Altered Crates

...I awoke to a loud knocking at the door. I groggily went to the window and looked out, but there was no one there. 

Opening the door, I found several crates of vinyl on my front porch, and an unsigned letter. As a musicophile, the mysterious crates invoked both curiosity and excitement, and I eagerly opened the envelope.

The letter was quite long and detailed; and the story was altogether unbelievable! It was like reading a fantastic movie plot; here is just a short example from the letter of its outlandish content:

"This is only one of a seemingly limitless number of universes - in the future (or in the past?) men discover the ability to travel between these different timelines. As one of these travelers, I have collected artifacts from many alternate universes - art, inventions, music, scriptures.  

There are worlds where geniuses are born into different eras; where musical styles separated by 50 years in your current timeline, collide and fuse together. These musical fusions became of particular interest to me throughout my journeys, and I began a special collection of these albums. You will find the entire collection inside of the crates that I have left you." 

And then things started to get really strange. Looking through the crates, I recognized some of the artists immediately; James Brown, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, and even Rakim. An odd mix, indeed. But it wasn't the names I recognized that were strange; it was all of the names that I didn't recognize. And even upon further research, I could find no record of these artists even existing.

What the f*ck is a Jay Electronica? What artist calls themselves MF DOOM? Nujabes? J Dilla? Aesop Rock? These names, and sounds, were completely foreign to me. Sci-fi meets reality?

The letter ended with instructions, and a warning of caution: 

"I intended to deliver this to you in 2019. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I must leave this with you now; in 1993. There are important rules to abide by when traveling between realities - it's quite complicated. It is important that you not share any of this with the world until 2019." 

That's as much of the letter as I feel comfortable sharing; suffice to say, still unsure of what to believe, I followed the instructions of the 'Traveler' and kept the crates hidden away for the last 26 years. 

In 2019, the first project from the Altered Crates collection was released.  

Whether or not the time-traveler's story is true, I cannot say. The music remains, and I will let you be the judge.