Indiana has never been known as a home for hip hop music. The Midwest in general has only seen a handful of stars in comparison to other regions. Hip hop artist King, is making strides against this notion.Not to mention that he takes his music so seriously that it took him 5 long years of hard work to feel satisfied with his new album.
King’s new album, The Teacher, takes things back to hip hop’s foundation. Making jazz genre worthy hip hop songs with a bit of funk in them is helping him stand out in the underground hip hop scene. Having collaborations from big 90′s hip hop artist such as members from The Wu-Tang Clan, Digable Planets, and 2LiveCrew do not hurt either.If anyone is still complaining that hip hop was better in the 90′s golden era, then King is your man.
Not only is King a musician, but he has also taught music for many years now. He named his album The Teacher because he is a role model to the kids he teaches. He take this so seriously that he made sure to completely edit his record so it would be more suitable to younger audiences.”I have taught music for a number of years and I enjoy helping kids realize their own aspirations”, He says.
King states that this new record is his masterpiece, which is why it took 5 years to make. It is more mature, more self aware, and shows growth. “I pride myself on my versatility”, he says, “some people think that it’s real hip hop to sound the same on every single song, but to me that is just boring and shows a major lack of creativity.”
One thing he’s most excited about is his new live band, appropriately titled, King City. “I go ttogether some of the greatest funk/hip hop musicians in Fort Wayne and from the first practice I knew it was meant to be, ” he says. The band features a drummer, a bassist, two guitarist, and two DJs to fill the entire stage with energy. Hearing this all play out live is phenomenal and adds alot more to the music if you appreciate good quality jazz music.
King is determined and King is wise. Easily holding down the title of one of the best Indiana rappers, and further than that, an artist who is bringing back a sound that was once forgotten. His new Cd, The Teacher, can be found at Wooden Nickel. A select few songs are up for listening on his MySpace page.
