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President Joe Biden is on his way out of the White House, but before leaving office, the 46th president is keeping things in line with his administrationâs moratorium on the federal death penalty by commuting the sentences of most inmates on federal death row. And because those death row inmates are disproportionately Black (38%) and Latino (15%), many view the move as a good look towards racial justice in a legal system where racial justice is scarce.
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1871284742231822546
âIâve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,â Biden said in a statement announcing that he would commute sentences for 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row, according to thegrio. âMake no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss.â
Biden, who vowed to abolish the death penalty during his 2020 presidential campaign, did not extend this slew of commutations to the violent white supremacists and terrorists who are currently on death row. Those excluded inmates include Dylan Roof, who was sentenced to death in 2017 after he massacred nine congregants at a historic Black church in South Carolina.
From thegrio:
Only three death row inmates did not receive commutations from the president: Dylan Roof, who fatally shot nine Black Americans inside Mother Emanual AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted for the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013; and Robert Bowers, who shot and killed 11 Jewish Americans at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Yeah â no matter what side of the death penalty issue you stand on, we should all be able to agree that certain offenders simply are not worth fighting on behalf of.Â
Of course, itâs worth mentioning that Rev. Sharon Risher, the daughter of Ethel Lance and the cousin of Susie Jackson and Tywanza Sanders, all of whom were killed by Roof, disagreed that everyone isnât worth saving and actually requested that Roofâs life be spared as well.
âI learned that my mother and my loved ones were gunned down by a white supremacist trying to start a race war. He is not an innocent man on death row, but he is a man. He has humanity, and I have been willing and worked hard to give forgiveness to [him],â Risher said. âI do not want him to die. To spend the rest of his life in prison? Yes. But not for him to die in the name of my family. We are urging you, President Biden. I hope you hear my words. I hope you get to hear the pain in my voice.â
Many people would say itâs fortunate Biden decided not to give Roof his life back despite Risherâs request. Black America would have been outraged, and rightfully so.
Meanwhile, advocates for abolishing the death penalty are celebrating the decision as a win for civil rights, especially for Black prison inmates who statistically receive harsher punishments than their white counterparts who commit the same crimes.
âBy commuting these sentences, President Biden has done what no president before him was willing to do: take meaningful and lasting action not just to acknowledge the death penaltyâs racist roots but also to remedy its persistent unfairness,â said Martin Luther King III, who publicly urged the president to commute the sentences of federal death row inmates. (thegrio noted that Donald Trump ordered the executions of 13 death row inmates during the final weeks of his first administration.)
Jamilla Hodge, CEO of Equal Justice USA, said President Bidenâs commutation strikes a âblow against racism and a system that has always targeted Black people.â
âThis action, aligned with your more recent pardons, reaffirms our shared belief in the dignity and value of all human life and the possibility of redemption in everyone,â Hodge continued.
The month of October calls for a new October London album â and the South Bend, Ind. crooner was more than happy to oblige. The Billboard chart-topping singer unleashed October Nights, his soulful sophomore album, on Friday (Oct. 11).Â
In an era rife with discourse regarding the state of traditional R&B and soul, October London mounted an unlikely â but incredibly welcome â breakthrough. At the top of last year (Feb. 10, 2023), he released The Rebirth of Marvin, a lush 11-song set steeped in the influence of Gaye himself. The LP launched a pair of Adult R&B No. 1 hits â âBack to Your Place and âMulholland Driveâ (with Snoop Dogg and LaToiya Williams) â which helped him earn four nominations at the 2023 Soul Train Music Awards.Â
Just a year and a half later, London (born Jared Samuel Erskine) is back with a stellar sophomore LP that infuses his last albumâs Gaye-informed aesthetic with the vocal dexterity of Frankie Beverly, the raunchy hip-hop roots of Death Row and star-studded collaborations with artists like Grammy nominees Ledisi, Tyrese and Boney James. The new album also features the singles âShe Keeps Callingâ and âA Beautiful Woman.âÂ
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As the new flagship artist for Snoop Doggâs revitalized Death Row Records â which the legendary rapper acquired in February 2022 â October London simultaneously symbolizes a new era for the label and a potential path forward for traditional R&B in a music landscape that continues to deprioritize that scene. In Londonâs music, everything begins and ends with his voice; he effortlessly balances sensual warmth, starry-eyed self-reflection and a vibrant steak of â70s R&B-steeped vocal affects throughout the recordâs exploration of the various women and relationships that decorate his October Nights. The new LP is an insular listening experience that accurately reflects the recordâs intimate creation, but Londonâs cinematic sequencing keeps his themes accessible â and his grounded lyricism keeps things relatable, too.Â
âA lot of times, I just do a lot of stuff by myself,â London tells Billboard. âI mix, I master, I produce, and I write, so to speak, on my own. Thatâs where I gained [the] peace to write the records. I donât even write records anymore, really. It all comes off the top, from my head to the microphone.âÂ
Released during the final stretch of his supporting stint (alongside Jazmine Sullivan) for Maxwellâs Serenade tour, October Nights promises to introduce fans and casual listeners to the man, singer and songwriter beyond The Rebirth of Marvin. In a sprawling conversation with Billboard, October London breaks down the making of October Nights, his vocal health routine and his plans to fully realize his destiny as a âmulti-genreâ artist.
You kicked off this new era with âShe Keeps Calling.â Why did that song feel like the right choice to herald a new album from October London?Â
It felt good to put out because we donât have that âbig voiceâ sound out right now. So that first part in the song [sings opening note] came from Frankie Beverly and Maze. Obviously, we just lost Frankie Beverly, rest in peace, and I had also just met him. He gave me that inspiration to do that. It was a very weird connection the way that happened. I was going to say â that song is kind of old, but itâs really not. I made it right on time, it just felt right.Â
Tell me about meeting the legend himself. What was that like?Â
That was actually really, really amazing. [I met him at a] BET event in Atlanta where he was being honored. He was very cool. I think he knew a couple of [my] songs; I donât want to say he knew the whole album, but I think he knew of me, and he just welcomed me with open arms.Â
When did you start working on October Nights and when did you decide on the title?Â
The title came from Snoop [Dogg]. I had a couple other titles in mind, and we were just hanging out in the studio, and he was like âYeah, itâs an October night⊠I think that should be the album title.â And I was like, âThat sounds like a great album title!â We have some good October nights ahead of us, so [laughs]. The album didnât take long. Just like Rebirth of Marvin took one week, October Nights took about two weeks to make. I canât recall what time I started to make it, but I know it went pretty fast.Â
It took two weeks for the first version of the album and then I sent it to the legendary producer Soopafly, and he wanted to add little bells and whistles to it.Â
Youâve spoken before about the different styles and genres that you like to play with, and there are tastes of that sprinkled throughout October Nights. Overall, why did you choose to remain in that straight R&B crooner lane?Â
With this album, I wanted to do something different, but I also wanted to kind of give a sequel to the last album. When youâre listening to October Nights, youâre getting a little bit of Rebirth of Marvin. October Nights blends a little bit of Rebirth, and then it turns into a whole other movie and changes throughout the middle.Â
Thereâs the record I did with Jeff Gitty called â3rd Shift,â thereâs âKill Shot,â and then you have me and Snoop doing âPut You On.â This is really a transitional album for me. By the time you get to the end, you have âTimeâ and then you have this song called âMomma.â Youâre getting into how I feel and youâre getting more of me with a few slices of other artists â just like any artist. You donât wanna swagger-jack, but weâre all influenced by so many artists.Â
â3rd Shiftâ is a vocal feast. You go from this sexy, buttery falsetto to these gritty growls so effortlessly. Whatâs your vocal health routine like?Â
Greasy food, man. Iâm not one of the ones that are doing vocal exercises every day and night. Iâve never done that ever. Iâve never had vocal lessons, nothing like that, it just kind of came naturally. But when I get ready to go out on stage, I always have at least something to eat, whether itâs chicken or something with cheese. Other singers are like, âOh my God, you need tea!â I donât need tea; I get some coffee! Iâm totally polar opposite when it comes to vocal training. I refuse to sing until I get some grease or coffee or something.Â
And youâre like that even on tour?Â
Absolutely.Â
What song on the album did you find the most difficult to record â whether thatâs vocally or emotionally?Â
â3rd Shift,â I recorded it in 30 minutes because I had 30 minutes left in the session. âKillshotâ was the one that really gave me the most trouble though. I donât know why; it was just a lot going on. There were other people coming into the studio, so I was kind of rushing through it. Thatâs one of my favorite records and I was creating a movie in my head for it, so thatâs why it took me a little longer. Instead of taking me an hour, it took maybe two hours. That one was a little tougher to write, but when we do the music video, we already have the treatment and everything.Â
How does that âKill Shotâ movie fit in the larger context of the story of October Nights? Â
October Nights is filled with the fun of an October night. The hanging out, the glasses of wine, the people, the family, the friends and all that kind of stuff. But itâs also geared towards my love for beautiful women. I have a song [on there] called âA Beautiful Woman.âÂ
This album is wrapped around love, pain, and the overall beauty of a woman. âKill Shotâ is me messing with multiple women at a certain time period, but thereâs one thatâs still stuck on me, and she will not let go. Sheâs coming after me. [Laughs.] She wonât stop calling!
Talk to me about âMomma.â Did you bring anything from your own relationship with your mother into that track?Â
Well, âMommaâ was actually made when Snoopâs mother passed. A day after that [happened,] he was sitting in the studio and I was like, âIâm gonna go in here and make something real quick.â That was really more for him. Itâs an ode to my mother as well, and an ode to a lot of peopleâs mothers too. But the main reason why I did it was because Snoop was going through this time in his life, and I wanted to be there as a little bro or as a nephew and make him a song he [could] listen to. And I knew the kind of relationship that he had with her as well.Â
How hands-on is Snoop at this point in your career? How has your relationship grown since you two first crossed paths?Â
We have a great relationship. Weâre both Libras, so that helps. For this album, heâs the executive producer, so heâs very hands-on, but he doesnât hover over my shoulder. Heâs like, âGo in the studio. Call me when youâre done with the album. Once youâre done with the album, weâll all listen to it, gather the right people around, and figure out whatâs missing.â âTouch on Meâ didnât have horns until Snoop said it needed a little bit more flavor. Itâs like macaroni and cheese. You got to put several kinds of cheese in there to make it thick. Our relationship is really great. Weâre both creatives and we both give each other space in the music realm.Â
Youâve spoken before about how great your contract is and how much you love Death Row. Walk me through what makes your contract so impressive and how you felt your relationship with Death Row has evolved during this album cycle. ïżŒÂ
With this contract, I have creative control â which is big for artists. I talked to a lot of artists [who] are very disappointed in their team or in the staff that works at their labels. Theyâre not getting their fair share or itâs money issues⊠itâs several things. I always have to say that Iâm actually a happy artist. I like where Iâm at and I love where Iâm at. Nobodyâs twisting my arm to say that. If I wasnât happy, Iâd just leave. But having the creative space to be embraced as a multi-genre artist means a lot. Snoop embraces me and because he does, I can be a creator. I can say, âAfter this album, I want to go â80s popâ and heâs like, âOkay, cool. Iâll talk to you in a couple of weeks and see what you got.âÂ
I was in the room when he was finishing up the call [to acquire Death Row], and I congratulated him and was about to walk out the door. He was like, âYou got to celebrate man, youâre going to be the King of Death Row. Youâre the flagship artist.â And that didnât even make sense to me! [Laughs.] This is a gangsta rap label and itâs called Death Row, not Heavenâs Gate! How was this going to work? Snoop was like, âLet me worry about that. You just do what you came to.âÂ
Did you start working on October Nights before or after Rebirth started to take off?Â
âMulholland Driveâ hadnât [come] out yet. I will say that âBack to Your Placeâ was out and it was moving, but we hadnât put âMulholland Driveâ out as a single yet. Â
What lessons did you bring from that first album into the second album?Â
For me, it was just more about the presentation of the album and how you listen to it. I think I could have added a few more pieces to Rebirth of Marvin â like horns or some more drums. I could have made [certain things] a little tighter. Iâm perfectionist, although I get things done really quickly. Listening back to the last record, Iâm like âDamn, I wonder where I could have put this song or that song.â There are songs that I wanted to put on Rebirth that are sitting in my hard drive. I wanted to make sure that with this album, I put exactly what I wanted on it. Iâm excited for this album because itâs exactly what I wanted. Rebirth was close to it, but instrumentation-wise, it was missing a few things.
There are a couple of cool collaborations on October Nights. Which one was most pivotal for you in terms of building out the final tracklist?Â
Probably âTime.â Me and Mike Letter did âTime,â and we recorded that 15 or 16 years ago. Thatâs how old that song is. It was kind of working backwards a little bit. I want people to know where Iâm going and who I am, but I know what people have been listening to. You have to find an even playing ground because if you donât then youâre going to either take it too far that way or too far the other way. Let me get you ready right here at the beginning. That way, you still get the Marvin influence and all that stuff, but I donât want to stay in that lane. I donât want to stick to that because I donât want people to think that Iâm going to continuously do that. I donât want to fill his shoes. I donât want to be the new Marvin. Iâm a creative. In the next three months, I might make a reggaetĂłn album or jazz album on some Miles Davis sât.Â
What was the goal behind initially marketing yourself as the ârebirthâ of Marvin Gaye? How has that helped or hindered your momentum as a rising new artist?Â
I thought it was going to hinder me, but it didnât. I really thought people were going to pigeonhole me. Like I said, I didnât even plan on putting out that album, so I was very afraid of what it was going to do. Then I was like, âI donât want them to not like it. I want them to love it.â If they love it, you got to give them more of it. And if they donât love it, youâre a flop. It helped me more than hindered, because people love the fact that Iâm bringing back music that people used to listen to and still love. We still bump Luther Vandross. We still bump The Isley Brothers. Thatâs still good music. Â
This music now is just⊠quick. Some of it is junk, you know? Doing the Marvin stuff helped because now I have a fan base. I can go out in front of 20,000 people every night with Maxwell and Jazmine Sullivan and say, âAlright, here I am. Hereâs me. Here are the songs. But let me also let you know Iâm not a robot.â I poke fun of the Android users when I tell the crowd to put their lights up. [Laughs.]Â
Whatâs one word you would use to describe your sound and why?Â
Eclectic. My sound varies depending on the mood Iâm in. I canât put myself in one category because I just. Iâm all over the board. But I also pay attention to whatâs going on, what people are putting out and what lanes are open right now. That â70s lane is wide open. It was wide open when I did Rebirth and itâs still wide open. The â80s marketâs wide open, â90s has been wide open for a while, so now Iâm trying to just figure out whatâs next after October Nights. I really feel like we have over five singles on there, so weâre going to be on October Nights for a minute. Â
How do you feel about certain songs living on multiple projects? Do you ever feel like it takes away from the narrative of your own project at all?Â
I think it helps because Boney James, for example, has been around for years. Iâve been listening to him since I was a kid in the back of the car. They donât know me in the jazz world. Now, I have some of his fans coming to me, and some of my fans â because theyâre a little bit younger â are getting introduced to him. It really helps when you just collaborate and have it on multiple projects because everybody has different fans. I look forward to creating songs with other artists. Iâve been working with Robin Thicke, me and Muni Long just did a record, etc. Â
Itâs Grammy season and âShe Keeps Callingâ is eligible for this cycle. What do the Grammys mean to you?Â
I would love to win a Grammy, that would be great. Am I doing music to win a Grammy? No, not at all. Itâd be great, though. I didnât think of a Grammy while doing this album at all. Obviously, Rebirth didnât get [any nominations], but âShe Keeps Callingâ is eligible and so is âBedroom Bullyâ and the Boney James record. I think I have 13 submissions for this cycle. Weâre hoping and praying for something. I just want to bring a win to Death Row.Â
Whatâs your take on state of R&B, especially when it comes to male crooners? Thereâs so much talent out there, but it feels like industry support is wildly inconsistent. Â
R&B is lacking. There was that time when everybody wanted to be Migos, even R&B artists. They wanted to change their whole thing and rap. The state of R&B is just lacking a lot of love. Itâs lacking feel-good music. Nothing makes you feel good more than Frankie Beverly coming on. We donât have that anymore, but we do have R&B artists out there. We still have Tank, TGTâs on the road right now. Even 112 is still on the road. I think R&B artists need that push. Somebody should be in their corner to be like, âItâs okay to be you.â Like I said, I was going to do a whole different thing. I was going to be on some Bryson Tiller/dvsn/Drake sât. Snoop had to just be like, âItâs okay. Donât worry about it. Just put it out there.â If I didnât have him do that, you would have never gotten Rebirth or October Nights.Â
I think artists are afraid to do R&B because they donât see a lot of people in love anymore. Theyâre going after the bag. Itâs like they donât have time to do love songs. They want to be in the club, or they want to be in their Hellcats. But hopefully, thatâs changing now, and R&B can finally come back and just take over for a little bit. Iâm going to try to do as much as possible, but I also bounce around other genres. That way, I donât get bored during the journey.Â
Whatâs been your favorite moment while on tour with Maxwell and Jazmine Sullivan? Have they given you any advice as you continue to navigate the R&B space?Â
Iâve been talking to Maxwell a lot and heâs just so kind, man. Heâs always been in my corner the whole tour making sure I was good. He said the same thing Snoop said: âJust continue to keep doing you and be yourself. Donât try to be anybody else. Go out there, get on that stage, kill it and be exactly who you want to be in your mind.âÂ
Recently, he shouted me out and it kind of blew my mind. He shouts me out every show â which I never knew â but he really gave me my flowers the other night. I was just like, âHoly shit⊠this dudeâs in my top 10 greatest R&B artists of all time and Iâm on tour with him!â That was a big moment.Â
Are there plans to give October Nights its own tour?Â
Absolutely. I canât say the date right now, but we are announcing it after this tour.Â
Have there been talks of any collabs between yourself and Maxwell or yourself and Jazmine? Or all three of you together?Â
Absolutely. Me and Maxwell are getting in the studio after we get done with tour. I gotta send him some records so we can do that together. Me and Jazmine havenât talked about doing a record yet, but I do have a couple of records for her, so weâll see. But the Maxwell joint is coming quick.Â
If you had to make a four song EP with two tracks from October Nights and Rebirth each, what would that look like?Â
âCentral Conversationsâ will go first. I gotta put â3rd Shiftâ on there. âMulholland Driveâ and âMomma.âÂ
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