While picking up some vinyl records, KL Jay was impressed by Al Green’s music and sent a sample to Mano Brown, who wrote the lyrics.
“What is it, what is it? / Clear and salty, / Fits in one eye and weighs a ton.”So it begins”Jesus Wept,” one of the great successes of Racional MC’slegendary Brazilian rap group formed by Ice Blue, KL Jay, Mano Brown and Ed Rock. But, after all, how did the artists create this iconic song, present on the album? Nothing like a Day after Another Day (2002).
In a video rescued by Rap More, KL Jay appeared at a show and told the story of the creative process of the track composed by Brown. The artist created the base of the beat through a sample of “Free at Last,” song of Al Green which is part of the album Livin’ for You (1973).
The DJ came into contact with music when he was looking at various vinyl records, when he found Livin’ for You. Right on the third track, he was already interested in the sound of “Free at Last” and took the LP home, where he sampled it on MPC.
“I listened to it for two hours,” the artist recalled. “I listened to the music in the living room, in the kitchen. [Minha mãe] was in the kitchen making food and remained quiet, because she knew, intuitively, what I was doing. She said nothing.”
I would listen to it in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in the living room, on the street and in the bathroom to see if it sounded good, if the sample repetition didn’t get tiring. I kept listening.
After building the initial beat with sample, KL Jay called Mano Brown: “I showed it to him and he said, like this: ‘Crazy sound, huh… crazy. Send it to me and I’ll put the beat on.'” A month later, the singer showed “Jesus Wept” to the DJ.
He sang to me over the phone. I said, ‘Brownyou’re crazy, bro!’ Then we made one of the coolest raps in Brazil, man.
Finally, KL Jay took the opportunity to praise hip hop culture. “That’s the greatness of hip hop. Hip hop is ancestral, Afrofuturist, pan-Africanist. It’s not a movement, it’s culture. If it were a movement, it would be over by now. The culture that will last for another 100/200 years!”, he celebrated. Watch below:
🚨KL Jay reveals how the creation process of the classic song “Jesus Chorou” by Racionais MC’s went pic.twitter.com/nhClevGeFS
— Rap Mais (@RapMais) August 22, 2024
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
