So, let's get it on...



KAZE

"On" b/w "Move Over feat. Nature" & "Soul Dojo"

Soul Dojo/Vintage Music

Anybody who's turned on a radio or television recently should be well aware that the "durty souf" has a veritable stranglehold on the world of hip-hop, r&b and even pop music. First you had No Limit, then you had Cash Money, and currently you've got a crazy crop of "crunk" acts lead by the inimitable Lil' Jon. The "crunk" phenomenon especially has given rise to a whole slew of artists who really make a country-fried & gangstafied form of black pop music ( influenced equally by blues, rap, call-n-response disc jocky toasting, Miami-bass and the molassus slow "screwed" style native to some areas of the South ) more-so than they do hip-hop. And while the south has also produced some more left of center hip-hop acts -- such as The Dungeon Fam production squad and their star protégés Outkast, Virginia's The Neptunes, et al -- for the most part it's contribution to hip-hop as an art-form has been greatly eclipsed by the commercial success of hip-hop's slower, countrified, "crunk-pop" cousins. But perceptions of what the south is all about are due for a change, thanks in part to artists like Supastition, Spectac, The Strange Fruit Project, Hydroponic Sound System, Nick Nack, Little Brother & their producer 9th Wonder, and now North Carolina's Kaze.

See, Kaze's here to proclaim that "this ain't the durtee, we ain't gettin' trill or crunk or talkin' 'bout 'how ya niggaz do that thurr?" And he's insisting that "it's time to get back to the graffin' & rhymin' & breakin' & scratchin' & that's word is born." In other words, despite the commercial dominance of some rappers' less than authentic caricature of hip-hop and southern culture real hip-hop is still alive and well in the real south. And Rocksteady emcee battle contestant Kaze is of the rather ambitious opinion that he's just the man to prove it to the rest of the world.

Fortunately he lives up to his own hype rather well on the K-Hill produced anthem "On." Riding a track comprised of that slowed down but jumpy style of stutter-step drum programming laced with double-time hi-hats and a sped-up soul loop complete with screeching chipmunk vocals Kaze confidently flips a perfectly tailored on-beat-off-beat flow that sounds more seasoned veteran than debut artist. Side-stepping rookie rapper pitfalls left & right, he also delivers something rare indeed amongst newbies, especially those emerging from the underground backpacker set, an infectious sing-along of a chorus. This makes "On" remarkably resonant and is likely to leave a listener humming the sampled melody and rapping the hook to themselves long after the turntable's platter stops spinning. Of course it also helps that dude's actually rhyming about something that he clearly cares about, pledging himself and his region to hip-hop as an art as well as an industry while skewing the view that people have of the south by putting out something that represents him, not some prepackaged version of what southern rap is supposed to be.

The b-side features "Move Over," which boasts the return of former Firm member Nature, and the 9th Wonder produced rhyme-fest "Soul Dojo." "Move Over" is a cool enough track, but it would have benefited greatly from some grimier drum sounds programmed in a more traditionally staccato boom-bap type pattern to go with the choppy nature of the sampled strings and piano plunks. The beat would hit just that much harder that way, which would have better suited the track's more rugged vibe. "Soul Dojo" on the other hand is more fire. 9th Wonder's beat rocks on some straight up head-nod shit, flipping a majestic string & horn loop over the neck-snapping snares & kicks we've come to expect from the Little Brother producer. And on the microphone Kaze rips shit lovely, dropping gems on the essence of keeping one's mind, body & soul in balance even when the world goes topsy-turvy like it's '94 and he's Jeru The Damaja laying down new lyrics for a Pete Rock remix.

Don't get me wrong, I like to get "crunk" as much as the next guy, but deep down I know that all the folks who reside south of Pennsylvania aren't really just some pimptastic bumpkins with gold teeth & perms who spend their days kicking back sippin' that sizzurp and waiting for some drama to jump off. So it's more than refreshing to hear from a southern artist like Kaze who's willing to buck the mainstream trends, break the stereotypes and rep his art, his home, his heart, his heritage and his skills, not just the "dirty south." More than just a breath of fresh air though, Kaze's "On" is an outstanding showcase for some of the incredibly talented artists coming out of North Carolina's hip-hop community, who -- if they can keep pumping out quality material like this -- are bound to get the recognition they deserve, and hopefully set a new standard for a new south.

I don't think we're in Cackalackee any more Toto!

I really like Kaze's music. He is ill. Big up's to him and his soul dojo crew. I also like another camp from North Carolina called the chop doctors. There two artist Big Delph and Crucial Karlton Jones are two of the illest I've heard. They production be tight and they flow be tight. I saw Petey Pablo in Big Delph's and in Crucial's music video. Also I saw there video's on BET and on VH1. NC need to stand up and show some luv for artist like Kaze, Big Delph, and Crucial. There is alot of hot artists from NC...here is a few sites yall should peep.
http://www.souldojo.com
http://www.chopdoctors.com
http://www.karltonjones.com
http://www.pbatters.com
http://www.21strecords.com
http://www.shellyb.com
http://www.carolinacircuit.com