLBFW2012) to commemorate the 20 th anniversary of the late Dato’ Sudirman’s passing.
What initially began as an experiment turned into a full album consisting of 9 tracks. Iman’s plan at first was to release a raw mixtape right before the start of his final year in law school, symbolic for the 22 year-old, as Dato’ Sudirman had read law. He was known as the Singing Lawyer.
In contrast, prior to becoming a rap superstar, Notorious B.I.G. had made a living by selling drugs. So much so, that he called himself the Black Frank White, in reference to the character of a drug lord from the movie King of New York.

Through the album, Iman intends to show that these two, who come from very different backgrounds, spoke of similar matters - life, hardships and eerily, death. Everyday Struggle / Aku Dan Duniaku for example, relates to the trials and tribulations of life. In Suicidal Thoughts / Salam Terakhir, Notorious B.I.G., expressed his morbid thoughts and contemplations of committing suicide while Sudirman spoke of last goodbyes in a song recorded shortly before his death, written to suit his premonition of his own passing. Things Done Changed / Hilang Berganti reminisces of the past, and how things are very much different in the “present”.

Since the beginning of Hip-Hop music production, sampling has been a widely used technique in music creation. Iman is fond of the idea of sampling Malaysian music. In relation to this album, he said, “Regardless of how people react to such a mix, my main aim is to promote the idea of being inspired by local musicians, as I have been, in the creation of this mash-up. There is a big chance that more and more young adults of this generation and city-dwellers such as myself are becoming less acquainted with local classics.”
In memory of Dato’ Sudirman Haji Arshad (25 May 1954 – 22 February 1992) and Christopher Wallace a.k.a. Notorious BIG (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), Kartel Records proudly presents Singing Lawyer & Black Frank White.

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