Sessions for ‘Laminated Skies’ took place in the sweltering summer heat in 2019 at Windom Road studio in Brentwood, Maryland; with Damu’s production adding a tapestry of instrumentation including live and programmed drums, strings, vibraphone, vinyl scratching and synthesizers.
Completed in 2021, Damu the Fudgemunk also served as executive producer on the project, handling, post-production, arrangements, and mix/mastering. Recording sessions were broken up between Raw Poetic's home studio in Arlington VA, Damu's home studio in NW, DC and Windom Road studio in Brentwood, MD.
‘Laminated Skies’ is Raw Poetic's sixth solo album and first official solo release on a label (London’s Def Pressé). It’s also his most personal album. He explains “I still can’t fully describe what kind of album this is so I’ve now reserved myself to telling people it’s a “Jason” album. I wanted to tell people what the hell is going on through my head sometimes; how I feel as a guy from Northern Virginia. Sometimes it’s invisible, other times invincible. Sometimes loved, sometimes hurt. Once we got started mixing and matching ideas, well… it became something that I am very proud of.”
Damu says, "I'm extremely proud of what we did on this album. When Raw asked me to get involved I was amped. I've watched Raw become a producer over the last ten plus years, teaching himself how to record and lay tracks. His production style is so unique, free and different from mine that I soak up a ton of inspiration from collaborating this way. With both of us usually exclusively perceived as hip hop artists (which we don't mind), ‘Laminated Skies’ feels like a victory for us to show our appreciation while creating honest art, but escape the box without actually making a formal announcement. It's easily one of the best things I've been a part of”.
