Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. are a duo comprised of Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein, and although they are actually categorized as an "indie-pop duo" their new mixtape has quite a few rap features. Chuck Inglish, Asher Roth, Slim of 112, Murs and more all make an appearance on Produce Vol. 1.
Josh Epstein of the group had this to say about the tape's inspiration:
"Before Nate Dogg passed away, I was listening to some of his old songs and thinking bout how incredible it is that he was able to sing such absurd lyrics and yet, always sound so cool. I started writing an album for his voice. He passed away a month later, and I was instantly filled with regret. Not because I believed that we would make that album together, but because I wished I'd been able hear more of his voice. That became the inspiration to start the same project on a smaller scale: One song for one of our favorite artists, whose voice we wanted to hear more of.
The song "Rush Into Love" was written specifically for Slim from 112. It was written for his voice. While we were finishing "The Speed Of Things," our mastering engineer--Colin Leonard--read an interview in which we had named Slim a dream collaborator. He was working on Slim's new record and played him our music. We sent Slim the track and he sent it back a day later with that silky smooth vocal. Later, we asked Chuck Inglish--whom we also admire greatly--if he wanted to do a verse and sent the track to him, and the whole song just felt right. We're grateful for having had the opportunity to work with such incredible artists, and are excited to share this mixtape."
The song "Rush Into Love" was written specifically for Slim from 112. It was written for his voice. While we were finishing "The Speed Of Things," our mastering engineer--Colin Leonard--read an interview in which we had named Slim a dream collaborator. He was working on Slim's new record and played him our music. We sent Slim the track and he sent it back a day later with that silky smooth vocal. Later, we asked Chuck Inglish--whom we also admire greatly--if he wanted to do a verse and sent the track to him, and the whole song just felt right. We're grateful for having had the opportunity to work with such incredible artists, and are excited to share this mixtape."
Listen/download and let us know your thoughts.