When it comes to breaking musical boundaries, The Urban Renewal Project stands in a league of its own. The 16-piece powerhouse collective blends jazz, hip hop, and vintage soul to create a genre-bending sound that has captivated audiences from SXSW to the Java Jazz Festival.
Fronted by the soulful vocals of Alex Nester, rapid-fire rhymes from dual emcees Elmer Demond and Slim da Reazon, and a horn section that brings the house down, the group delivers an unforgettable live experience—and now, a bold new studio project.
Fresh off the buzz of singles like “Will to Survive” (featuring Vic Mensa) and “Don’t Ask Y” (with Camp Lo), The Urban Renewal Project is back with their fourth studio album, Love Glory Duty Death. This 12-track tour de force is packed with exciting collaborations, including acclaimed rapper Oh No and the extraordinary Tia P. (of Netflix’s Rhythm & Flow). From the high-energy, bleacher-stomping anthem “Shake Those Hips” to the anthemic “Money” (featuring Oh No) and the internationally inspired “Red Eye,” the album is a celebration of creative fusion and musical storytelling.
Love Glory Duty Death isn’t just an album—it’s a testament to the power of collaboration, genre-mixing, and pure, unfiltered musical joy. Dive in and experience the sound that’s captivating audiences worldwide.
How would you define your unique musical style?
A face-melting blend of soul, jazz, and hiphop.
What sets your music apart from others in your genre?
There are very few, if any, bands out there that have consistently delivered original music featuring vocal melodies, rap verses, and live instruments all together on the same track.
Do you have any upcoming releases, videos, or shows fans should know about?
Catch us live at Hotel Ziggy in Hollywood for the We Found New Music showcase on January 6th and at the Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs on January 22nd! And of course, check out our new album, Love Glory Duty Death, wherever you listen to music.
What’s been the biggest challenge with your latest project?
We insisted that every track on the new record should be better than anything we’ve ever released before. All killer, no filler. And those exacting standards applied to every step of the process. The songwriting, performances, recording quality, and production all needed to be the best we’ve ever done. We ended up writing four completely different versions of “Rush” before we settled on something we liked, and we fully recorded “Baroque” twice in different keys. Most of the album was mixed separately by two engineers to make sure we were delivering the absolute best final product to the listener. All of this naturally took a lot of time and added at least 18 months to the process, if not more.
How do you get past creative blocks or writer’s block?
Two things. First, do it every day. The fountain of creativity isn’t something you can just turn on when you think you need it. It needs to be nurtured and tended constantly. Write something every day, even if it’s just a voice memo or a sketch in a notebook. On the one hand, you’ll be generating an archive of ideas you can use in the future; on the other hand, you’ll probably never need to revisit them because your skills have become so sharp. Second, consume a ton of art—anything that makes you think. Watch a play. Go to an art museum. Open a book. Play a board game. If you do both of those things regularly, then you’ll have more ideas than you know what to do with.
If you had a time machine, would you travel to the past or the future?
I’ve been working on a pet theory that 1979 was the peak year for Western pop culture. A ton of classic records dropped including “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” and Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and it’s basically the year hiphop was invented. Both Alien and Apocalypse Now were released, and neither of them even made the top 3 at the box office. The Happy Meal debuted at drive-thrus across the globe, and the brand-new Walkman made it possible to take your music anywhere. What a time to be alive! It’s hard to imagine anything from 2025 having as much cultural impact as those things—except for Love Glory Duty Death, of course.
What’s your go-to comfort food for a date night?
Do comfort foods and date nights go together? Either way, we love us some Waffle House whenever we get out of CA.
If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
“Rush” the opening track from Love Glory Duty Death.
If you had to describe yourself as a flavor, what would you be?
We’re like the bulgogi street taco of music.
Would you rather be the hero or the villain with the best lines?
Everyone thinks they’re the hero.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-glory-duty-death/1837549193