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Nashville rap and R&B have both seen dramatic rises in popularity in the past few years, earning praise from national outlets like NPR and
Complex and catching the attention â and dollars â of major players like Prescription Songs and Roc Nation. Most of this attention has focused on the cityâs wealth of artist and songwriting talent. But an equally important part of the scene has flown largely under the radar: its producers.
A.B. Eastwood, a producer, musician and DJ known to friends and collaborators simply as A.B., knows this firsthand. A frequent go-to for artists like Tim Gent and Brian Brown, Eastwood reached out to the
No Roads (The Garden)
After living through a year that brought a devastating tornado and a deadly global pandemic, rapper Reaux Marquez felt inspired to craft an album that reflected the loss and tumult he and his North Nashville community experienced.
No Roads is an immersive, narrative album, opening with the spoken line, âThe child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.â Marquez produced the album himself, and he adds flourishes of jazz, spoken word, R&B and field recordings into his fiery, moody soundscapes, which add color and texture to his versatile flow. To boot, Marquez also assembled a killer lineup of featured artists, including local mainstays like A.B. Eastwood, Jamiah, Namir Blade and Lauren McClinton. BRITTNEY McKENNA
Courtesy LeXander BRYANT/Black Nashville Assembly
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toggle caption Courtesy LeXander BRYANT/Black Nashville Assembly
Mike Floss spins music at a Black Nashville Assembly meeting. The group is trying to organize people to be more engaged politically. Courtesy LeXander BRYANT/Black Nashville Assembly
Some organizers in Nashville, Tenn., are working to strengthen local Black political power.
Last summer, the city s majority Democratic council rejected more than seven hours of pleas to decrease police funding. Every politician in Nashville is supposedly progressive yet we have a hard time getting our points of view even heard, organizer Theeda Murphy says.
The Black Nashville Assembly wants to create an agenda that ensures the government doesn t create barriers for Black people s progress. They re riding a momentum sparked by Georgia flipping blue and using a legacy of strategies from people-driven movements.