One World Tribe Hip Hop, Reggae, Funk, Latin Music, World Music
Music for your mind and body

• "One World Tribe, "Armed and Dangerous." Three and a half stars.
  
  Erie's One World Tribe plunges heavily into hip-hop on "Armed and Dangerous," its first CD in seven years, but with a twist. They meld rap-style vocals by Preach, chelaBOP, BuJu, and MC Chilly J. to a global melange of melodies and beats, which lends the CD an exotic, esoteric air. Along the way, they visit Africa, Jamaica, Latin America, and even the Middle East on "Queen."
  
  Madness-styled opener "Do U Have a Plan?" gets things off to a supercharged start with a peppy horn chart and its call to rise above violence. You could see belly dancers groovin' to "Queen" with its smooth, hypnotizing air. Both "Baba Simba" and "Tropical Love" have an infectious, soothing reggae lilt, and benefit from rich female harmones. A spare, itchy funk pulse drives the issue-driven "Lock Down," while the hopeful closing song "Imagine" aims for the soul grandeur of heritage artists such as Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder.
  
  But the centerpiece is "Yagnimone," a 9-minute cut that blends African percussion, chanting, and breezy smooth jazz. With rippling keys, insistent drums, and soaring horns all taking turns in the spotlight, "Yagnimone" showcases the band's pure musicality.
  
  Well produced and at times lyrically pointed -- "Four Two Zero" questions who's the real target of the war on drugs -- "Armed and Dangerous" finds One World Tribe making world music that matters, music with conscience and heart.
  

  - CD Review - Dr. Rock, Erie Times-News
  

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• 'Put it under one roof'
  On its new CD, 'Armed and Dangerous,'
  One World Tribe sounds fresh, contemporary, vital.
  
  The 13-track release takes a more hip hop-centric approach than their previous CDs, with rap-styled vocals on nearly every cut.
  
  They marry those vocals to a global musical village of melodies and beats that encompasses reggae, Aro-pop, jazz, samba, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, and other musical styles.
  
  The result is an intoxicating, percolating stew that's not as dense or percussion-heavy as earlier OWT but brighter and airer.
  
  One World Tribe, which features from seven to 12 members at any gig, includes five core members from the beginning: Thompson, vocalist Preach Freedon, guitarists Kenny Hollis and Frank Singer, and bassist Mike Chin. As other members have come in, they've added entrancing new flavors.
  
  Thompson says One World Tribe's residencies in schools help them stay in touch with younger music fans and their tastes. And staying musically fresh and current is paramount for Thompson.
  
  Some "Armed and Dangerous" songs - such as the warm, bouyant "Tropical Love" - make use of I Three-like harmonies. On the other side is "Queen," with a chant-like Middle Eastern vocal. The CD also showcases the band's chops, especially on the 9-minute "Yagnimone."
  
  "I like to have at least one song that defines the musicianship of the band," Thompson said. "Where people listen to it and go, 'Those guys got some game.'"
  
  They got a message too, reflected in the band's mix of nationalities, genders and age groups. One World Tribe celebrates the ties that bind humanity, and rails against the forces that hold it down.
  
  Its inflammatory CD title refers to the ability to rally people through music and reason.
  
  "You take someone like Dr. King or Robert Kennedy or Malcom X. They were people who were armed and dangerous. They didn't have a gun, but they had weapons. Their weapons were knowledge and believing in inspiring people to change their own circumstances.
  
  "When we say 'Armed and Dangerous,' it doesn't necessarily mean in a physical sense," Thompson added. "We're just trying to wake people up."

  - CD Preview - Dave Richards, Erie Times-News
  Read the Complete Article...
  

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• Spotlight TV filmed part of a CD Release show in June 2008 in Downtown Erie, PA. The film includes an interview with Preach Freedom right before the set, talking about the new CD, Armed and Dangerous.
  
  Watch the Video
  

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  Apple iTunes / Amazon.com / Amazon Music
  
  

Apple iTunes / Amazon.com / Amazon Music

Hear a sample of each song from Armed and Dangerous

Armed and Dangerous is One World Tribe's third CD, released in the fall of 2008. In keeping with the diverse musical styles and influences coming together in the group, this CD uses Hip Hop as the connection between songs that have Reggae, Funk, Latin, and World Beat underpinnings, as well as straight-ahead Hip Hop.

Hip Hoppers include Preach Freedom, Dyce, Buju, chelaBOP, DJ Chilly J, Kingpin, Xodous, King Tappa, and Slice the Mic Snatcha. Each delivers club-tested, club-approved rhymin' featuring positivity, consciousness and knowledge, as well as some Ol' Skool for your head.

From the balls-to-the-wall Do U Have a Plan? to the hopeful Imagine, each cut moves you with OWT's trademark grooves, tight vocals, and soaring solos. Tribe's patented solid rhythm is ever-present, keeping the CD as eminently danceable as the last two.

One World Tribe is still a band with a message, delivering conscious lyric along with its insidious rhythm. Beginning with the meaning of the title, Armed And Dangerous, this CD makes you think while you're groovin'. With a couple of exceptions, every track is topical and filled with the news of the streets. While much of that news can be disturbing if heard outside such jamming music, OWT offers up knowledge, solutions, and hope.

If you are a hate-mongering, racist hawk who believes in separation between peoples, class wars and intolerance, this is not the CD for you. If you are fed up with all the reasons why we CAN'T get along, then grab a copy of Armed and Dangerous and hear some reasons why we CAN.

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Apple iTunes / Amazon.com / Amazon Music

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Apple iTunes / Amazon.com / Amazon Music