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From the Bay Area to Manhattan, a sonic jihad is ready to strike with the long-awaited release of the provocative debut album from Charlie Manhattan. The released titled “The Manhattan Project,” named after the top-secret engineering project that developed the atom bomb is set to drop in late summer, 2005. The album will feature eighteen blazing tracks including, “War Anthem,” a street hymn for those who are going through their own battles. Charlie Manhattan says : “It seems that everyone has their own war they are fighting, and there are also some political statements in the song. People in the hood who are in poverty are fighting, and if you want something, you have to keep your eyes on the prize.”
A song about how people get curve balls thrown in their lives, “Ghetto Love” is about falling in love with someone who you think will be with you the rest of your life, but fate intervenes, and life takes a twist, “Do What Cha Like” is a smooth as velvet homage to doing what makes you feel good and “Me And You” samples The Turtlesﾒ classic rock hit, “Happy Together,” and is about two people who love each other, go though good times and bad times, and then come of age.
Prior to this release many of you may have heard Charlie dropping joints on Bay Area compilation albums such as “Killa Tay Presents The Murder Show Soundtrack,” “11-5 Presents: Grind And Post,” and “Theme Music To Drug Dealins And Killins,” (which featured the likes of Young Noble of The Outlawz, Guce and Cold World Hustlers).
Born as Charles Williams, this earsplitting rhyme slinger from the Yay got his street name Charlie Manhattan from the horror flick Jason Takes Manhattan. While New York provided the backdrop to Jasonﾒs deadly craft, the Bay View Hunters Point section of San Francisco affected Charlieﾒs art. Manhattanﾒs life has also been shadowed by an extremely tough break: throughout his entire life, his own father has been serving time in prison. Charlieﾒs harsh surroundings, however, convinced him to drop bombs that are creative, rather than destructive. Charlie says : “I have seen gang violence, drugs, pretty much everything. It has influenced me in my music. But since Iﾒm a really down to earth person, Iﾒm not segregating myself off to one section of the city or part of Cali, or one part of anything. My experiences have impacted me, through the things that Iﾒve seen, been around, and things that my family members have been through.”
Producers on this release Laid Black Productions, comprising of Mr. Laid and Chill Black, with additional contributions made by Slo Burn of BAISS Entertainment, and one of the Bay Areaﾒs newest female producers, L7. Featured guests include U.D.I., Pho Balo, vocalist Calita Talley, R&B singer Omari Jelani, and Charlieﾒs younger brother, Lil Brah.
Charlie has already played a number of live shows and here he remincices on the the late Mac Dre : “Iﾒve done a lot of competitions with my camp. I remember a performance, a show we did with Mac Dre that was huge, about a year and a half ago. It was real shocking when he died. He was part of the Bay Area music scene, contributing for so long. The reaction to his death really showed how important the Bay Area is to people in hiphop. It was far and wide, which meant a lot to us.”
The album is slated for release late this summer by Laid Black Productions and RNB Entertainment Group, headed by EMI Music veteran Tom Cartwright and longtime Bay Area entertainment entrepreneur, Warren Foster.
This fall, fallout from The Manhattan Project will be universally heard, and will be felt by hiphop fans from Charlieﾒs hood to yours.
Lookout for more news and audio on this release at a later date!
