J. Period & K’naan – The Messangers (Bob Dylan & Bob Marley tribute)

Deejay and producer J. Period and Somali emcee K’naan are joining forces for The Messengers, a remix project paying tribute to musical icons Fela Kuti, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan.

The project, which is a mix of Afro-Beat, Reggae, Ska, Folk Music, Rock and Hip Hop, remixes the music of the three artists in an effort to continue conveying their messages. K’naan is fresh off of his sophomore release, Troubadour [click to read], which debuted at #32 on Billboard’s top 200. J. Period has done numerous remix projects – one of which was with Q-Tip – yielding over 600,000 downloads. In addition, J. Period has worked with Mary J. Blige, The Roots, Kanye West and many other artists.

“This project is really special to me,” says K’naan. “Not the product of ego but of passion. Far from a marketing tool, it is an honest musical offering. Nothing gives a better window into the root and concept of my own sound than The Messengers.”

“A lot of people say Hip Hop is in a stagnant place, but I see few actually doing something about it,” says J.Period. “I love the The Messengers because the concept is completely unique, but still true to the original spirit of Hip Hop: combining the best elements from everywhere to create something fresh, to make a new statement. Fela, Marley and Dylan proved that when great music meets a powerful message, the result lives forever. I hope K’naan and I have done their legacies justice with this project.”

The Messengers will be released in five parts over the course of five weeks, begging with an installment consisting of one remix of Fela , Marley, and Dylan each. The first installment will be released today (August 18). A new release will follow every Tuesday in September, beginning with a tribute to Fela Kuti (September 1), Bob Marley (September 8), Bob Dylan (September 15), and finally The Messangers in its entirety plus bonus tracks on September 22.

J.Period x K’Naan: “Let’s Start (Fela Kuti Tribute)”

J.Period x K’Naan: “Belly Full (Bob Marley Tribute)” feat. Kardinal Offishall, General Steele, Baja

J.Period x K’Naan: “Relationships Lay (Bob Dylan Tribute)”

Other artists involved in The Messengers project are M1 of Dead Prez, Kardinal Offishall, Baja of Dry Eye Crew, Steele of Smf’N’Wessun, Zumbi of Zion I, Netic the Rebel of Game Rebellion, bassist Brian Satz, and produced DJ Preservation.

DOWNLOAD: The Messangers EP (Sampler) (577 downloads )