On the surface, Khujo Goodie and Jneiro Janel, the pair that make up Willie Isz, are an unsuspecting match up.

On the one hand you have rapper Khujo, famed for his work as part of the legendary Goodie Mobb and Dungeon family whose career has spanned more than two decades, representing classic Southern hip hop and drawing his influences from the likes of Outkast, Goodie Mobb, Geto Boys, NWA, Public Enemy, Biggie and 2Pac. Then, on the other hand, you have the younger musician and producer Jneiro, whose avant-garde and abstract work has seen him blurring and pushing the boundaries of hip hop and beyond, and whose musical influences are spread as far afield as My Bloody Valentine, Prince and TV On The Radio.

However, as Khujo is quick to assert, 'We both are from different musical backgrounds but at the end of the day, it's still music.' While this may appear a simple observation, it is this open-minded thinking that underpins their album, Georgiavania, and makes it such a stand-out piece of music.

They first linked up after Jneiro approached Khujo to do a remix of his song OPR8R. Pleased with the results, they simply took it from there and kept sending beats and vocals back and forth over the internet until they had, what would become, their debut album.

Whereas often collaborations can often be disappointing, a mere half-formed fusion of the two artists' styles, forming less than the sum of its parts, Willie Isz was born out of a very different mentality. 'What we were trying to do,' says Khujo, 'was create something totally new, that nobody would ever believe or expect, unless you seen it for yourself. When you have talented people working together you get an organic fusion.'

The result is a dazzlingly eclectic mélange of psychedelic, futuristic and funky hip hop, pop and even rock all supplemented by flurries of surreal rhymes and catchy hooks, and all tied together by the pervasive underlying soul. 'Down in the South, in GA, it's the home of soul music, like James Brown and Curtis Mayfield - it's in the blood, so to speak,' says Khujo.

Their willingness to experiment and diversify (check in particular the fiddles on The Grussle) and the album's fierce display of musicality are reminiscent of Outkast's seminal Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. On the subject of the album's musicality and use of live instrumentation, Khujo says, 'Maybe it was a conscious decision for JJ 'cause he strives to not be a part of the norm, which in turn secures him a spot alongside the greats. For me, it came natural. Coming from the Dungeon Family camp the bar was set high years ago. You only as funky as yo last cut!'

This ambitiousness has certainly paid off, as the album is quickly garnering widespread critical acclaim, and deservedly so. Willie Isz will not be resting on their laurels though. 'We plan on working together again on another Willie Isz project and some cuts for my solo masterpiece,' says Khujo. 'We're also gearing up for another overseas tour and some US dates with MF Doom.'

It seems like Georgiavania is just the start of something brilliant. The album will be released on vinyl on August 31st, and is re-released on CD on the same day.

Words: Sam Collenette

 

• Willie Isz

Related Links:

• Fabio & Grooverider's Masterpiece
• Five Minutes With: Roska
• Video: Randomer On His Musical Influences
• Brackles Launches New K7 Mix Series
• RackNRuin - Territory Remix Competition

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