Sa-Ra is an American musical group based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, also known by its full name, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners. The group is composed of Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn. The name translates roughly to "the children of God." The group's name, style and creativity are allusions to the similarly named jazz composer

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

. Their music has been described as

progressive soul Progressive soul (often shortened to prog-soul; also called black prog, black rock, and progressive R&B) is a type of African-American music that uses a progressive approach, particularly in the context of the soul and funk genres. It developed ...

, neo funk, and alternative hip hop.

History

Sa-Ra formed in the late 1990s from a trio of industry producers, musicians, and executives. The group’s discography includes songs with artists such as

Jurassic 5 Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1994 by rappers Charles Stewart ( Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic ( DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas ...

and

Pharoahe Monch Troy Donald Jamerson (born October 31, 1972), better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper from South Jamaica, Queens, New York. He is known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhym ...

, and have collectively and/or individually produced songs for artists like

Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. ''Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heav ...

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

(specifically his '' Love for Sale'' album),

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

Jill Scott Jill Scott may refer to: * Jill Scott (singer) (born 1972), American soul singer and songwriter. * Jill Scott (racing driver) (1902–1974), English racing driver * Jill Scott (media artist) (born 1952), Australian media artist * Jill Scott (footba ...

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

, Fonzworth Bentley, Jay-Z,

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and

Goapele Goapele Mohlabane (; born July 11, 1977), is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. Her name means ''to move forward'' in Setswana, a Southern African language. Early life Goapele's South African father Douglas Mohlabane was an exiled po ...

. The group had previously been signed to Kanye West's

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

label, where it planned to release their debut album. The label was dissolved by distributor

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...

, and the group signed a deal with independent label Babygrande.

Releases and recent music

Several singles and recordings have been released under the group's own name, primarily on independent labels such as ABB Records,

Ubiquity Records Ubiquity Records is an independent American Record Label that focuses on multiple genres, including but not limited to hip hop, electronic, funk, Latin, soul, jazz, singer/songwriters and other musical genres. History Ubiquity Records was conce ...

, and Sound in Color and on various compilation albums, and include "Glorious," and singles "Double Dutch" and "Second Time Around." Newer material was released on the promotional ''SetUps and Justifications'' album sampler in mid-2006, including songs such as "Big Fame," "StarWars," and "Hollywood." Their "Second Time Around" single was released in CD format, and is generally available from major online retailers as well as iTunes. The group’s original vinyl singles ("Double Dutch" and "Glorious") were limited releases on

. A full-length album, titled '' The Hollywood Recordings'', was released on

Babygrande Records Babygrande Records is an American independent record label based in New York City, founded by Chuck Wilson. Babygrande is distributed by The Orchard and represented by the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood. History Babygrande Records was ...

on April 24, 2007. In 2006, the group said that their sound is unlikely to gain much attention from MTV. However, beginning in 2009, Om'Mas Keith became a regular cast member on Diddy's MTV programme ''

Making His Band ''Making the Band'' is an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. Except for the first iter ...

'' drawing more attention to Sa-Ra.

Discography

Albums

* '' The Hollywood Recordings'' (2007) * '' Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love'' (2009)

Appearances

* 2004: "Turn It Up", "Certified" (from the Krumbsnatcha album ''Let The Truth Be Told'') * 2005: "A Helluva Town" (from '' Impulsive! Revolutionary Jazz Reworked'') * 2005: "Deep Inside" (from the

Platinum Pied Pipers Platinum Pied Pipers is a Detroit-based hip hop and R&B group composed of producer Waajeed (Robert O'Bryant), and multi-instrumentalist Saadiq (Darnell Bolden, not to be confused with Raphael Saadiq). Their music usually features a rotating ...

album '' Triple P'') * 2007: "Space Fruit Interlude" (from the

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

album ''

Eardrum In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit sound from the air ...

'') * 2015: "Finale" (from the

Ty Dolla $ign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

album ''

Free TC ''Free TC'' is the debut studio album by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Atlantic Records. As executive producers, Ty Dolla Sign and Wiz Khalifa enlisted a variety of collaborators; including DJ Mustard, ...

'')

References

External links

* – official site * {{Authority control Hip hop groups from California Alternative hip hop groups American funk musical groups American soul musical groups African-American musical groups American hip hop record producers Ubiquity Records artists American musical trios Musical groups from Los Angeles