Raheem Jamal

by Cyril CordorRaheem Jamal made his name known in Boston's rap underground both as an MC, co-leading hip-hop crews Electric and Project Move, and as an urban-themed painter and visual artist. Born and bred in Boston, MA, Jamal made the decision to make hip-hop his life when he was standing in his mother's basement in 1993 with his friend and eventual Electric/Project Move member Anonymous. With Electric and Project Move (which is essentially Electric minus two people), Jamal helped make the critically acclaimed debuts Life's a Struggle (2004) and Love Gone Wrong/Butterfly Theory (2006), respectively. The most praise and support for the two crews came from overseas in Europe and Japan. Although all five of the original Electric members were still close and working together, they often branched off to do their own projects. Jamal recorded his first solo album, Boombox (2007), for the Boston-based Brick Records. Trying to recall hip-hop's heyday of the early '90s, he worked exclusively with Boston MC/producer Raydar Ellis, who created smooth, throwback beats for Jamal's nostalgic and fluid raps.