It was in the early Fall of 2006 when I first heard of Flowers & Kain. My girlfriend and I went to go see Ne-Yo perform in New London, CT. Amidst a handfull of mediocre opening acts stood out a group of confident young guys with awesome chemistry and stage presence. What I heard from them was the most refreshing "hip-hop" I had heard in years. That group was Flowers & Kain. On lead vocals was Bryan Flowers a.k.a. B-Flow, Ryan Kain handled Guitar/Vocals and rounding out the band was Ian Kelly on drums and Ed Briones on bass.

To be fair Flowers & Kain are not exactly a hip-hop group though they do draw heavily from the genre to form their trademark hip-hop/rock/neo-soul sound. Actually, don’t be surprised if you catch a bit of funk or reggae influence in their tracks as well.

At a time when a large portion of mainstream "hip-hop" is anything but hip-hop and any innovation in the genre seems to be controlled by corporate interest it’s reassuring to hear a band that doesn’t concern themselves with labels. If F&K thinks a certain song could use some funk, then Ed and Ian might throw some heavier drum and bass into the mix. If they think the same track could benefit from a bit of rock then Kain might provide a dope guitar riff. To top it off B-Flow’s mastery of rhythm allows him to adjust his flow over just about any track.

Before when I said that F&K was the most refreshing hip-hop I had heard in years I meant it. To me F&K is hip-hop. They embody the pioneering spirit of hip-hop and maintain the original ingenuity and excitement of the artform. However, what is hip-hop music without an MC? That’s where B-Flow comes in. When you listen to B-Flow you can tell he’s been influenced by the likes of old-school Jay-Z, for example, an element that should satisfy even the most traditional hip-hop heads.

Nonetheless, hip-hop alone is not F&K’s biggest draw. If you’ve ever been to a Flowers & Kain show you’ll know that a large part of their fanbase consists of females, most of which I think it’s fair to say are not hard-core hip-hop fans. Their ability to appeal to a wide audience is one of their most marketable qualities...and they’ve done it without compromising their sound.

Recently I took a moment to talk to B-Flow, the MC of the group, about the band’s current projects and other topics of interest to aspiring MC’s. Below is our chat which I hope will provide some useful insights into the art of MC’ing and the music business.

I hope you enjoy the interview and as always feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about the interview or the site.

"Being in the band wasn’t cool at my school, but I did it until the 9th grade. It only made me a better musician."
- B-Flow