The Seattle-based jazz musician Kassa Overall released CREAM in September 2025, an album that showcases new, original takes on some of the most classic tracks in 90s rap — from Wu Tang to Biggie and beyond. Overall spoke with KEXP’s Dusty Henry about his work.

"As we're recording these songs, I'm realizing this is actually a response record to my other records," Overall says in the interview. "This is actually a commentary on the whole jazz hip-hop conversation. This is a commentary on my own career."

Overall adds historical context: "Jazz musicians always would take songs that were popular in the public sphere and just use them as materials — not so much a cover, but just as a starting point for the listener. The idea that you remain faithful to the original — maybe some people think about that as a sign of respect to the music, but I don't see it like that. The respect comes from studying the original and then finding your own way to approach it."

Photo Credit: Erik Barden

Support the show: kexp.org/deeper

The Seattle-based jazz musician Kassa Overall released&nbsp;CREAM&nbsp;in September 2025, an album that showcases new, original takes on some of the most classic tracks in 90s rap &mdash; from Wu Tang to Biggie and beyond. Overall spoke with KEXP&rsquo;s Dusty Henry about his work.
"As we're recording these songs, I'm realizing this is actually a response record to my other records," Overall says in the interview. "This is actually a commentary on the whole jazz hip-hop conversation. This is a commentary on my own career."
Overall adds historical context: "Jazz musicians always would take songs that were popular in the public sphere and just use them as materials &mdash; not so much a cover, but just as a starting point for the listener. The idea that you remain faithful to the original &mdash; maybe some people think about that as a sign of respect to the music, but I don't see it like that. The respect comes from studying the original and then finding your own way to approach it."
Photo Credit: Erik Barden
Support the show:&nbsp;<a href="http://kexp.org/deeper" data-outlook-id="cb896817-95a3-4540-9b2e-1dc01ee6dc8f" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">kexp.org/deeper</a>

On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.

On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.

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