I, Ced In The Place

I first became aware of I, Ced through his work with the Hawthorne Headhunters. The group was innovative and funky, carrying the lineage of great black music. Once I, Ced started carving out a space as a solo artist, I began to identify him more with the slow burning soul of sleeper tracks like "The Finale" or the dance-floor boogie of other work. Though I knew Ced has a love for rap, I didn't immediately think of a break-beat when I heard his name.

A little more than a month ago, Ced teamed up with the good folks at Insect Records for a 45 rpm single. The beautiful sky blue piece of wax features the soulful funk I've known Ced for on the A side but packs a bit of a surprise on the B side. Channeling his love of classic hip-hop, Ced lays a breakbeat that would make the Fatback Band proud (Google 'em). After seasoning the stew a bit more, Ced recruits Quelle Chris and Black Spade to get busy over his composition.

There's a reason why I, Ced's talents are highly in demand, so much so that he piqued the curiosity of the reclusive Shuggie Otis when the two met at a gig in Los Angeles. Ced's a true musician, versatile and never in one space for too long. Try and keep up.