The morning of Lauren’s studio session, you could tell I had a little “extra” in my step. Instead of a single bowl of cereal, I needed two. Instead of one hour at the gym, I needed almost two. Maybe that’s a bit excessive, but I really needed to kill time until our session that afternoon. Why was I THIS excited, when I didn’t even have to record one vocal?

As I drove to the studio, I took a moment to reflect in the car (I do this a LOT). I thought about how this song almost didn’t happen. Wait…Huh? What I mean is, this particular track was originally for a different song. On top of that, we almost didn’t get the beat in time for our studio session. In the end, I think that all of the obstacles happened for a reason. Without the hassle and trouble, there would be no “Color of Love”, and no Color of Love EP.

This was only our second recording session together. We were still feeling out each other’s style and habits. The first thing I noticed was Lauren’s attire. She really dressed up for the studio session lol! It’s not like she was in an evening gown, but she wasn’t wearing scrubs either. I’ll admit that I also wore a “nicer” t-shirt than the usual, and my good shoes! I think we both wanted to come into this song as professionals and make a statement.

I was so excited to let Lauren hear the work we had completed the previous day, I could barely sit still. I purposely had Lauren record on a separate day because I wanted her to have her OWN session. I wanted her to be able to take as much time as she wanted (and she sure took it lol) to get her vocals perfect.

When Jim first played the song for her, I could see her mind processing. Similar to Dan, she didn’t show much reaction. I could tell she wasn’t crazy about hearing her “phone recording” within the song lol. Once the incomplete song was done playing, she said she enjoyed the lyrics, and was ready to go.

Download: Lauren’s Original Phone Recording

Lauren went through the song, laying her soulful delivery over each section. There were a couple ideas that she seemed on the fence about, but she was able to put her trust in me and give them a shot. That meant a lot to me, and I think we instantly bonded. Lauren was not just the icing on the cake, but the sugar in the batter. We were a team, and everything going on in that room just felt right.

As I sat there amazed by Jim’s guitar additions and Lauren’s harmonizing…I sent a text message to my best friend David Korvah. “We’ve got a BANGER!!!”

— DJ $crilla

What’s up world! It’s been a while since I have blogged, but I’m really trying my best to change that.

At 8pm on 12/5/11, Lauren Lanzaretta and I released the first single off our joint album the Color of Love. Ironically, the name of the song is also titled the “Color of Love”. This is the song that really kicked our project into high gear.

I remember recording this song at Ante Up Audio in Cleveland. Our engineer Jim Stewart actually beat me to the studio (I can’t stand tardiness, but he is always on time). I was so eager to jump in the booth and start rapping! As Jim was setting the microphone up, I must’ve rehearsed the lyrics 20 times. I thought about all of the songs that I recorded in that particular studio suite, and I had a feeling this would be different.

Once I put the headphones on…It was on! An energy erupted from my body, and seemed to increase as the song went on. My excitement was through the roof, and Lauren hadn’t even recorded her verse. Actually, Lauren wasn’t even scheduled to be at the studio that day.

The week before, Lauren and I met to discuss the song and its format. I fell in LOVE with Lauren’s cunning chorus. I was so in love with it, I had her record it on my phone (Droid! ).

With that said, even though Lauren wouldn’t come to the studio until the following day, I wanted to hear her voice on the song! Jim was able to plug my phone into the rig, and extract the vocals of Lauren singing the hook, and place it into the song. Bootleg – Yes…but I didn’t care! Technology is awesome…

I also need to mention Dan Spencer, the drummer on the song. Jim and I were starting to get concerned when he hadn’t arrived at the studio at his scheduled time. Jim was able to take my mind off things while we waited with his iPad. I played some ridiculously entertaining game of cutting ropes until Dan walked in with his bandmate Lou Harris.

Dan listened to the song a few times and didn’t say too much. He walked in the recording space, sat down at the drums, and began to work his magic. It was simple; I couldn’t wait for Lauren to record the next day…

— DJ $crilla

Color Of Love Cover

First single from the EP the “Color of Love”. DJ $crilla & Lauren Lanzaretta bring passion to the song that inspired the album. #chooselove

Color of Love by llanzare

I know I’ve been quiet for a bit since I dropped my last album, Seamless and I’m sorry for the absence. I’ve seen the emails from all of you. I will go into more detail in my next post on what I’ve been up to but know I Ain’t Gon Stop!

Look out for the next post with details on the new EP that’s dropping very soon.

#chooselove

- $cril

I’m a Fighter (ZTA_Think Pink)
Zeta Tau Alpha (Z-E-T-A) (Remix)
The Heart of ZTA

I LOVE this video. It never gets old. The scream is priceless!