A. B. Do Well

A.B. Do Well, the name of this New York City emcee can be broken down quite simply. A.B. is for his birth name Abdul-Baqi, an Arabic attribute of God that means eternal and enduring. Do Well is for his focus, whether it be on stage in the recording booth or on the go, excellence is the only goal to reach for.
A.B. Conversations, the current project is a tapestry weaving together the fabrics that went into A.B. Do Well’s development as an emcee. Using his recordings from his group Sight Beyond Light and songs he’s done with other up and coming artists to blend a musical montage that is eclectic and intense. Rebel Yell has a high energy rock feel that is reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine with crashing drums along with a more earthy, live congas played throughout the track as a backdrop for politically charged lyrics. Metroid Rime is an homage to the classic Nintendo video game, Metroid, a sci-fi space adventure on the 8-bit platform. Brooklyn Swahili is a track for the b-boys inspired by a track by DJ Zeph called Bronx Zulu in the vein of Africa Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. P & Q is a cool out track featuring Sight Beyond Light group member Sub Con that relates to cause and effect with urban reflections. This track, like much of the album is produced by Soem a.k.a. TK Lawrence another SBL member, who is currently touring with the Dub Pistols. A.B. Do Well is supporting Conversations by doing a walking tour of New York getting his CD to as many fans as possible as well as doing as many show cases as possible near and far.
A.B. or sometimes referred to as Baq was born in Washington DC in the late 70s to an Imam (Muslim preacher) and a former Black Panther party member. Under suspicious circumstances his father was murdered on his wedding anniversary. This led to his family moving up to New York City’s Lower East Side, where his mother grew up. Artistic expression being manifest early on he studied drama and arts early in his life and sang and danced with his 4 siblings in community talent shows. While attending LaGuardia High School he met up with kindred spirits who formed a group that would come to be called Sight Beyond Light. The group released two singles New Beginnings and Have Faith respectively in 2000 and 2002. The group was also featured on the Dub Pistol’s album Six Billion Ways To Live, which had music featured in the films Zoolander and Chris Rock’s Bad Company. A.B. Do Well has fostered his skills and reputation in the New York City underground performing at open mics with Sub Con and Sight Beyond Light and opening for acts like Mos Def and Dead Prez. He also organixed promoted and co-hosted a hip hop and poetry showcase called The Last Word with a team of partners at a good run of venues including CB’s 313 Gallery and Downtime.
A.B. Conversations serves as a platform to reach a broader base of fans so they can get to know A.B. while he works on a more cohesive project tentatively called Works In Progress. Works In Progress not meaning incomplete but works that move the music and the hip hop culture forward. Building on the past and forging ahead for the future.