New Los Angeles based future soul label, Strange Neighbor backs their current Shots Fired ep release with a video premiere by film maker Chrome Yellow. The Shots Fired ep combines the Philadelphia soul of Hezekiah and Ralph Real with the future beat production of LA’s Sweatson Klank and Melbourne based Tru Thoughts signee, Dizz1.
In conjunction with the Shots Fired EP and Video release, Strange Neighbor would like to draw specific attention to the Campaign Zero organization. A criminal justice reform organization emanating from the Black Lives Matter movement which recently released a 10-point plan to curb police violence.
Campaign Zero solutions include reforms to the current training regime for police officers which fails to effectively teach them how to interact with our communities in a way that protects and preserves life. Police recruits currently spend 58 hours learning how to shoot firearms and only 8 hours learning how to de-escalate situations.
Covered in the campaign are the additional reforms that must be made to the process of investigation following fatal police shootings. Police unions have until now established firm protections for police officers in local, state and federal government contracts and in the statewide Law Enforcement Officers' Bills of Rights which create disparate sets of rules for police and civilians. More information about how police union contracts help officers avoid accountability can be found at CheckthePolice.org.
From his early releases on Rawkus Records and Soul Spazm, to his Roots Crew involvements, through to recent projects produced via his own 3Crates studio and label, Hezekiah is an unstoppable force in the East Coast hip hop and Philly soul community. Perpetually championed by Okay Player for his socially conscious lyricism, here Hezekiah‘s wordplay promotes positive black identity in the light of increased awareness surrounding racial injustice and police brutality. Reflecting the hood sensibilities of Hezekiah’s Shot’s fired verses, The Shots Fired video is a simple visual mediation shot and edited over a period Chrome Yellow spent based in New York.
The video co-incided with the release date of the Shots Fired vinyl 7”. Available via Fat Beats. Shots Fired digital 5 track digital EP now available on iTunes. More info @ www.strangeneighbor.com.