The Isley Brothers are officially back in the game. It’s been a whopping 15 years since the legendary group released their last official LP Baby Makin’ Music, an 11-track offering that saw additional assistance from the likes of Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Tim & Bob, among others. Since then, they released a holiday project titled I’ll Be Home for Christmas a year later — more recently, they also teamed up with Carlos Santana for 2017’s Power of Peace. Today, they make a big return with their new single “Friends and Family,” an infectious cut that features Snoop Dogg.
No surprise here — “Friends and Family” is probably going to be played at every cookout you attend all summer:
“Break out the food and the drinks, it’s gonna be a party, turn up the music real loud, invite everybody, go right ahead and smoke and play some cards, just make yourself at home, it’s okay to take somebody’s hand, and get your groove on/”
Directed by Erik White, the accompanying video for “Friends and Family” sees the Isleys hosting a palatial function somewhere in the hills with their loved ones, complete with a DJ, plenty of red cups, and beautiful, smiling faces. Snoop — as well as many other big names who make cameos — appear via cell phone footage, presumably due to the still ongoing pandemic and quarantine.
“Friends and Family” follows the Isley Brothers’ recent appearance on the Swizz Beatz and Timbaland-backed “Verzuz” series, which saw them revisiting their classics alongside the equally iconic collective Earth, Wind & Fire. Hosted by a jovial Steve Harvey and assisted by DJ D-Nice, the event was a celebration of two R&B greats that saw massive viewership on both Triller and Instagram’s platforms.
Press play on “Friends and Family” below. Hopefully, a new album is soon to follow.