Raw Poetic - Space Beyond the Solar System

MC/Lyricist Raw Poetic (aka Jason Moore) announces Space Beyond The Solar System, his new album out December 9th on 22nd Century Sound, and presents its lead single, “A Mile In My Head,” featuring legendary saxophonist Archie Shepp. Although Space Beyond The Solar System could be considered a concept album by its outcome, its inception started from a string of experiments between Moore and frequent collaborator/producer Damu the Fudgemunk. These initial sessions had no specific direction but became the catalyst for what would become a prolific wave of Raw Poetic projects; five of which have been released since 2020.

It was these initial sessions and the demos they produced that convinced Shepp—who is also Raw Poetic’s uncle—to record what would eventually become 2020’s Ocean Bridges, a collaborative album from Raw, Damu, and Shepp, praised by The FADER as “modern masterpiece at the intersection of rap and jazz.” The trio’s collaboration continues on Space Beyond The Solar System, which boasts three tracks featuring the jazz legend, including today’s “A Mile In My Head,” a sprawling and thought-provoking album stand-out.

“I always liked ‘A Mile in My Head’’ because it really does break down a day in the life of our metropolitan area,” says Moore, who grew up in and around the Washington, DC area. “The sound provides such a backdrop that you can actually visualize the story. We’re in full hip-hop mode here.”

Listen to “A Mile In My Head” (Feat. Archie Shepp) by Raw Poetic
damuthefudgemunk.bandcamp.com/track/a-mile-in-my-head-ft-archie-shepp-single-mix

At two hours, absorbing Space Beyond in its entirety may be overwhelming for most, especially in the present day, but Raw and Damu are very aware of this. With a total of over 40-plus years of experience between the vocalist and producer, the two of them went down memory lane taking every influence and experience in their personal histories to extract ingredients for a groundbreaking statement. Space Beyond The Solar System is their most comprehensive environment to date.

The creation of Space Beyond sparked a conversation between Raw and Damu about their creative chemistry, with Raw likening their direction to a “space beyond the solar system.” His comment was a eureka moment for the two artists, giving their wandering efforts a sense of definition that was needed. “I think we’ve been exploring music beyond our limits for a few years,” says Raw Poetic. “It’s hard to tell where we’ll land, but we are constantly pushing our way out of the norm. Hence the title, ‘Space Beyond the Solar System.’ It’s just to say, this is new territory for us. Where the sky was once the limit, now it’s just the start.”

All lyrics written by Jason “Raw Poetic” Moore

All vocals performed by Raw Poetic
*background vocals on Young Poet Be Free by Damu the Fudgemunk

Produced by Raw Poetic

Additional Post production, arranging, music direction, mixing, mastering by Earl “Damu the Fudgemunk” Davis

*Additional arranging, recording, mixing, post production by Jason “Raw Poetic” Moore

Recorded in Arlington Va, Brentwood MD, Sterling Va, Berlin Germany and Washington DC 2018-2019

Archie Shepp (guest): Tenor Sax
Luke Stewart (guest): Acoustic upright bass
Pat Fritz (guest): Electric Guitar