“Some poets release albums that are poems recited to music, I wanted to make music period,” says Amir Sulaiman about the creation of his full-length debut album ‘Like A Thief In The Night’ (Uprising Records). “I wrote most of the lyrics to the beats, so this is for the most part original material never heard before.”

Populated by dense sonic collages of hip-hop savvy drums, weighty guitar riffs and electronic ethereal-ness, ‘Like A Thief’ may well prove to be one of the most innovative and dynamic albums of 2007. With Amir’s flow placing him somewhere between street-wise emcee and socially conscious storyteller, he is able to effortlessly fuse together impassioned narratives of tragedy, redemption and revolution.

Boasting guest appearances from Mos Def, Goapele and The Last Poets, and production by Minnesota, the album creates a soundscape that could easily serve as the score for a classic Martin Scorcese film.

“Though I have a name and appear frequently in circles that co-exist within hip-hop culture, I also greatly admire rock music. A lot of what influenced my album was bands such as Radiohead and Portishead. In the forefront of my mind when creating this album was how to capture that vibe with what I do. I am pretty pleased with the result.”

Look for Amir on his upcoming “Cornerstone Folklore” tour.

XTRAS

+ Download ‘Like a Thief in the Night’ from iTunes.
+ Buy ‘BloomBeautiful’ by Liza Garza featuring Amir Sulaiman.
+ Watch Amir Sulaiman on HBO’s ‘Russel Simmons Presents Def Poetry’.
+ Visit Amir Sulaiman on MySpace.