Jamal Ahmad’s favorite albums of the decade
Atlanta’s soul authority puts your playlist on chill
Jamal Ahmad’s playlist is so chill you might catch a cold, so funky you’re bound to break out in a fever.
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When it comes to soul — and funk and jazz and everything in between — Ahmad’s the authority. Between his weekly WCLK-FM show “S.O.U.L.” (Sounds of Universal Love) — which pumped a steady diet of UK soul, drum and bass and acid jazz from 1995 to 2005 — to his involvement as co-founder of defunct local indie label Groovement Collective (which helped spawn the likes of India.Arie, Donnie and Anthony David), Ahmad is a large part of the reason why Atlanta’s soul scene oozed onto the world stage in the ’00s.
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Since taking over the 3 p.m.-6 p..m. weekday slot on 91.9, he’s become the city’s favorite drive-time radio DJ — as recognized by CL in 2008 and AJC in 2009. So we had to hit him up for a list of his top albums of the decade, along with his reasons why, in addition to an Atlanta-only list.
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Jamal Ahmad’s top 10 of the 2000s (in no particular order):
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Donnie, The Colored Section: One of the greatest records of our generation. Period.
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Jill Scott, Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol.1: Will forever be remembered as a classic.
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4hero, Creating Patterns: This duo of sound alchemists created the soundtrack for NYE 2999.