In honor of Black History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.

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Today, Hidden Beach Recordings Founder and CEO Steve McKeever shares his essay, ‘Unwrapped: Bridging Generations Through Music and Celebrating Black Excellence,’ as a part of Atwood Magazine’s Black History Month series! Within, he discusses the Unwrapped band, their reimagining of Kendrick Lamar classics in ‘Unwrapped, Vol. 9,’ and the importance, impact, and power of making music that connects older and younger generations, celebrates unity, and elevates the shared heritage between hip-hop and jazz music.

An instant hit, the first Unwrapped album filled its yearly national sales in Atlanta alone in just 3 days and gained the distinction of being the first new artist instrumental record to debut in the Top 200 Pop charts, and entered the Jazz chart at #1. Since then, Unwrapped has become a staple in night clubs, festivals, church gatherings, record stores, coffee shops, and barbecues alike, nurturing a common meeting ground between music lovers from all generations. In the span of 8 volumes, the series has touched the works of A Tribe Called Quest, Tupac Shakur, Outkast, Naughty By Nature, Lil’ Kim, Nelly, Common, Big Pun, and more, and has hosted a bevy of phenomenal talent, including Patrice Rushen, Jeff Lorber, Najee, Jeff Bradshaw, and Paul Jackson, Jr., with all parties involved bringing their A-game to this special collection of releases.

Released on February 7, 2025, Hidden Beach’s ‘Unwrapped, Vol. 9 – The Songs of Kendrick Lamar Reimagined’ features some of Kendrick Lamar’s greatest hits in jazz-inspired format, offering a fresh and sophisticated take on the rap icon’s most celebrated tracks. This latest installment in the acclaimed UNWRAPPED series blends the raw energy inspired by Lamar’s lyrical genius with the timeless allure of jazz, delivering a rich, instrumental experience that highlights the depth and musicality of his catalog. From the hypnotic rhythms of LOVE. to the introspective layers of Alright, this album transforms hip-hop classics into lush, jazz-infused soundscapes—perfect for longtime fans and new listeners alike. Produced by the head of House of Vibe, Anthony “Brew” Brewster, and featuring an all-star ensemble of genre-blending musicians such as Conrad Bauer, Karen Briggs, Leon Mobley, and Jesús Molina, the project breathes new perspectives to Lamar’s storytelling, infusing his hard-hitting beats with intricate melodies, warm brass, and most importantly, soulful improvisation which is the heart of the shared heritage between hip hop and jazz music.

“This project is a labor of love from true Kendrick fans, reimagining his music with the same passion and respect that has defined Unwrapped for years.” says Steve McKeever. “We’re thrilled to share this with longtime fans and equally excited to introduce new listeners to his genius. But beyond the music, what drives us is Unwrapped’s ability to bring people together. Throughout the years, these projects have united listeners across genres and backgrounds, proving that music can be a bridge. In a time of great division, this album arrives as a timely reminder of the power of shared experience.”

With each track, ‘Unwrapped, Vol. 9’ bridges the worlds of hip-hop and jazz, honoring Kendrick Lamar’s legacy while pushing musical boundaries.

Read Steve McKeever’s essay below, and stream Hidden Beach Recordings’ new album, available on all music platforms!

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UNWRAPPED

Bridging Generations Through Music and Celebrating Black Excellence

by Steve McKeever

Music has always been a bridge – between cultures, communities, and to some extent between generations.

At Hidden Beach Recordings, our “Unwrapped” series was born from a vision to create that bridge within the Black music tradition, honoring the legacy of hip-hop while connecting younger and older audiences in a fresh, unexpected way. As we celebrate Black History Month, I reflect on the power of music not just as entertainment but as a tool for cultural preservation, unity, and Black excellence.

I recently got a call from my dear friend and former colleague, Charles Whitfield, who played a key role in the inception of Hidden Beach. Now a member of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame for his important role with the company, as Hidden Beach’s first intern and then first employee (he is also the person responsible for connecting me with Michael Jordan, who became the lead investor in making the vision of Hidden Beach a reality) Charles witnessed the development of the UNWRAPPED project from its earliest stages. In a show of how quickly time moves, Charles called to tell me about his 13-year-old daughter’s excitement over discovering our latest offering in the UNWRAPPED series – UNWRAPPED Vol. 9, our first single-artist-focused project, where we reimagined Kendrick Lamar’s remarkable catalog through the lens of jazz instrumentation. He was excited to tell me how he, his daughter, and his wife were all listening to our latest release as their unified choice for the soundtrack to their commutes as a family. I loved hearing the story.

The irony of Charles celebrating this intergenerational connection is that it was one of the most profound yet unexpected outcomes of the series. When we launched Hidden Beach and put out the first UNWRAPPED album in 2001, we all assumed different audiences would enjoy the music separately as music silos traditionally have done – young people drawn to the hip-hop roots listening among themselves, and older audiences appreciating the musicianship within their circles. What we didn’t quite expect was how often these groups would come together over the music, creating a shared listening experience that bridged generations.

The genesis of UNWRAPPED itself stemmed from my earlier effort to celebrate hip-hop classics by compiling the original jazz tracks sampled in some of the most influential songs in the genre and presenting them back to hip-hop audiences who had become familiar with the underlying music but perhaps had not been aware of their origins. Around the same time, Billy Eckstine’s son and the former president of PolyGram Records, Ed Eckstein, introduced me to Tony Joseph and Darryl Ross, who were experimenting with jazz reinterpretations of R&B hits. That lineage – of jazz musicians reinterpreting popular songs – traced all the way back to the roots of jazz and artists like Miles Davis, whose renditions of Broadway standards like “My Funny Valentine,” and John Coltrane, who transformed “My Favorite Things,” reshaped the way people thought about popular music. With that inspiration, we decided to bring a similar approach to hip-hop.

UNWRAPPED was immediately embraced by the public in a huge way, landing atop the jazz charts at #1. However, initially, UNWRAPPED faced skepticism from an older key critic at an important outlet who was nervous that the removal of the rap lyrics could have been an attempt to sanitize hip-hop for the masses. He completely missed the heart of what we were doing. We were not diluting these songs – we were celebrating them, highlighting the deep musicality of hip-hop with a dual mission: Introducing younger audiences to the beauty of live instrumentation, which seemed to be disappearing at the time on the charts, and simultaneously encouraging older audiences – who had long resisted hip-hop – to appreciate the genius of its compositions in a format they could embrace.

Eventually, the publication came around and appreciated the mission as well as our dedication to excellence in the effort to carry on the tradition of bridging jazz to reimagined popular compositions. We loved that audiences got it immediately, as well as the rappers and producers whose work we reinterpreted.

This critical and commercial success of the series has been gratifying and inspiring, but probably one of the most rewarding aspects of the UNWRAPPED project has been the scores of letters and messages from listeners over the years, sharing how the albums brought families together. Parents who dismissed hip-hop suddenly heard the jazz-influenced arrangements of songs they had once ignored, while young listeners, drawn in by their favorite beats, were introduced to the magic of live improvisation. This dynamic created a new kind of dialogue – one where a 13-year-old like Charles’ daughter could be just as enthusiastic about the project as her father.

As the UNWRAPPED series grew, so did its cultural impact. What began as an attempt to honor hip-hop’s musicality evolved into a movement that bridged generational divides. Older jazz lovers found themselves revisiting hip-hop, while younger listeners discovered the artistry behind jazz instrumentation. This fusion became even more significant as hip-hop itself aged, creating a divide between “old school” and “new school” hip-hop fans. UNWRAPPED served as a meeting ground, a place where musical generations converged rather than clashed.

Today, in a time of increasing division – politically, socially, racially, and economically – the role of art in unifying people is more crucial than ever. Music has always been at the center of Black culture’s global influence, shaping everything from blues and jazz to rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, and hip-hop. Despite this, Black artists have continually had to fight for their rightful recognition. UNWRAPPED is part of that ongoing conversation, demonstrating how Black music– at its core – is a bridge, not just within communities, but across the world.

As we celebrate Black History Month, I am reminded that our history is not just about what we have accomplished, but about what we continue to build. The UNWRAPPED series is more than just an album collection – it is a movement that honors the past while inspiring the future. With each volume, we write a new chapter in Black musical history, ensuring that the bridges between generations remain strong and unbroken. – Steve McKeever, Founder & CEO of Hidden Beach Recordings

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:: stream Unwrapped Vol. 9 here ::

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