The Notorious B.I.G gets house re-work by son Christopher "CJ" Wallace, Willie Mack & Jonathan Hay

“READY TO DANCE” REIMAGINES THE WORKS OF THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G INTO FUTURE HOUSE MUSIC CLASSICS ON UPCOMING ALBUM

“READY TO DANCE” IS EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY BIGGIE’S SON CHRISTOPHER (CJ) WALLACE, WILLIE MACK AND AMERICAN JAZZ PRODUCER JONATHAN HAY

THE FIRST SINGLE “BIG POPPA” (HOUSE MIX) BY FRANK WHITE x JONATHAN HAY IS OUT ON AUGUST 11

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


NEWS PROVIDED BY
Sara Cooper PR

Frank White meets Frankie Knuckles

Ready to Dance is a collection of house and dance music inspired by the music of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace. Hip-hop and House share a rich musical history ever since the 1970s. In Chicago, a club called ‘The Warehouse’ coined the term “house music” and birthed an entire genre that flipped disco on its head and, more importantly, provided a safehouse for marginalized black, brown and gay youth to freely express themselves.

At the same time, the Bronx was flipping the same disco records in their own way and invented Hip-Hop, introducing a whole generation of marginalized black youth to an entirely new art form, as both listeners and performers. The two genre’s shared tapestry of oppression and the revolutionary art that followed will forever link Hip-Hop and House music. Ready to Dance celebrates this legendary era defined by black excellence.

“This project is really special to me because I’m able to fuse the two genres I grew up with. Hip-hop with BIG as one of my top 5 and house music where I first heard Frankie Knuckles. This built the foundation for my love of music as I partied in the underground black and gay clubs in New York, DC, Detroit, Chicago, London, and Paris. Frank White allows us to share these stories with the world - a celebration of Black and Gay culture for me.” - Willie Mack

Executive producers Christopher “CJ” Wallace and Willie Mack of Think BIG, Jonathan Hay, and R.U.S.H. Music, Ready to Dance reimagines the music of The Notorious B.I.G in a brand-new light. By replacing his legendary vocals, recreating and rearranging samples, and adding production assistance from a rotating team of studio musicians, vocalists, producers, and DJs, the tracks take you on a journey from deep house to dark techno, while keeping the heart and soul of the original classics.

“This process has been an enlightening wake-up call and an adulting experience for me. We always force ourselves to think bigger and more creatively about my Dad. When it came to his music, it was the same thing, not using vocals, but really thinking about his spirit and the emotional connection that his music gives to his fans. Ready to Dance allows us to create a new foundation for experiencing his music and other legendary musicians. This is what Frank White is about, cross-genre collaboration with artists, musicians, and producers to reimage the past for a new generation.” - Christopher J. Wallace

The highly anticipated first single from Ready to Dance is “Big Poppa (House Mix)” produced by Jonathan Hay, Willie Mack, CJ Wallace and Sarah Rush is a future house classic that proves you don’t need lyrics to remember legendary songwriting. Fans of both hip-hop and electronic music will each appreciate the musical journey on “Big Poppa” as the song bridges the gap between the two genres like a hot knife through butter.

"Our reimagination of 'Big Poppa' is laced with style and grace. With the original spirit of The Notorious B.I.G. spun into a new house classic. Dedicated to all the honeys getting money and the ravers dancing to the sounds from house gods like Martinez Brothers and Carl Cox, our aim was to create music that makes you wanna move and honor BIG’s legacy.” - Jonathan Hay

The album, Ready to Dance, is a love letter dedicated to The Notorious B.I.G and all the black, brown, gay and queer artists, writers, labels, producers, promoters and DJs who against all odds, fought to bring their music and art to the world.

A portion of sales from the music will directly support Think BIG’s ongoing fight for hemp and cannabis legalization and social and criminal justice reform.

About

ABOUT FRANK WHITE
Frank White is a production team consisting of Christopher “CJ” Wallace, Willie Mack, and Todd Russaw along with a rotating family of artists, writers, creatives, producers, and musicians, reinventing a new wave of genre-bending music for the hip hop diaspora.

ABOUT THINK BIG
Think BIG is a social impact company that advocates for the global legalization of hemp and cannabis, criminal justice reform, and reinvestment into communities that were most harmed by the prohibition of cannabis. Think BIG was founded by Christopher J. “CJ” Wallace, Willie Mack and Todd Russaw in May 2018 to honor the life and legacy of CJ’s father, Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, who was killed on March 9, 1997 when CJ was five months old. In May 2020, Think BIG launched Frank White its first brand, as a platform for fueling Black creativity and self-expression. Frank White is named after one of the aliases The Notorious B.I.G. used to express himself.

ABOUT JONATHAN HAY AND R.U.S.H MUSIC
R.U.S.H Music was founded in 2019 by Award-winning American jazz producer Jonathan Hay and British producer, Sarah Rush. They first collaborated on Follow the Leader (Re-Imagined as Jazz), faithfully arranging and re-recording the classic album in partnership with iconic hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, which became Hay's third consecutive #1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts.

August 11, 2020 4:05am ET by Sara Cooper PR  

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