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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Limited Edition Promo CD including all 10 tracks of the "Bona Fide" album with credits. Comes in shrink wrapped, two panel CD jacket. Originally made for the "Bona Fide" fall 2022 tour in Italy, a limited number are being made available on Bandcamp.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Bona Fide via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
LYRICS: Live from 2-1-2 still rep the 9-1-4 Shoot I don’t pay dues no more I collect... Sallie Mae flow, You don’t get schooled until I say so this is what you paid for Live from whatever city I’m in at the moment Run it like it’s 1936 I’m Jesse Owens Cowards stand next and salute they ain’t shaking my hand but I ain’t giving a damn I’m bout go in Gold medal pedigree a future version of myself the only one who got even a half step ahead of me, Some focus too much on their enemies That’s why they circle got a hole like the letter C, That’s why I roll with a sick tight clique I call fam, We go all out, keep it genuine what we all bout Less followers and more clout... That’s when your reputation speaks you ain’t gotta say a thing Sometimes I bring the love sometimes I bring the pain let em hang, Gentlemen talk this from the throne Bet your life against my skills won’t make it home Lead from the back of the pack a novelist who just happen to rap Whose greatness is an actual fact Undebatable comfortable at a level seen unattainable Ain’t it true I ain’t come with the basic package it’s pay per view (Chorus) Caught between a rock and hard place Mind race faster than a car chase I never fall like some Dominoes so unconscious I’m comatose Kind soul but when you this nice you earn a lotta foes Classmates like ain’t that dude from the honor roll Indeed had to master vocabulary and now it shows, Went from triple A and made major league I’m just what I claim to be I’m just what they aim to be Shots don’t hit when your chambers got vacancies While I’m making a life some live make believe... Don’t get me wrong I got the vision Reverse engineering before I do it it’s written Book of genesis I had the light since the beginning Had to fight it just to get in I won’t die before I’m finished, Stay in tip top shape and drink agua Honor my mother and my father if it don’t serve me I won’t even bother Respect women I don’t need a daughter Love my brother on the beat it’s slaughter It’s out the park don’t make me take it, To a level like Tigger in the basement While cats clamor just to get adjacent The nicest rapper of a generation Bringing more fire than the South post emancipation, I had to take it there, too much ammunition I ain’t playing fair If you in the line of fire hope you had great career, Just stay low and keep firing Me and Michael speeding past the red and blue sirens (Chorus) Caught between a rock and hard place Mind race faster than a car chase
2.
BLACKOUT 03:55
LYRICS: Chorus: No back door I’m tryna get it from the front Respect for my people we shoulda had it from the jump Loving the culture we always give you what you want Honor the history we ain’t waiting for a month Temperature rising think it’s about time, Name an element melanin couldn’t outshine We see the video ‘fore the body is outlined The trauma is real no time to appeal Couldn’t care less bout how you feel You don’t see it then you never will, When you know you under fire you could never chill Which sound like violence? The taking of a building or a body Murder for vacation it’s like killin is a hobby I’m just tryna have a normal day, it’s exhausting But I’m proud of my people and I feel it so often Caught between ropes I ain’t talking bout boxing But but we fighting like a bunch of Jack Johnsons Ali is his prime with the rhymes I’m too pretty Little Tupac in his prime don’t push me Latifah Jamie Foxx do a little of everything Welcome to the cookout and we playing Frankie Beverly I’m about my biz like it’s Greenwood Tulsa in 1920 Or Madame CJ Walker with product across the country You see the figures no longer hidden I’m Katherine Johnson We master rocket science like it’s nothing (Chorus) Touch hearts like Daniel Hale Williams With words like Morrison Hurston my pen working Fly as Tuskegee, the airmen not the experiment But know there’s always been a healthy fear of this If Hov handle the roc like Van Exel I, coach the team like McLendon on a fast break, Tenn State three-peating before Wooden This time around there be no overlooking Like you better not Coretta Scott or Betty Shabazz Can’t get this in class no, but you gon get in rap This like Howard U and Spelman mixed with Grambling State, Academics and athletics and forever great You see the legacy, we all enjoy it on daily basis Even if we don’t truly recognize the depth of greatness Since day one and it’s infinite From style to culture to product we invented Nothing move without us, control traffic like Garrett Morgan If earth was a person then Black folk is a vital organ That means you play us then you play yourself, think about it Check the history you ever start to doubt it let us breathe (Chorus)
3.
Bona Fide 03:08
LYRICS: On the shoulders of giants I stand A mic two turntables or vibe with the band Whether freestyling or devising a plan At the minimum I’m coming out as the dominant man Still I’m lowkey like the reverse of thousands of grams Heavy, kilo lowkey you know me when I speak it’s the keynote This the end of the conventional wisdom Extraterrestrial how I enter rhythm Just me living is activism respect what I’m giving Enough courage and energy to effort the vision My foresight like hindsight make the universe do for me what dessert fiends would do for a Klondike Nothing sweet about bars flow nuts and butter like it’s out the jar Foes running home I hit it out the park, Major and I cover all the bases, Highly favored not to play with this the coronation Chorus: All eyes on me you know the time Yea the pen gon do what the soul decide Hustling so long it’s overtime All strength no weak we bona fide I just think it’s funny how, Had all this time to see the work but still they wonder now Me and my fam ain’t animated but I’m plenty proud My head is clear but my feet might touch a couple clouds no coming down So if, SWISS is genius the, Flow is the meanest then, The art never get old something like Peter Pan If my life is attributed to our leaders then It take more than a couple of raps for me to be the man How you feel, I bring the food without the toys it ain’t a value meal Even when the checks low I bring the value still I kill the precedents each word is like a dollar bill Maybe more to be honest I been, reading everything from Baldwin to Gladwell To Dan Brown, Coates and hooks that’s why I excel Assata gave game on the intel 48 Laws of Power little extreme but know it meant well Know what to use and recognize when you getting used Truth is I have a kid probably have em skip school Going through my library visiting museums This is god talk you could take notes but never be him, Mitch Albom wrote a legend bout impact so when I die I’ll probably meet mad fans in heaven Wise like the elders don’t half ass a lesson Quick as a kid who think of hashtag in seconds
4.
Golden 03:17
LYRICS: The most beautifullest thing in the world must feel like This don’t even feel like it’s real life Fam all here and we real tight I look at my future at midnight with eyes closed and it’s still bright Like my present my mind is a weapon With a full magazine as I blast off the essence Come on, essence magazine If it’s wack then you know it’s not mine Billie Jean Look at me I’m the one like she say he say No skips and thеy come back for the replay Oh shhh quiеt when a real king approaches To so-called kings I’m like D Wade in 0-6 You know this, on the throne in my zone fully focused Chillin home penning poems when I wrote this I was feeling all bliss couldn’t be a movie though Real life no scripts Chorus: Feels so Golden Shine like Golden I am Golden You are Golden We are Golden Back in the day when I was young I knew that I would be great Only thing I didn’t know how it would happen I thought I’d play ball years later started rapping Was smarter than my peers coulda been an engineer Cuz the math came easy Short smart still too cool to tease me I was voted most likely to be Pres cuz Obama was in office But bump that that job seem exhausting I need peace and quiet too often Even with no campaign I reign and die with a gold plated coffin Or maybe they build one of them pyramids Big enough that visitors know this where the spirit lives Just to marvel at the kid again Feeling like God in the flesh no middle man At the fork in the road I walked straight This quality called grace I say it and clean plates I got food for thought, but still hungry To lames if it feels better, just say I’m lucky Those who saw the whole thing know the deal Worded with conviction but the flow got its own appeal Order in the court sorry your honor but lyrically I slaughter just for sport Pen nothing but gems from a diamond to a quartz Put it under a lens the value is clear It’s been nothing but rare form all throughout the career Face fear for a living never living in fear Cuz when I feel it know I still do it Delivery rock solid but it’s still fluid Don’t gas me I’m the master yet I’m still student Massive but I’m still expanding the ore’s rich so they dig me Return’s endless every journey never come up empty Don’t tempt me I go copper for a pretty penny But still shine when the light hit me You see the glow (Chorus)
5.
Last Day 03:16
LYRICS: Chorus: If this’ll be the last day I wanna know it all Give me all the answers and the wisdom fore the fall Sure the world is ours but the time is all borrowed Today is now nothing but the day before tomorrow The streets go quiet but the fear is booming, louder The brink of history we don’t wanna be part of, Uncertainty is the name of the game Drinking tea in a parade of the flames So many questions at a time like this Was life full or did it all go amiss Sometimes wonder The boogie man came with a face we couldn’t guess And now there’s no time to redo or interject A last minute scramble to earn God’s respect Time to look oneself in the mirror and reflect A wise man knows he knows nothing at all But scholars run to him the eve of the fall No secrets involved everything is resolved Been eager since dawn til the evening’s upon Time to show true character no need to perform Reality is different no one could believe it’s the norm It’s a dream every 24/7 Is it here hell or heaven? Run to the imam rabbi or the reverend As it was written it was destined, It wasn’t a failure it was a lesson It wasn’t enemy but it was brethren If life teaches then we surely tested To live sheltered is the most reckless be self invested You get the message No question is trivial from physical to spiritual Not against the natural order to see miracles It is the last day of who we are in literal sense, We change cuz, that’s what the mountains and the trees and the rivers do best But yo (Chorus) In the end it’s all love and enthusiasm, that’s all that matters Pursuing success as an end is truly tragic Apocalypse is not ending but regeneration I take what I can cuz my soul is gon make it, No challenge means no room for growth so welcome with arms open Anything that could leave you with happiness or broken Action screams to the Universe while soft spoken Gather in the center of the city by committee For words of elegance more simplistic than witty Is it Happiness or Duty, Humility or Beauty That counts when reflecting on life like home movies The Unwanted Visitor approaching at the door? If that’s your motivation for living than what for If self love’s missing than you’ll always want more, to endure Moving by other people’s standard so passé And not how you wanna live your last day (Chorus)
6.
Defeat 03:03
LYRICS: To bounce back from a battle launch another battle warriors know Could take defeat with the wins or have nothing to show No scars and a shiny sword You could say you never took a loss but never sparred And it’s written on your armor untouched but untested Without question gotta answer for that perfect record Zero losses come at zero cost the pay get delayed You fill the safe and don’t invest while history being made Don’t be afraid cuz the battlefield bloody but there’s honor And there’s beauty once you make it through the horror Among the defeated are those who never fail Cuz in defeat you earn a lesson you could treasure still It’s how legends build it’s the way of nature Ain’t it funny how playin it safe can’t even save ya The defeated the only truly victorious wounds speak for themselves The truest mark of a champion with a story tell of Defeat Chorus: Defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose It's defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose Defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose It's defeat (defeat), we all gon' lose Go to battle lose like a champion, Break a leg win the war if you stand again, A new slate the score vanishes to the experienced go advantages You see a scar I see a weapon you see damages A wound shows a man already been through something And your weapon might work shoot but it don’t stop nothing That’s a dangerous image, ain’t game or a scrimmage Could step in it and fall, but stay in it to win it It’s like the war is infinite, every start is an ending Victory is temporary oh you thought it was finished Not even, you victorious feel free to toast But roles get reversed watch if you need to boast You win by, not just winning how you execute The process, and success just a consequence Shoot for perfect post a less than perfect record Still walk like beast and a winner every second (Chorus) Speech: Only he who gives up is defeated The defeated are those who never fail You don't take the opportunity to lose, You don't get the opportunity to win (Chorus)
7.
What's Love 02:45
LYRICS: Four letters, L-O-V-E Love more love better Love is natural but it does take effort Love could take us out from where hate tends to get us Love don’t forget us, Love of passion love as action Love is beautiful love is dangerous love is tragic Love is powerful love is wild unpredictable Love is never under control love is a miracle It’s miraculous we still love when it hurts and we know it Love’s a shepherd love’s a poet Love provides food for the body and the soul Love breaks the heart, love fills the hole Love could bring happiness love could bring pain Love could be told but could never be explained Love is all that matters and ain’t matter at all Everything is really nothing if love ain’t involved Love is scary but it’s comforting Love could just, piss you off but even still you know one day you’ll love again We feel love but could never get a hold You could love for decades still never really know what’s love Chorus: What's love, what's love, what's love, what's love Learn to love self, love to learn others Sometimes hate is just love undercover Love could be love shown out in the open Love could be lovers making love under covers, Love sustains love’s never mundane We could want one thing but love’s on some other Love is being open to what love might discover Love is a risk cuz you might not recover Love is a house and the concrete below Don’t jump live in it wait a minute let it grow, Love could be a dream and a nightmare Love is a battle and you know it don’t fight fair I strike air with blows but I always miss Fighting love, but love is some invisible ish And you never see it coming til you know it’s arrived Million ways to describe no way to define They say love is blind or we blind to it, Love’s the best way to define music Love’s a teacher that always reminds students, If you lived through it you could shine through it Love is fighting another day right after the fall Love is feeling rich when you got nothing at all Love’s a choice and accident but, never mistake Love is never contained but it’s never misplaced Love’s for everybody but love’s exclusive, Love loves faith don’t love excuses, Love is the direction on the compass of the soul Write a whole song about it still never really know what’s love (Chorus)
8.
Elegance 02:59
Extraordinary though appears without effort, This is elegance beyond measure You ain’t gotta dig deep to dig the treasure, It could be all so simple still clever Not the superficial but the inner light in the physical School of life never hide the light is the principle Not the type that’s arrogant inspiring a narrative Of hatred and envy cuz Love is imperative True strength in the beauty of authenticity Giving meaning to life while respecting the mystery Unique appeal not dictated through history Each life serving a purpose as it was meant to be, Not useful for trying but just for being Not a martyr, but willing to live for what you believe in A unified front from complex composition Made from natural order but out the box of convention Universally pleasing is looked at with suspicion But unwavering conviction is more than something to mention It’s respected make sure instinct ain’t neglected Everybody else is taken only you can be perfected, Chisel away at the masterpiece that’s within, Don’t take for granted what was planted the day life began The same rules of nature still govern over the man Our exact gems will never be uncovered again peep the shine Chorus: Fly (fly) Gorgeous (gorgeous) Don’t you turn your eye Look at all of this Fly (fly) Gorgeous (gorgeous) It don’t gotta try It’s elegance What’s cooler than being cool fly Truer than true I, stick to my guns Not the one ever should you try Love wit no fear the soul in a new light Elegance definition looking like this guy Genius that’s the narrative not no arrogance I really mean it More simplicity than complexity that’s what the key is, Keeping the hand hidden Houdini in handcuffs Mystery how we did it Keep the machine covered, gears moving but quietly don’t make a stink of it Birthed without labor, immaculate When we talk elegance it ain’t fashion sense When you got the character then homie that’s the drip Ask the kid, the flow more elegant than flowers Or the uniformity of the desert spanning for hours So bask in the way of the sun moon and the stars Composed of the same elements making up who we are (Chorus)
9.
Dreams 02:56
LYRICS: She 25, she got a good job That’s what everybody say, she wish she could stop Follow her heart follow her mind Moments she don’t wanna be there like all of the time, Too often her mind shifts... When she think of future it’s not like this... It’s not the life she had thought of now she getting caught up Bout to the throw it all away in spite of how she was brought up Whole family tell her it’s impoooossible She telling them she give a uh about an ooobstacle She gon leave... Don’t give her advice she don’t need, When she put it to will she’ll succeed Already seeing visions of herself on the screen On the sidelines everybody think it ain’t nothing but a dream Chorus: See everybody got dreams See everybody got dreams See everybody got dreams See everybody got See everybody got See everybody got dreams 53 thinking about 15 Back when anything was possible or so it seemed No bills no job more thrills It was more than imagination it was so real Innocence there then he missed it, now it’s all about realistic, Either throw in towel or be a misfit, Had to trade in the love for the logistics But now it’s all pulling him back World say it’s too late he don’t know how to react Soul tearing at the seams but his body’s in tact Starting over at his age like a death wish Only if he give a damn about perception But he could look himself in the mirror that’s all that matters The fear and all the chatter Like do you wanna what if or regret it after Why go and close the book before the last chapter Only some live their dreams but we all have em He don’t wanna be foolish with pride But the same passion from his youth is inside And when he hear that voice of fiery young teen He feels good cuz he know what it means that he still got a dream (Chorus) I hope you never wake up (repeat) (Chorus)
10.
Make Room 02:54
LYRICS: Now here’s a smooth introduction how I’m too nice Reputation for wrecking more than a few mics So what it look like...a sun shining Soon as I proceed rhyming I hit with pristine timing, Three tatted by my hand it’s a quarter past Purpose by the other one as a forge a path Ditching the mission ain’t occur to me yet I envision with every goal I meet further success I’m a beast who probably deserves more than I get Cuz they never gives awards for the wit This here ain’t for the weak One thing that you should know it ain’t fair, why I make sure that they could never compete I elevate to a higher level than I could I ever know in my past Idolized legends, now a youngin all on they ass I provide lessons, all these rappers all in my class Only time they ever are in my class you get it If a pass permitted I let em through that’s the policy A master in terms of my skill and my autonomy Gotta be fond of me, if you got good taste, Running things at a good pace Chorus: So check me out son (Make Room) Yea yea check me out son (Make Room) Wait a minute check me out son (Make Room) I was built for and groomed for this before I knew Forget a dream another rapper’s nightmare gon come true I’m a monster phenomenal flow man when I go in This icon clicks you better get with the program, In any application I’m a upgrade Buffering until I start to streaming what I must say, Out the brain genius brilliant Architected I’m the master builder and the blueprint I am the work and the artist, regardless If I say I’m just one of several gods I’m being modest Please, I know what I am I know what I ain’t I connect from long range and go hard in the paint Jimmy Buckets when I walk through team on my back though Know I gotta talk bout the Heat it’s what you asked for Isn’t it, no box the flow limitless, In a club of my own there’s no membership No card holders, just face recognition For a real one who stay on a roll like large boulders, All downhill when I rap for real Premiere spitting guru with the mass appeal Of course following conviction Ironic how I’ll do it like it’s never been done still carry on tradition With dope rhymes over heavy beat breaks When your presence this big one thing I need space (Chorus)

about

"Michael Leonhart and rapper JSWISS deliver an airtight listening experience with the release of Bona Fide." - Okayplayer

Trumpeter/producer Michael Leonhart and emcee JSWISS culminate two years of working remotely throughout a pandemic with the release of their debut duo album "Bona Fide". The two were brought together in the summer of 2019 when Leonhart was looking for a rapper to make a guest appearance during a performance with his orchestra at the popular New York City club Jazz Standard, which led to several more shows together over the next 6 months.

On the album, Leonhart handles all production duties and plays multiple instruments. The only samples on the record actually come from an album from Leonhart’s own Michael Leonhart Orchestra, “The Normyn Suites.” JSWISS handles all lyrical duties, covering a variety of topics including love, Black excellence, and a string of songs inspired by themes from Brazilian author Paulo Coelho’s book "Manuscript Found In Accra" (Tracks 5 through 8).

credits

released March 3, 2022

Cover photo by Nathan West.
All songs mixed by Michael Leonhart.
Mastered by Alex DeTurk.

All instrumentation by Michael Leonhart unless otherwise noted.

Nick Movshon (Drums): Tracks 3, 6, 7, 8, 10.
Homer Steinweiss (Drums): Tracks 2 & 9.
Chris Bullock (Alto Sax & Flute): Track 10.
Keyon Harrold (Trumpet): Track 1.
Bill Frisell (Guitar): Track 2.
Elizabeth Pupo Walker (Congas): Track 3.

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Michael Leonhart & JSWISS New York, New York

Grammy Award-winning trumpeter, producer, and orchestra leader Michael Leonhart, and versatile rapper JSWISS make for a dynamic pairing.

The union formed after a spark of creative chemistry during a monthly residency at NYC venue Jazz Standard, during which JSWISS guested with the Michael Leonhart Orchestra for performances broadcast on NPR & WBGO.
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