Coming out of Chicago aka Chi-Town is Hip Hop Artist/Producer Jelani Lateef with his video called “The Lyrical” featuring DJ HasH on the wheels of steel. It’s directed by David Johnson for SEI. The Lyrical is one of the singles of Jelani’s album “Cold Days and Dark Nights”. I believe that the name of the album ties into some of the ways that life has affected him. Back in 2010, the mother of his daughter passed away after a battle with cancer, leaving him to raise his daughter on his own. During that journey is where he forms his imprint “Manhood Ent” and go full force into recording Cold Days and Dark Nights.
The album kicks off with a clip of the Will Smith movie “Pursuit of Happiness” that help paint a picture of the direction of the album’s subject matter. In the song “Book of Life”, Jelani raps about his mentality before the dark nights and his struggles with drinking, running the streets, and overall playing around. He ends it off by explaining what it’s like once he starts making positive changes in his life and how people start to change around him due to his transformation.
Overall, the album is pretty solid. I like the production on Cold Days and Dark Nights, it that boom-bap sound with knocking drums and introspective lyrics helps you feel the pain and strife throughout his journey to become who he is today…a positive, inspirational, artist within the hip hop community and outside of it as well.
Check out the video and the album right here and let us know what you think in the comments below:
Pick up your copy of the album on CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/m/cd/jelanilateef7