Randy Edelman and The Violators Unlimited

A Conversation

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Randy Edelman and The Violators Unlimited – a conversation
By Eileen Shapiro -March 29, 2023
From Louder Than War March 23, 2023

Randomly the illustrious composer, Randy Edelman embraces the identity of “outlaw”, where the danger and the thrills are part of his appeal. With his flair and imagination, he steps out of that vanilla box that many melodists hide in, proclaiming him one of the most outrageously talented, animated and creative musical soundtrack and pop song architects on the planet, in the most magnificently defiant way.

The Violators Unlimited are six urban champions (Darryl Thompson, Chris Ali, Fred Jacobs, David Cumberbatch, Harry Hero Samo, and Mark Shelby) determined to celebrate the global phenomenon of hip-hop, the gravity-defying, rapid-fire rhyme, chest-thumping beat, turning walls into canvases with larger than life everything.

So what the f**k were The Violators Unlimited and all their friends doing front row center, at Randy Edelman’s musical extravaganza “The Green Massacre, Live at Chelsea” in New York City, and then his edgy Manhattan rooftop after party? And even more so what the hell was the award-winning songster doing back on their radio show for a second time on the following day? And what was personal photographer Billy Hess doing mooning the wider world with his fluorescent beige butt on the streets of Newark (The Violators Studio) on the ride over while stopping for Starbucks?

Randy has blended and transcended a means for the motion picture industry to see, celebrate, experience, understand, confront, appreciate and enjoy hundreds of films including: Last Of The Mohicans, My Cousin Vinny, Ghostbusters ll, and an impressive cannonade of others. But here’s the thing; he also wrote one of the #1 hip-hop songs of the year in 2004 recorded by superstar Nelly featuring R&B star Jaheim called My Place, a spin-off of Randy’s song Isn’t It A Shame, which was twice recorded by Patti LaBelle. It topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand as well.

What in essence is this all about? “When worlds collide”….the hip-hop industry, the pop song business, and then there’s always Hollywood. It’s about grabbing the attention of the planet and being able to keep it (and in these days that is tough). It’s about being cool. What actually makes Randy Edelman, The Violators Unlimited and even personal photographer Billy Hess perhaps the coolest people on earth? It’s the fact that they are all fully present at the moment and appreciate the fact that they get to share that vibe with the people around them. They take on the risk of being different. Best yet, they don’t apologise for being themselves. They rock confidence and have a natural swagger and can make the most mundane moments fun. They live on their own terms. But mostly it’s all about the music.

Violators: First of all we want to thank you for last night, OMG we enjoyed every moment…we were playing that song with Nelly and Jaheim…you know about that song? You heard about that song?

Randy: I played it for you last night.

Violators: Is there some information you wanna tell us about that song?

Randy: That was just a simple song that I wrote that kind of progressed from a song that I did on an album to another album that somebody did by the name of Patti LaBelle. She did a little different version of it and then many years later here in Newark some kid was playing a Patti LaBelle greatest hits album. He kept playing it and listening to the track. And he sent it to somebody in St. Louis named Nelly. And Nelly started fucking around with the track. I’m making it simple but that’s the history. And all the while I knew nothing about any of this.

Violators: You didn’t know till when, till the cheque hit the mailbox?

Randy: Literally till the cheque hit the mailbox.

Violators: That’s what I’m talking about.

Randy: And the reason the cheque really hit the mailbox was, so, remember when they used to make those albums called What I Call Music, Volume One? So that same week, the song was on that too – the two albums were Nelly’s album and that other album which opened with that song.

Violators: So you’re definitely a double civilianair.

Randy: But more important it’s about the emotion of whatever you’ve written that lasts.

The conversation continued for two hours, focusing on the soundscape of Randy’s wild-ass career in film and TV (and by the way he wrote the theme for the hit NBC series MacGyver and the theme for the Olympics – who does those kind of things?). And his piano thing…beyond radical, riveting, compelling, thrilling….a superhero to the collective effervescence…..a tsunami type affect…..an enforced visit to an imaginary realm…..a mosaic of the experiences that made him…..

Randy Edelman is on fire….The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. If you were able to catch that flame people will come for miles to see that mesmerising flame. The flames of the fire perform a play just like the actors on the theatre stage, and you cannot take your eyes off that flame. The fire is something really cool.

The Violators Unlimited light the sparks that ignites the flame.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from one single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared”….. Buddha

Special thank you to Dawn Michelle for bringing the matches.

All words by Eileen Shapiro. More of Eileen’s writing can be found in her author’s archive.

All photos by Billy Hess

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Source ES NEWS PR

March 29, 2023 3:01pm ET by ES NEWS PR  

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