Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth

About

Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth was composer and noted souse Dale Warren's attempt to document the plight of the inner city through song, spoken word and judicious use of chimes. A classically trained arranger and conductor from Detroit, Warren built his reputation at Stax Records through collaborations with Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Albert King, Frederick Knight and the Bar-Kays. In 1973, he formed 24-Carat Black with the Ditalians--a little-known Ohio soul collective--and released Misfortune's Wealth. The album might have done better in a year not already preoccupied with the Vietnam War, Watergate and the energy crisis. At the dawning of the age of Kissinger, Americans were in no mood to hear of the crisis in the nation's slums. If only Misfortune's Wealth had been an easier record--one not so prone to abrupt shifts between piano solos, gospel testifying and sweaty funk jams. even with those kinds of arrangements, almost every record on this has been used by a multitude of producers/artists, including Naughty by Nature for "Poverty's Paradise" Jay-Z for "Can I Live Pt 2" Nas for the Dr. Dre produced "Nas is Coming" Naughty by Nature for "Nothin' to Lose (Naughty Live)" Eric B and Rakim for "In the Ghetto" Jill Scott ft Common -for"High Post Brotha" H.E.A.L. ft Ms. Melodie for "Anti-Ho" Keith Murray for "Herb is Pumpin'" Digable Planets for"Cool Like Dat" Leaders of the New School for "What's Next?".

via Last.fm