This morning on NPR I heard an interview with Sergio Mendes and will.i.am. Sergio is a Brazilian musician who was made famous in the late 1950’s with his bossa nova playing. will.i.am is the lead singer of The Black Eyed Peas. Together, with some collaboration by Stevie Wonder and QTip, they’ve made Timeless, a blending of old school bossa nova and modern rap.
The project was initiated by will.i.am, but Sergio loved the idea and jumped on. will called Stevie Wonder because he knew Stevie liked Sergio and asked politely if he’d play on the album. Stevie showed up the next day, harmonica in hand. will said he felt like a deer in the headlights with Stevie Wonder in the sound booth and Sergei Mendez on keys, both listening for what he wanted them to do.
I heard several songs, they kind of have a feel like us3, mixing classic old music with modern rap. I don’t know if I’ll run right out and buy it, but it sounded pretty cool, and I appreciated the culture.
