May 10, 2010 (Los Angeles, CA) It’s rare to find a rapper willing to truly bare his soul for his music. On his debut record, Barely Hangin’ On: The Chronicles of a Brotha Like Rodney King (Urban Umpire Records/ABB Records), the LA emcee Amad-Jamal reveals his most intimate thoughts about the life-alerting events that led to the making if his debut album. Guest appearances on the LP include Dilated Peoples, Defari, Mayya Lady Dragon, and Gotham Green. Barely Hang’ On’s jazz infused beats and live instrumentation make it unlike any other hip-hop record to date. In fact, the album was completely remixed after it was finished. Amad-Jamal and his partna Colonious Funk (of The Solution) added live base, drums and sound to all 13 tracks. Because of the remix, the record was delayed for almost a year, but Jamal hopes listeners will find the album worth the wait. On “Boy Meets Girl,” Jamal laughs at himself and the irony of lost love, while offering the message that pain is about progress and that all experiences --good and bad--open your mind to new truths. “Stop Fuckin’ Around” is an ode to the emcee’s mother, where he recalls her often futile warnings against tagging buses and cruising the Crenshaw strip. On “Going Postal” Amad Jamal recalls his frustration with his day job as a mortgage lender. Amad Jamal has been around Los Angeles music scene since the late 90s. In 1999 he formed with the group The Solution with Salt Lake City producer Brisk One, Colonious Funk (base), Kurt Fagan (drums), DJ Kai Wing, Nongenetic (MC) and vocals by Maaya Ota aka Lady Dragon. In 2000, he met ABB Record label head Bennie B and, with Rakaa Evidence, and Defari released the maxi single “The Renaissance.” Later he released “LA City” with Evidence. Jamal was featured on ABB Volume 1 where he recorded “What I Need” with DJ Khalil (of Self Scientific). I n 2003, Amad Jamal was the only West Coast artist booked for the Rock Steady Tour and has performed live and toured with the industry greats including the Beat Junkies, RZA, Defari, Talib Kweli, Cali Agents, Prince Po, KRS-ONE, Myka 9, Dilated Peoples, Defari, Freestyle Fellowship, Mr. Fab, Zion I, Prince Paul, Saul Williams, Mos Def, Wu-Tang Clan, Eminem, Q-Tip, Little Brother, and Bahamadia. Born and raised in LA, Amad Jamal, named by his mother after the famous Jazz legend, had a pretty typical upbringing, listening to N.W.A records and free styling at The Good Life Café as a teen. He attended John Burrows Jr High with Rakaa Iriscience where they were both immersed in the graffiti scene. “There must have been something in the water at my college,” quips Amad Jamal who studied architecture at Clark Atlanta University with the likes of Lil John, Speech, and Saul Williams.“There was so much creativity.” Production is on Barely Hangin’ On is shared by Brisk One and DJ Dahi. The album drops June 29, 2010.