JEAN- MICHEL
Jamaica-via-Brooklyn conceptual artist Dru Barnes is breaking a nearly two-year silence with his first single, "Jean-Michel". The track is a powerful, trap-heavy tribute to iconic American artist Basquiat and offers up the first taste of Barnes' much-anticipated debut full-length, Silent Light, out May 6 on Dither Down Records.
Silent Light is born from improvisation, synthesizing trap, trip hop, hip hop, rap, and 90s dance beats with influences that range from R&B and folk to world and new-age. The music reveals truth and vulnerability and explores themes of love, connectivity and universal awareness, utilizing sound as a tool for transformation.
A few years ago, the GRAMMY-nominated musician hit the scene as 1/2 of experimental hip-hop duo, JOGYO and after a horrible near-death attack that left him partially blind, Barnes shed his past moniker and had an overwhelming need to create so he borrowed the talents of critically acclaimed producer Taavi Haapala and they recorded Silent Light. Blackbook & IMPOSE have recently lauded Dru’s music and compelling story as well as the track's fitting resurgence story for the artist.
