In 2020 and 2021, Indianapolis emcees Oreo Jones and Sirius Blvck teamed up for a pair of records, the first as solo artists and the second under the moniker 81355 with producer Sedcairn Archives rounding out the crew. Since then, the trio (expanded to a six-piece for live shows) have maintained a fairly busy tour schedule culminating in an extensive 2022 tour with Dehd. And while Blvck has released a steady flow of solo material since This Time I’ll Be of Use, we’re also hearing from Jones today with the announcement of his own solo release NEPHEW and its first single “Dorothy Dandridge in E Minor”—an homage to the vocalist who first inspired Jones to pursue music.
In contrast to Blvck’s more heated bars, this new track is a laid back, soulful cut mimicking 81355’s full-band live sound once the beat drops. “[Producer Ben Lumsdaine] and I would send ideas back and forth to each other for a couple months leading up to me heading out to Los Angeles to record with him,” Jones shares of the track’s collaborative nature. “We really tried to make something colorful and funky. Hanna Benn hopped on to add some lovely background vocals to add even more to the experience. I wanted to create something for the folks that just want to chill and kick back with some lemonade and a pre-roll or something.”
Check out the first single below, or stream it here.
