It's not how I thought it would be. I thought I'd have to change my number, that TMZ would be following my kids, that cats would come crawling ou t the woodwork on some ..""hey KOK member that time..." but quite the contrary things have been quiet. I'm a little taken aback by it not being crazy!!!.  I thought that with this came the accolades and in some fashion the bread and such..don't get me wrong this is in no way a complaint just an observation. the reality is that i'm still virtually unknown, i'm no star in my own mind.. i have always recognized my talent, reach and potential for worldwide domination, but i ain't got the new sice box a$$hole syndrome that happens to some folks.. I have several good friends that keep me grounded. Speaking of which, what has changed that i didn't see coming was my "friends" reactions, some are more surprising than others and some are wack. names are withheld to protect the guilty. i met with some people about repping me and am closer to an affiliation witha particular brand, i think i've found a good stylist as long as she doesn't suggest crotchet'd anything we are golden. I'm quite sure that the closer we get to Feb 8th the nuttier it will become.

As a side note you can:
follow me on twitter/kokayi, vote for me on urb.com and get a free mixjont by clicking the Found Art cover on my front page.

one

Here's some love for the Caesarz from Bold as Love...made me feel jive aiight.

Kok

http://www.boldaslove.us/2009/01/listening-post-the-caesarzfour4-and-take-me-away.html

LISTENING POST: The Caesarz--"Four4" and "Take Me Away"

Tomorrow the biopic of slain rapper Biggie Smalls hits the theaters. I'd like to see “Notorious” even though, as my wife points out, you know where it's all heading. Kind of like “Titanic”: The boat was always going to hit the iceberg and sink. But I understand the love and admiration that people had for him. He was special, and there are very few rappers—living or dead—that I can say that about.

When I think about his first album “Ready To Die,” I remember that I almost ignored it. Of course, I'd heard the hype. In fact, I couldn't NOT hear it, since I was working at Capitol Records at the time. I also remember that it was Selwyn Seyfu Hinds' eloquent review of the album in the Village Voice that moved me to get the album. Like many people, I was immediately drawn in by both the magnetism of his voice and his ability to tell a story. When you listened to that album, it was like Biggie was in the room with you. I also heard something else: He was rapping to save his life. It reminded me of the same feeling I got from hearing Sinead O'Connor's “The Lion and the Cobra”.

There was a lot to love about “Ready to Die”. Unfortunately, “Kick In The Door” wouldn't show up until his next album, “Life After Death,” where we could hear this now-famous couplet that's been thrown into so many DJ sets and remixes:

“kick in tha door wavin' tha 44/all you heard was poppa don't hit me no more"

So there was no way I could keep the smile off my face when I heard The Caeasarz do "Four4".  Currently, the group is just one of several guises of Kokayi Issa, whom I first “met”  via email when he responded to my assessment of Wayna's video for the song “Lovin' You (Music)” on which he is featured and gained a Grammy nomination. along with his response, he sent me to album version of the Wayna song, plus a link to his the stuff he'd done as The Caesarz. At the same time, Brian Bacchus of Soulfeast Music writes to me and gives Kokayi props.

So, I'm listening to The Caesarz.  Kokayi and I have some email back-and-forth, and he tells me that he did all the instrumentation and sang all the parts. I'm impressed, particularly because the album sounds very much full of organic energy, not the kind of thing I'd initially expect from a one-man production team. However, Kokayi did put together a band to perform at last year's Afro-punk Festival.  Unfortunately, I missed that show.  The guy tells some really good stories on this album. On some tracks—"Take Me Away"—there are vocal shades John Legend, but how John Legend might sound if he didn't try to pass his whining off as singing most of the time.

What I like about "Four4" is that Kokayi takes the whole premise of that line, turns it on its head and tells the story from the POV of man who crossed the wrong woman.  From what I can tell from Kokayi's bio, this Caesarz project is just one example of the multiple musical interests that he's exploring  My hat's off to him.

Anyway, enough from me.  Listen and enjoy!
 
 
 

aiight so it's been a week basicallly since the good news.. So we venture into the Now What? portion of the program . This weekend i sat back and basically calculated all the things i need to make it out to LA and what I needed to get there. For the nod you get 2 free tickets to the event and as a Grammy member i have a discount on tickets to attend, form the upfront gold coast jonts to the nasal hemmorhage jimmy jonts. So i have to get plane tix, hotel, whip and cash with 4 pay periods left in the year at the day gig, the holidays creeping and bill and his friends that 2 kids can help you generate. Real talk. So i'm working on selling portions of my person as ad space, i'm a big dude.. i got some space for a few ads.. you just gotta buy my ish :) I have 4 parties that are definite must attends for Grammy Nominees so that's 4 opportunities for me to rock these designer's gear and their shoes and shades and such.. i'm open for branding suggestions..save them Rico Tizzio jonts..(ran into G and laughed about this) and there are more parties and performances tat will take place.. My mind is all in a quandry on this thing.. it's a nice ride..but i have to work it so i get the best out of it..ie work. I'm having fun though...shouts to everybody that wished me the best...thanks.

I yoked this form my Facebook and put it here as well. enjoy.

K

I get asked about my work from time to time and i decided it best to upload the links so you can check it out for yourself. .

I got started in 1994 professionally, prior to that i wrote rhymes for a few emcees from DC and i was a beatbox in a crew called the Flyguys from back in "the Crib" days with Frank Ski and Larry Gee up at WPFW. i was a member of the Freestyle Union founded by Toni Blackman who had the vision of a super crew of emcees that trained at a cipher to battle oneself and sought to elevate the art of the rhyme..many producers (slimkat78, black, self, RBI, Aychell) got their chops in, as well, providing the soundscapes. via Ezra(tagged) we were introduced to Steve Coleman and ended up recording a record called "a tale of 3 cities" featuring cats from DC, Philly and NY..black thought was the cat from Philly (Ahmir and Rich Nichols sat in the booth at Systems Two) and he gave me one of the first cassettes of DYWM before it dropped officially on Geffen. Ny Emcees were Shaliek and Utasi and the DC emcees me and  T aka Sub-Z. Opus Akoben (google us) was the first group that i was in that got signed, to BMG in 1997, i tagged T in the notes he's my oldest friend, my kids godfather and the dopest emcee you'll hear..trust that ( he wicked on the bass too even though he'll deny it), Black Indian now goes by Joshua Paul and had some of the illest freestyles ever. Opus continues to do work, we're all still friends and grinding.  I ventured out and started recording ideas and they blossomed into the records that i'm doing now and will keep doing.
Listen up, let me know your thoughts.

Drive Time
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8uug33

Mass Instructions
http://www.sendspace.com/file/jgpu3s

the Caesarz- all hail
http://www.sendspace.com/file/yz8cr0

the New Grease
http://www.sendspace.com/file/m1h5iw

Opus Akoben
Raw Life
http://www.sendspace.com/file/v3ve1x

Opus Akoben
Art of War
http://www.sendspace.com/file/q4snhu

I''ve officially made it through the first round nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards.  Thanks to the Academy and the voting members for considering my work.

There are a good number of folks from the DMV from rock, jazz, rock, dance, r&b and hip hop (rap). I feel fortunate being considered from amongst the massive wave of submissions the Academy must have received from indies to industry alike. I don't consider myself a fringe artist just somebody to honest music trying to push the envelope and pay homage to the founding principle of Hip Hop…innovation. Shouts to my fellow folks that got a nod here and there: Roddy Rod, Kev Brown, Substantial, Soulstice, Musinah, Wayna, Kaimbr, Oddisee, Matt Shell and Wale. Below are the fields that my name had popped up for consideration. me:  To all my fans, supporters and fam keep spreading the word to help your boy reach that final nomination. To all you voting members and associates, keep me in  the cool runnings and thank you for your well wishes and nods in advance. Who know what may happen. Quality over quantity. Less talk more walk.

K

General Field
best new artist-Kokayi
Category 4- number 205

Field 6

Category 27 -number 011 best urban alternative performance-Babylon (Hey Nah) Kokayi

Field 7

best rap album-Mass Instructions Category 35- number 038

best rap song -Babylon (Hey Nah) Category 34- number 006

best rap solo performance-Knowus Mayne-Kokayi

Category 31- number 026.

Babylon and Knowus Mayne will be added to the player.

Here are the itunes and cdbaby links.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/kokayi2 - cdbaby http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=289302211&s=143441 - itunes

Allright, so I failed miserably at finishing Found Art before 10108.. so i went back decided against making policy statements and headed straight to being patient. From patience was born Drive Time.. a suite (i'm biting Janelle Monae) dedicated to one of my favorite things.. pushing the whip.. now if you have a jones for any one particular genre, i did not oblige. I chose some things that i like to listen to whilst bending the corner or stuck in that 66 traffic on a friday afternoon headed to a IAD or up to NewYawk, that 295 (what up Balt) to 95 jaunt..Turnpike even.. So with the assistance of the Young Youfs, I have some new art to push out. DT..get it free(for a limited time..... until i decide to sell it.) Found Art soon come.. I have 6 more songs to complete..

click the link below or copy and paste in your browser..

K

http://www.sendspace.com/file/8uug33

K

i have to credit mi espose and my  homie from putmeonit.com for helping the brain get back on track.  via their assistance..ie foot in ass and foot in brain respectively i ended up having a few ideas and epiphones.. Found art was born this way.. all that you will hear is based on shit i heard that put the foot in it to get back on to being creative.. all pieces are soundscapes that stand on their own and are very nicely done without me.. i just wanted to try and add something to the mix. it's about fun and i ain't selling or retailing a thing.. i have the lines out to contact everyone who is on it. so they can get a copy and at their request i'll eliminate their work or keep it moving.. i'm only posting finished songs up for a day..or two..if need be and then they are gone until its all finished. video vimeo blogs coming soon as i settle down. all is good.  shouts to Thaione in the Chi..go peep his videos he's on my page as well as Roddy Rod and Asheru.grind steady.K

Time for a bi monthly update..blogging is a grind a serious jawn, so propers to all those that have the time and /or make the intense effort to stay present..i think i'm gonna go the video route and just blaze youtube and vimeo up on some bloggyvlog shyte. I've had the good fortune of meeting and working with some really good people as of late.. a few have rekindled my excitement in shopping music.
The history is i've been producing for a long time and i have a grip of music, in the last 5 years i have really been hustling to place them somewhere. I've had the fortune of producing some jawns for Nickelodeon and for Wayna who's single was in the top 20 on Billiboard, but the super major placements haven't happened.. for any producer they'll express the same sort of frustration when you hand someone some work to give to someone else to listen too is the most diheartening thing...and finding somneone to shop the music for you is twice as hard and 9 times as expensive..(a lawyer told me that i needed to hand him $2500 just to hold the cd..that's the price of business)  So that's where i've been in the doldrums about not placing enough work...paying work i should say, because these kids are costly and free beats = no eats, except where duly noted and friends and family discounts apply...but that is another conversation.
So anyway the news is since the record "Mass Instructions" has been released we sold nearly 900 of the 1000 physical copies that were made, secured a deal with IODA, justlikevibes (France) and Tamashie Creations (Japan), working on getting a license for Australia and Germany.. If you know someone forward my info..I'm currntly working with some DC artists that are making some moves.. i ain't saying until the music and the paperwork is done and they say it's aiight to say something, but it all looks and feels real good right now. I just finishe dthe first song for Found Art...which will be out by OCT 1 for absolutely free. then it's on to the next not free record. looking to set up a tour for early next year and finishing the record as Dastardly. Going in and re-recording the Caesarz jawn and producing more stuff. that's what's been the deal.. yell at me if you need drops, music, advice... anything. kokayi@kokayi202.com

K