THE SUN

RAASHAN AHMAD…ONE OF THE MOST EVOLVING, EXCITING AND COLLABORATIVE VOCALISTS IS CONSTANTLY PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF LIVE PERFORMANCE, STUDIO RECORDING AND COLLABORATION THAT CROSSES BORDERS AND BOUNDARIES THROUGH FUSING ELEMENTS OF HIP HOP, SOUL, JAZZ, WORLD MUSIC, FUNK, AND THE LIKE.

STARTING OUT AS FRONT MAN FOR THE BAY AREA COLLECTIVE CROWN CITY ROCKERS RAASHAN HONED HIS SKILLS AS A FRONTMAN FOR THIS DYNAMIC LIVE BAND. THE CREW WOULD WIN MULTIPLE “BEST OF” AWARDS, TOUR FEVERISHLY AND RELEASED TWO CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ALBUMS WHICH WOULD GARNER PRAISE FROM BOTH FANS AND CRITICS ALIKE. RAASHAN WOULD GO ON TO RELEASE WELL RECEIVED SOLO ALBUMS, “THE PUSH”, “FOR WHAT YOU’VE LOST”, AND “CEREMONY” THE SUCCESS OF THESE ALBUMS EXPANDED HIS FAN BASE AND PLACED RAASHAN ON AN INTERNATIONAL STAGE THAT HAD HIM TOURING FEVERISHLY ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA AND MORE.

NEVER ONE TO STOP CREATING IN BETWEEN THESE RELEASES RAASHAN WOULD BECOME MORE AND MORE CURIOUS ABOUT THE SOUNDS OF THE GREATER WORLD AND WOULD DIVE HEADFIRST INTO OTHERWORLDLY COLLABORATIONS AND JOINT PROJECTS. FROM WILAYA 49 (A WORLD MUSIC GROUP FORMED WITH FRENCH AND ALGERIAN MUSICIANS) TO HIS “LOW FIDELITY, HIGH QUALITY” PROJECTS WHICH FOUND HIM DOING TWO ALBUMS PRODUCED BY INDIE DARLING TA-KU AND FORMER CROWN CITY ROCKERS BANDMATE HEADNODIC.

IN ADDITION TO THESE PROJECTS WERE DOZENS OF COLLABORATIONS WITH MUSICIANS FROM ALL GENRES ACROSS THE WORLD. FROM FELLOW WEST COAST MC’S GIFT OF GAB (BLACKALICIOUS) AND CHALI 2NA (JURASSIC 5) TO SOUL SINGER ALOE BLACC, NIGERIAN MUSICIAN KEZIAH JONES, KEREN ANN (FOLK/ROCK SINGER SONGWRITER) NOELLE SCAGGS (FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS), STRO ELLIOT (THE ROOTS), FRED WESLEY (THE J.B’S), WAX TAILOR, BASSNECTAR, THE POLISH AMBASSADOR AND MANY MORE.

RAASHAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS SPREAD FAR AND WIDE FROM PERFORMING AT GILES PETERSON’S WORLD WIDE AWARD SHOW IN LONDON, WINNING ALBUM OF THE YEAR FROM MARSEILLE’S “HANG TIME MUSIC AWARDS” BEING INTERVIEWED ON FRANCE 24 (REACHING OVER 20 MILLION VIEWERS), PERFORMING WITH THE NATIONAL ORCHESTRA IN BOGOTA COLUMBIA AND THE PHILHARMONIC IN SZCZECIN POLAND ETC…ALL WHILE STAYING CLOSE TO HIS ROOTS AND PASSION BY GIVING BACK AND UTILIZING HIS FORMAT AND TO GET INVOLVED AS A MENTOR/VOLUNTEER TO VARIOUS YOUTH AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD.

HIS NEWEST PROJECT “THE SUN” IS HIS MOST EXCITING PROJECT TO DATE COMBINING ALL HIS EXPERIENCES TO CREATE A TRULY NEW SOUND. “I COULDN’T CREATE ANOTHER RECORD THAT SOUNDED LIKE WHAT I’VE ALREADY PRODUCED. BEING EXPOSED TO SO MANY NEW SOUNDS, IDEAS, AND CULTURES COMBINED WITH THE STATE OF THE WORLD PUSHED ME TO A PLACE I AM BEYOND EXCITED ABOUT” RAASHAN SAID. THIS RECORD FINDS ELEMENTS OF WHAT RAASHAN HAS BEEN, SOULFUL, SOCIALLY AWARE AND FOCUSED ON SELF DISCOVERY WHILE ADDING ELEMENTS OF THE BROADER WORLD, AFRICAN RHYTHMS, SPOKEN WORD, JAZZ DISCOVERIES, FLAMENCO PALMAS AND MORE MIX IN A MUSICAL GUMBO THAT’S TRULY ORIGINAL. THE NEXT CHAPTER IS SHAPING UP TO BE THE MOST EXCITING YET!