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"You Only Die Once" music project

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Okay, let me say this officially.

I like making music. I like writing and performing songs,
I like producing and I like composing my own instrumentals to perform over. I like my music, and I want to share it with others. I think people at the very least will find my song ideas interesting.

No, I have no ambitions of being the next big rap star. There was a time when I wanted someting like that, but that was a long time ago and that ship has sailed. In my younger days, my crew and I would rock any open mic, any cipher, any show we could get our feet in the door at to get our names out and build our brand. And a number of guys in my old crew are still out there making it happen. But I personally have performed at exactly one rap show since 2001, and I really don't have the motivation or desire to get back on that grind again.

but I still like creating music, and still want to share my creations with everybody, and I have no qualms at all about promoting them. If I don't tell you about what I've made, then who will?

I also like James Bond. He has always been my favorite aciton hero. While listening to some great concept albums from guys like Mega Ran, The Roots and Kendrick Lamar, I had an idea: what if there was a concept rap album dedicated to James Bond? What would it sound like? The ideas came pouring in, and eventually I was able to craft a story involving a secret agent trying to recover a stolen neutron bomb before it is used to kill the population of London, with each song being a chapter in the story. I tried to capture all of the staples, tropes and mythos of the 007 franchise, while crafting music that could sound as it if would be a perfect fit for the next James Bond movie.

But there's more to it than just music. This is more than just a music project to me: it's a literal culmination of all of my creative talents, rolled into one epic project. I'm infusing the best elements of my songwriting, music making and production skills, but this is also going to be a showcase of my storytelling ability (I am a published novelist, after all), my illustration ability (I have a few of those under my belt, too), and my web design ability (that's what I do for a living).

this upcoming album is more than just an album. it's a
concept album telling a distinct, cohesive story, with each song being a chapter: an audiobook with its own
soundtrack. the lyrics will be published separately, along with select illustrations from myself and hopefully a few of my friends who are better illustrators than I am, in an illustrated chapbook. I've already gotten permission from a few friends who've done a thing or two on stage and screen to "Cast" them in key roles in my story. There will be a website with bonus material on it. And I plan on having it available via more outlets than just bandcamp, reverbnation and soundcloud.

The money I am trying to raise covers the costs of putting this project out myself: copyright fees, digital distribution, publishing the music and the companion lyric chapbook, paying my guest illustrators, CD manufacturing and webhosting. Any money raised past my goal will be put towards professional mastering of the album (as of right now I'll be mastering the album myself and I'd rather not do that), and maybe even a video.

This is quite possibly my most ambitious project yet (and I've done a few pretty ambitious projects), and I want you to be a part of it. My goal is to have the album and chapbook available by the end of the year.
Give it a chance. I think you might like it.

www.jugghead.quanwilliams.com

Organizer

JuQuan Williams
Organizer
Flint, MI

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