Legendary Detroit emcee T3 is releasing his long-awaited album, Mr. Fantastic — produced entirely by Teeko and Ruckazoid, on January 23rd 2020, via Delicious Vinyl.

The Slum Village frontman, known as the gel of the group, and celebrated for his witty flow and cadence, as well as his “stutter step” hooks, is now ready to drop his solo project. Even though fellow founding members J Dilla and Baatin passed in 2006 and 2009, they heavily influenced him to make his own path. “I had a premonition Baatin and J Dilla were speaking to me, outside of the conversations we had, before they both passed,” explains T3. “In a nutshell they were like, ‘Keep going.'”

Baatin is featured on the title cut, which is among T3’s favorite tracks on the album. “The song that means the most to me would probably be the first single, which is ‘Mr. Fantastic’,” reveals T3. “Baatin’s vocals on this joint are bone-chilling. It was like he was in the studio with me.”

And naturally there was no shortage of confidence in him from Dilla. Nearly 20 years ago, he knew T3 was up to the task. A line from an important talk they had resonates with him to this day. “Flashing back to the conversation I had with Dilla the day he left the group,” he mentions, “Simply put, he said, ‘You got it 3.’“

Now he’s showing and proving, with his first LP through Delicious Vinyl, a label Dilla produced numerous hits for in the late 1990s. He believes the partnership has a glove-like fit. “I feel like Delicious Vinyl is a classic label,” says T3. They put out joints that stand the test of time, and aligning myself with them is a great way to reintroduce myself.”

https://t3.lnk.to/MrFantastic

Sonically “Mr Fantastic” has a very connected and continuous vibe and that’s by design.
“I come from that era where songs flowed, from one to the next,” he says. “You could just press play on an album and let it rock. I wanted to give my project that feel.”

T3 met producers Teeko and Ruckazoid digitally and learned later on that they shared a connection. “At the time I decided to do solo work I was just searching on the net, mainly Instagram, for new producers and I came across Teeko on a DJ Jazzy Jeff playlist,” says T3.

“I reached out to him via direct message, and he sent a batch of beats he and Ruckazoid produced. Then we started to build a friendship. The dope thing I didn’t know was that Ruck had previously worked on material with Baatin years ago. Somehow I spotted the vibe and it just clicked.”

The result is a traditional Hip Hop album with a modern sound that is easy to enjoy. With features from rappers Frank Nitt and Illa J, Mr. Fantastic has a cohesiveness that shines through from start to finish. “Creatively on this album I was trying to bring back the ‘fun’ in music,” T3 says. “That’s what keeps it exciting for me to do. I hope listeners sit back and enjoy the ride. There’s more to come.”