“Sam Sellers Drops ‘The Labyrinth’ – The First Glimpse of Fake Flowers Last Forever”

The first single from the new album by Sam Sellers (fka Rabbi Darkside) is here:

“The Labyrinth” feat. Phase One, prod. by J3PO from the forthcoming album “Fake Flowers Last Forever” 

A collaboration between titans of the NYC underground progressive Hip Hop/future Jazz scene, sown on the bandstand of legendary LES jam session The Lesson. This debut single ventures into explorations at the center of the album: the pursuit of self-actualization, embodied existence, discerning between the real and synthetic, navigating the moment of maze in which we endure.

About the album:

Remembering how to dream. Remembering how to mourn. Laying to rest that which no longer serves us. Carrying forward that which we cherish in memoriam. Leading with love, moving beyond fear, approaching embodiment of our values… “Fake Flowers Last Forever” is the new album from revered NYC MC/poet/musician Sam Sellers (his first since shedding his former nom de plume). The album is a confrontation of the organic vs. the synthetic, thematically and musically, examining the turmoil of intersecting crises environmental, political, social and personal through musical mantras, generational healing and pleasure tuning.

Sellers began writing the record in March 2020 while on an artist residency in Cassis, France. The extremes of the following few years bore the fruit of these tunes, alongside dear musical comrades in the studio. Renowned keyboardist/synth designer J3PO (Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock) handles production on half the tracks. Also featured are NYC legends PhaseOne (MC), singer J. Hoard (Brasstracks, Endea Owens), and rising chanteur Miranda Joan (The Killers). The guests are rounded out by the incredible A. Billi Free (Mello Music Group, Tokyo Dawn), and Sellers’ Say Word Entertainment rostermates The Grand Affair, who also produce a track. The album also features production from jazz drummer manu, New Jersey’s A Cee, and multi-instrumentalist Phinestro, with additional musical contributions from Simon Dufour (sax), Marseillais legend Cyril Benhamou (flute), and Max Castrillo, a former student of Sellers’ and collaborator. Cover art is by Emily Hoerdmann, who sampled totems Sellers inherited from his maternal grandmother.