It’s hard to always know where things end and things begin. The Crown, an album from End of the Weak founder Jason “Vice Verses “Williams, is being released this year, almost two years after his passing.
The Crown encapsulates Vice’s trademarks: lyrical, dark, haunting, melancholy, light-hearted, clever, and honest. It is all of those things, and more. The album personifies the unique way Vice connected with family, friends, fellow artists, kids … with people. While Vice conceptualized the songs, he never heard them in their finished forms, never heard the features or some of the beats at all. Yet, the songs are completely Vice. Not a tribute or a remembrance of but an embodiment of Jason “Vice Verses” Williams’ special soul and the way he made you feel if you were lucky enough to know him.
The album features appearances by many of Vice’s long-term friends and music collaborators.
The first single, Wandering Why, talks about the struggles faced when you’re trying to reach your dreams and run into distractions from daily stresses and frustrations. The hook is dreamy and almost mantra-like. The song features Big Zoo, End of the Weak founder, and legendary Brooklyn MC Shabaam Sahdeeq, and was produced by DJ Rob Flow.
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The second single, Count on Me takes you on a brooding journey through what could be Gotham; haunting, gritty and triumphant. This is a song you feel while moving through sonic builds and crescendos. The lyrics explore the meaning of growth, brotherhood and loss and brings together ProlificWone (End of the Weak Founder) and Slaine (La Coka Nostra) both original members of I2I, Vice’s original NYC rap group, and Big Ox who worked most closely with Vice in recent years, having started DiverseCity TV and Idea Factory together.
The Crown is a labor of Love. Executive produced by Vice, Vice’s best friend Big Ox- Omar Pickering, and his partner Kendra Goldhirsch, with the support of Danyle Williams, James Calhoun, and Patrick Hanos. Via IDEA FACTORY & End Of The WEAK
- Intro/ Vice Vincent – Produced By Agallah
- Broken Heart – Produced by Jess Jamez Music
- Count On Me feat. Big OX, ProlificWone, Slaine – Produced By Zia Leonard (Idea Factory)
- Have You Ever feat Big OX – Produced By Mas Law
- Genius Thoughts feat. Agallah Da Don, Big Ox – Produced By Agallah
- Time To Go feat. Dinco D, Big Ox, Shorty Red – Produced By Dax Carson
- Wandering Why (Chasing My Dream) feat. Shabaam Sahdeeq, Big Zoo – Produced By DJ Rob Flow
- Willie Wonka feat. Big Ox, Rob Flow – Produced by Rob Flow
- Darkness feat. Breeze EvaFlowin – Produced By Dax Carson
IG: @vicevvs @viceversesforever @verses_project @eodub
Article submission by Apex Zero
Words by Kendra Goldhirsch