Music
Timothy Welbeck is what happens when your favorite lawyer and favorite rapper are the same person. He’s an MC turned Civil Rights attorney and university professor who has crafted a stirring brand of music that is thought-provoking and relevant, honest and life-changing. In that way he represents literally and figuratively.
As a hip-hop artist, Timothy has shared the stage with acts like Janelle Monáe, Jidenna, EPMD, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Chill Moody, etc, won songwriting competitions (Grand Prize in the Hip-Hop Category of the 2010 Session 1 John Lennon Songwriting Contest), and received compliments from industry titans like Sway Calloway and Lenny S.
Timothy Welbeck x John Coltrane = ‘Trane of Thought
'Trane of Thought is a live recorded hip-hop album that fuses songs from Timothy Welbeck's first two albums with the musical stylings of John Coltrane. Recorded live at REC Philly on Saturday May 21, 2022, 'Trane of Thought's sound fuses the modal jazz John Coltrane pioneered in the 1960s with the soulful hip-hop that punctuated the late 90s and early 2000s.
Like much of Timothy's other work, 'Trane of Thought's content features introspective storytelling and insightful social commentary. As the project's Music Director David P. Stevens said, "It's what a beautiful painting sounds like."
In many ways, “Trane of Thought is an ode to Philadelphia. Consequently, Timothy released it on February 15 (2/15) as a reference to the city’s main area code (215), and also to reference how both he and John Coltrane spent fifteen years of their lives in Philadelphia (two 15s).
'Trane of Thought was made possible by the Black Music City grant sponsored by the generous support of REC Philly, WRTI, and WXPN. The album is available any where you access music online.
Black men deserve grow old. From the moment of our birth, we are guaranteed two breaths—our first and our last. Every breath between those two is a gift. To grow old is a present too few people receive. This is particularly true for Black men in America. Produced by Joshua Heath and featuring contributions from Taelor Gray, Armond Wake Up, and Swoope. Grow Old conveys these sentiments as each of them communicate their longing to see old age. Grow Old is available anywhere you access music online.
Dynamic in its sound, daring in its content, The Cost of Living traverses the arc of the personal narrative for an MC turned Civil Rights Attorney and Africology Professor. Before Timothy Welbeck became an attorney, before he taught in universities, before he became an author, he rapped. Timothy likes to say he’s what happens when your favorite lawyer and favorite rapper are the same person. The Cost of Living brings him back to the microphone, and reveals he still has much to say. The Cost of Living is available on all digital platforms.
Living Wage is an exploration of what it means to live authentically at a time when so much competes for our attention. In that way, Living Wage is reminiscent of Jay-Z’s 4:44, Phonte’s No News is Good News, and Oddisee’s The Good Fight in terms of its sound, content, and scope. Living Wage’s content tackles compelling issues to which many millennials can relate: the search for contentment, vying for work/life balance, the joys of parenting, being happily married, wrestling with the inevitability of aging and mortality, and more. Living Wage is available on all digital platforms.
Timothy's album, No City for Young Men is available on all digital platforms (i.e. Amazon Music, Apple Music, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Tidal, etc.). You may access the rest of Timothy's discography by visiting here.