Last week, Brittany M. Ward premiered my latest track “Supersonics” on the B-Side on kzuu.fm, which is a student run radio station broadcasting out of the Compton Union Building on the campus of Washington State University.
The song received such an incredible response in the region, that I have been encouraged to release the track for FREE via World Premier Hip Hop

Download “SUPERSONICS” HERE
Download the Beat Ventriloquist Remix of “SUPERSONICS” HERE
Both versions are FREE for a limited time only and look out for another version of the song to hit the interwebs very soon!

Design by tBkB & Trapper Keeper

I’m tryinG to read the wind by decipherinG the clouds see the silent message movinG quiet speakinG loud strong minded in a weak crowd soundinG my alarm collect calls A wake up surrounded by the charm my arms bear the fruit of the spirits passed down thru the seeds roots deeper than mE dreaminG of death I sleep thru nights almost scary as suge and risks days Ablazed carryinG wood unless I’m cheatinG witH ink no type A type writer I shrink a life in write pleasure meshed wit misery rememberinG laughs of passed friends in the night watchinG breezes achieve full speed in reverse then reversing directions rehearsinG perfection for showtime no time won’t stand still but will it chill for a minute while my lil plans build and mature into men mendinG holy scriptures with this real ill illustration fulfilled demonstration accomplishinG goals without a sight set heights to reach and always preach sayinG each 1 teach 1 and do it watch me as I lead by example the world is a handful that I’ll finger I figure I been a nigger since birth but what kinda names would YOu call me IF YOU WERE blind? could my light shine thru YOur ignorance in rhyme or would YOu mind to still find me scheminG wrappinG raps tapped on the other side of offense and tracked wit suspense leave ya jawlines hanginG like suspenders love me tender but step on my shoes and guess who’s cominG to dinner not mister pointier I’mma make a point wit a voice once clowned for beinG pitched higher toned now rich somebody must a flipped a switch gave a new twist to a life I once dreaded LaC’d like the locks thoughts caught then beheaded regretted missed shots opportunities and chances plans to advance asked wishes not granted but where DId my wishes drift if not a genie in a bottle I didn’t ask for speedinG on the throttle all I need to see clearly is a omen cold by my lonesome wit many coats of hope my many pockets won’t overflow from the dope but the paraphernalia will put me in the hole and every1′s a scared of the dark and the tall black man but wasn’t clark gable mister tall dark and handsome maybe if he tanned some but my complexions done tattooed permanent scarred by the past so every single moment’s priceless almost free at last I’m tryinG to bE first lead the lines into battle feared like A shadow down the writers block I travel addinG up the sum of the difference I could make minus all the haters in my face tryinG to divide take the answer rhymes multiplied by the danger and also by the risk but I exist my remainder flipped its reciprocal just to see another viewpoint though I know pointing aint polite so I fight wit myself and always sorta win but then the wind shifts my tongue’s tied once again

“Another day in paradise…five hours away from Hawaii…January in LA…82 degrees Fahrenheit…” – lyric from upcoming yet to be titled track from my VERBATIM EP

Good Day!

I am so EXCITED about the new material and can’t wait till I can share these songs with EVERYONE!

Recently, I remixed my friend Meg Myers‘ hauntingly beautiful track “Monster” and made a You Tube video for my version “M-O-N-S-T-E-R”

Also, I will be featured on the Hood Internet‘s upcoming LP alongside a slew of other notable artists from different bands and genres and am also working on an EP with producer Jay Hendrix to hold folks over until the full length is completed.

R.I.P. 2011
Hope everyone is enjoying a productive and prosperous 2012 thus far. Since the month of January is still not over, it’s only right I wish YOU a Happy New Year!!! I have kept busy recording new music and steadily working on VERBATIM as well as developing other business and creative ventures including re-designing a pair of sneakers as an artistic ambassador for VANS Custom Culture.

I have also started a section of my site dedicated to shedding light on interesting people whom I’ve come across during my travels. The 1st person I’ve interviewed, Carl Roe, is an Iraqi war veteran and also a talented artist in his own right. He’s also the gentleman responsible for all the mixing and engineering on Summer Solstice Volume 2 and 3. His interview was interesting and I’m happy he was my guinea pig because his story is so compelling.

Thank YOU for continuing to support me through out the entire Summer Solstice series!! On December 21st, correlating with the beginning of the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, I released the 3rd and final installment, Summer Solstice Volume 3 via ALARM PRESS and am humbled by the response.

Recording SSV1, SSV2 and SSV3 was a very therapeutic and positive experience. I tracked the songs over the course of the last 6 months and was able to develop tremendously through out the production, writing, and recording process.

ALSO: Follow me on Twitter during the month of February as I will continue to highlight important figures in Black History daily

stay up
tbkb

Since the world didn’t end May 21st as Harold Camping predicted, many of us rang in the New Year with a BANG! Gunfire aside, 2011 was “hit or miss” for the majority of Americans. While some folks spent their Saturday night working the extra shift they picked up to make this month’s rent, others enjoyed a tall glass of champagne and a kiss as the ball dropped and Dick Clark reminded us that he was still alive.
Twenty Eleven was, by far, the most challenging year I’ve ever experienced on Planet Earth. During the final few months of 2010, I was on tour with Biker Daughter and Hank and Cupcakes, traveling up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Having driven across country in an unregistered burgundy Chrysler Town & Country, complete with “baby” on board, I was just happy to be home safely for the holidays. I spent NYE 2011 playing a show at The Echo in Los Angeles, CA with Nite Jewel. The show went well, even though my mind was elsewhere, and I was looking forward to loading up my gear and heading to another NYE party not far from the venue.
After the show, my guitarist and bassist went to get the vehicle and left the door man in charge of our equipment, while I went in search of the promoter’s in order to settle up. I returned to the entrance/exit of the club, just in time to witness the tail end of a fight that had broken out curbside. One of the drunks caught up in the fisticuffs had gotten tangled up in the velvet rope and fell down on the sidewalk near our gear. Upon standing up, I noticed the deviant had stumbled upon my bag containing personal items such as car/house keys, gf’s baby picture, spare mustache and my hard drive, which contained all the files for the entire “31 Flavors” mixtape.
Now I could go on into elaborate detail, as I normally do, and explain how there were punches thrown, a high speed chase (on foot) and insults dished out in multiple languages before I finally retrieved the HD from the bed of a pick up truck, but those specifics are unimportant. My point is that the year started off on a lame foot and along with many others, I was anxious to say goodbye to 2011.
Last year wasn’t by any means all “bad”. It wasn’t anybody’s best calendar year economically, but here’s a list of some of my personal highs from the last four quarters:

- released Summer Solstice Volume I, II and III and 31 Flavors and Planes, Trains and Automobiles EP

- featured on MTV

- playing at the Eagle Rock Music Festival who set a record in attendance this year with over 18,000 people

- West Coast Mini Tour (LA – LBC – CO – NM – UT) with Gavin, Michael Gross and The Statuettes and Mane Rok/Deejay Tense

- featured on DATSWHATZUP VOL. 3 (internationally distributed mixtape series) with artists like E-40, Jadakiss and Jim Jones

- featured artist on We’re On Everything presented by Blood Is One

- guest-blogged for UK website Hip Hop Fiend

- played a Nate Dogg Tribute show in Texas at SXSW opening for Snoop Dogg at VIBE’s “RESPECT THE WEST” showcase

“Might as well, it’s 2012″
-tbkb via @thatn3wkid

Every year towards the end of November, we remember the things we’re thankful for and come together in celebration of another year on God’s green Earth. Whether we agree or disagree with the origins of this holiday, we all can be proud that whatever events occurred through out history are in the past and that we are here to learn from the mistakes of our forefathers.
Thanksgiving is being celebrated all across the American continent in a variety of different ways, by people from all walks of life. Some families will gather around their dinner table and give thanks for provisions made on their behalf. Others will simply take advantage of a day off from work, which is certainly something to be thankful for, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon watching football with friends.
This year I am grateful to be surrounded by such DELICIOUS food and AMAZING people.
Spending quality time with family and friends is priceless and I’m thankful for the people in my life who continue to provide me with support, encouragement and inspiration all year long.
The past few years, I’ve been on tour during the Fall and getting home for the holidays has always been a challenge.
My birthday falls on the 26th of November and traveling during the holiday rush is never an easy task, but I’ve been able to make it home each year to celebrate in style with the ones I love.
I am fortunate to have an AWESOME team and we’ve accomplished some SPECIAL things together.
Another year under my belt and a lifetime of experiences that have helped shape me into the man that I am.
So many more goals we have set out to achieve and I’m excited for what the future holds. Celebrate responsibly and remember those who are less fortunate during the holiday season.

Be thankful all 365 days, not just today and use this time as a opportunity to let your loved ones know how much they mean to YOU!

Happy Holidays!

Safe,
kb

Mankind has been infatuated with fame since the beginning of time. From the Great Pyramids of Giza continuing through to the Victorian Era, humans have held a special place in their hearts for those they hold in high esteem. Living in modern day Los Angeles, one can only dream of not becoming consumed by society’s warped concept of reality but more often than not, we feed off the gossip and succumb to a world of socialites, Hollywood divorce and local celebrities.

Debates are taking place right now across the country, as families gather around the dinner table dishing out the hottest celebrity news and commenting on which star has changed their hair color or increased their bust size. One person who has actually changed our world for the better is Apple’s co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs. He may not be as attractive as Hollywood’s leading starlet or it’s most eligible bachelor, but after changing the face of technology, his legacy will remain forever.

Revolutionary poet Gil Scott Heron once said, “The revolution will not be televised…” and this statement continues to ring true decades later. The revolution, however, is being widely publicized worldwide via technological advances led by Jobs’ team of developers. After revolutionizing the electronic, film and music industries, Steve Jobs was called home and, reportedly, his last words were “Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!”

Imagine being able to share the last meal with the visionary before his untimely passing. What would we eat? Would we research restaurants on Yelp using an iPad 2? Would we be given turn by turn directions on a 3G iPhone 4? The small talk preceding the main course would have been of monumental proportions during which I’d have pitched my innovative idea, the iPatch.

R.I.P Steve Jobs

Good Day!

Hope YOU have been enjoying your summer thoroughly and have taken time to appreciate the little things that make this life worth living

STOP and smell the roses

RELAX on a grassy knoll

SEE how the cloud formations some how resemble the cutest and fluffiest members of our animal kingdom

ENJOY a moonlight stroll along the coastline where the stars actually do shine brightly

DO SOMETHING!…ANYTHING but take advantage of and cherish these precious moments while YOU still can

I have been busy as a bee enriching my life by writing, producing and recording new material, almost daily, as well as spending time with loved ones and reminding myself why I do this in the first place.

As autumn quickly approaches, remember the warmth and vitality that summer provided. In any civilization, the Summer Solstice is an essential period in which the climate prepares the Earth and it’s inhabitants to become fruitful once again.

I am privileged to be able to share the fruits of my labor with YOU and hope that YOU will take the time and allow for proper digestion

Summer Solstice Volume 1

DOWNLOAD HERE

Summer Solstice Volume 2

DOWNLOAD HERE

Summer Solstice Volume 3

COMING SOON!!!!

thank YOU for continuing to support my efforts and I hope that YOU enjoy the music!!!

stay up

kb

Have YOU heard the news?!?!?!

Summer is almost over!

It’s just like HER to come and go before YOU know it too huh?

Nice Life…

I hope YOU are enjoying YOUR Summer thoroughly and rest assured knowing that it is FAR from over…

If YOU haven’t yet downloaded the 2nd installment of the Summer Solstice series, please take a minute to do so now as I am extremely proud of this project and can’t wait to share the new material with YOU!

DOWNLOAD SUMMER SOLSTICE VOLUME II

HERE

thank YOU for always supporting me and my art!

GOOD DAY!

Dear KCRW,

One night I was listening to your beloved station while driving to the studio. I normally only listen to my own music in the car, but lately I’ve been compelled to keep up with current events more which lead me to switching my dial back to the FM setting.
89.9 is preset #1 and a place where I frequently discover new music and often even turn to the station for freestyle inspiration, a habit I developed back in high school, where my vehicle was the only place we had personal space.
Anyway, I recently took a sabbatical from teaching and decided to focus my efforts on music entirely instead of only being able to devoted a few weeks here and there out of the year to touring. Part of my decision to leave entailed me exhausting every effort to expose my music to a larger audience and also continue to push the creative envelope.
That fateful evening I heard a block of songs that changed the course of history. One of those was a track called ‘Warm Shadow’ by Fink! I struggled to capture lyrics, writing them down as I drove the short distance between my house and the studio, which coincidentally takes me directly by the school I taught at for almost a decade.
As soon as I arrived at the studio, I immediately searched the KCRW website because I knew there was a good chance I could locate the song’s title and BAM!
After finding both the artists’ name and song title, as well as time the song aired and which deejay spun it, I had all the information I needed to begin work.
Illegally I converted the YouTube video to mp3 and uploaded the file into a Pro Tools session. I proceeded to re-arranged the beat to my liking and wrote and recorded rap verses to the newly sequenced instrumental.
Through out the session, I had been on Twitter making updates as well as researching the origins of Fink! and discovering he was from the same hometown as another artist/producer I discovered on KCRW named Bonobo.             Brighton also happens to be the first place my band and I played on our inaugural trip to the UK so I began tweeting @finkmusic my affinity for his hometown and also expressing my appreciation for his music and my desire to remix ‘Warm Shadow’.
Much to my surprise, Fink! actually replied to my tweet and said “We’ll have to figure out to play it live”. After brief correspondence back and forth, we decided I would upload my remix to their Sound Cloud account and the drummer has already contacted me via Twitter Direct Message stating that “he liked the song and was passing it along to Fink!”
Upon completion, I wasted no time and uploaded their track with only my vocals attached, but have since totally remixed the beat and believe it would be something that would interest your listeners and subscribers alike.

Thank YOU for YOUR time and consideration!

stay up,

kb

SUMMER is FINALLY HERE!!!

Some folks didn’t believe this day would EVER come…80 degree weather, backyard barbecue’s by the pool, play dates and outdoor Summer concerts.  Break out the Crocodile Mile slip ‘n slides and swimming pools purchased at YOUR local pharmacy because it’s summertime!!!

I LOVE SUMMERTIME!!!

This has got to be the BEST time of the year right?…even if YOU live in the MIDWEST!  Especially if YOU live in the Midwest!  Even though I’m a Native Los Angelino, I know a thing or two about the cold, having spent the last few Winter Solstice’s chasing my dreams across the Good Ol’ U-S of A.

COLDEST WINTERS (plural)

Following YOUR dreams in the form of a tour bus or van full of YOUR childhood musical heroes would warm the heart of someone even as cold and callous as Mr. Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber Burns.  This California Boy’s heart is as BIG as THE HEARTLAND but I have no LOVE for ‘black ice’.

BLACK ICE

Wikipedia defines black ice as “a thin coating of glazed ice on a surface.  While not truly black, it is virtually transparent, allowing black asphalt roadways to be seen through it, hence the term “black ice”. The typically low levels of noticeable ice pellets, snow, or sleet surrounding black ice means that areas of the ice are often practically invisible to drivers and thereby do not serve as a good indicator that they should reduce their speeds.”

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

WE almost DIED on several occasions!  One time, driving through Nebraska in the DEAD of WINTER, WE did actual transcend into another dimension while listening to Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell.  WE were staying at a Ken’s Budget Motel and didn’t think WE would ever see tomorrow.  Another time, we spun out on the i-40 outside of Amarillo, TX and ended up doing almost a complete 360 degree rotation, starting from the right lane and coming to a stop perpendicular to the highway in the the little bit of vegetation between Eastbound and Westbound.  Ironically, whenever traveling through these frost bitten regions, Blue Oyster Cult’s hit, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” finds it’s way across the waves and at the least (or most) opportune times.  These brushes with DEATH have changed my outlook on the whole experience.  I’m NO LONGER afraid of the DARK or the LIGHT and am willing to do WHATEVER it takes to reach my final destination, NO MATTER what!  Since ‘black ice’ is essentially INVISIBLE and DEADLY, I’m still scared to DEATH of it, just like everything else BLACK.

DO NOT FORGET THE  SUNSCREEN and REMEMBER TO HYDRATE!!

Rule of thumb: the higher the SPF, the better.  I typically use SPF 45+, but that’s only because I have spent decades developing this golden brown complexion and am NOT about to lose all those years of hard work simply because of laziness.  Also, almost just as IF NOT more important than protecting the exterior epidermal layers from harmful sun rays, is remembering to stay hydrated through out the Summer months, and ALWAYS.  Take your BODY WEIGHT in pounds, divide it in half, and that number is the number of ounces of WATER a day YOU should drink.

EXAMPLE: a 150lb person should drink 75 oz of water a day.

SUMMER SOLSTICE VOL 1

The homey Grant Brydon from the UK runs a blog called Hip Hop Fiend, where I have occasionally written guest blogs and he offered to present the 1st installment of my Summer Solstice series on his site.  This is the first of three volumes and features RAP remixes of artists like JAYZ, FUGAZI, SERGE GAINSBOURG, ADELE and others.

DOWNLOAD

SUMMER SOLSTICE

VOL. 1

FREE

COMPLETE TRACK SELECTION EXPLANATION/TRACK LISTING COMING SOON!!!