massey

MASSEY oozes an air of rock n’ roll majesty with his wildly unpredictable creativity. A neo-disco song now, a neo-grunge song later. He is unbound by artistic constraints, pulling full songs from his head, and then vocalizes instrumental parts James Brown-style to the other musicians (MASSEY plays no instruments yet writes melodies). With just his rich and soulful Jim Morrison-esque baritone, scatting, whistling, and beatboxing, MASSEY is able to communicate a unique cross-genre array of music. From there, his visionary sketches become pristine productions through collaborating with some of the best musicians in America. MASSEY songs brim with smart, radio-ready hooks and a killer pen game. 

Core to Massey’s artistic expressions are a philosophical outlook beyond space and time. His musical world is unflinching positive and features an always-dramatic presentation. “I’m driven to express hard truths and hidden possibilities, and, through music, fight the good fight for social wisdom and justice, climate action, and kindness. And, all the while, it’s got to be funky, fun, and feel good!” MASSEY says. 

MASSEY has been a shadowy figure in music for years, dipping in and out of projects. Someone who looked quite a bit like him fronted a band called the Pleasure Kings, and had a hand in much of the song writing. They re-released an early demo-album in 2019, the eponymous The Pleasure Kings. This album features someone called Fariq Fareel as the lead singer/frontman. 

During the pandemic, MASSEY made some important and influential connections, and was encouraged and motivated like never before. This galvanized MASSEY’s resolve and his writing pace exploded, refining a body of work that spanned 20-plus songs over two years while he entertained various opportunities. 

The right one came from legendary award-winning producer JoeBaby Michaels (Rolling Stones, James Brown, Lynyrd Skynyrd), who offered MASSEY a record deal on his recently-launched boutique indie label, Bent River Records. “The interest in my music finally fully convinced me that I was a pro-level songwriter; I had become one,” MASSEY says. 

The opening salvo in MASSEY’s artistic rebirth is, “(Never) 2 Hot,” a climate action anthem that is as thought-provoking as it is dance-able. “(Never) 2 Hot”unfolds with crushed-velvet disco grandeur, opening with a moody intro that glides into groove ecstasy. Here, Massey’s gritty rock n’ soul stylings and grittier lyrics are the perfect counterpoint to the sensual vocals/rap of featured artist and song-writing partner, Chicago-based Xochi. The song’s lyrics are both alarming and amusing, and some choice bits include: “We all know the sun’ll burn out someday/but that’s 10 billion years away . . . Our Earth is burning today,” and the euphoric chant, “Never 2 Hot to Boogie!” 

“(Never) 2 Hot” was produced by JoeBaby Michaels at the legendary Dockside Studio, on the bayou, outside of Lafayette, LA which is the site of iconic recordings by Dr. John, Levon Helm, Rod Stewart, and B.B. King, among others. The session featured New Orleans ace bassist Charlie Wooton (Royal Southern Brotherhood and The New Orleans Suspects) who earned a co-writing credit for his spot-on musical instincts and suggestions, as well as slinky rhythm guitar master, Daniel Groover, out of Atlanta. (Nas, India.Arie, Nelly, Macy Gray)

Up next, MASSEY has dozens of songs written, and he will be recording more with JoeBaby and releasing a wild program of singles through Bent River Records. “Being a recording artist is the life that I always thought possible. I finally have the opportunity to do it at a high level, and it’s just going to get weirder and more wonderful as time goes on,” MASSEY says laughing.