Kaze (rapper)

Last updated

Kaze (pronounced kah-zee), real name Kevin Clarence Thomas, [1] is a rapper from Durham, North Carolina.

Contents

Biography

Thomas was born on Fort Belvoir, and grew up in nearby Dale City, Virginia. After spending many summers in North Carolina, he eventually moved to Richlands, North Carolina with his family in 1991, when he was in his early teens. [1] [2] He studied at the University of North Carolina, initially majoring in criminal justice, but switching to English, and then radio, television and motion pictures. [1] Kaze's first claim to fame was as founder of the Hip-Hop Nation on-campus organization, aimed at promoting local MCs, DJs, poets, and graffiti artists. [2] He followed this with the nationally syndicated television show Hip-Hop Nation in 2001, which he co-created and produced. [1] He then started his own Soul Dojo record label, the first release on which was his 2003 debut album, Spirit of '94. [1] The album was picked up by BCD Global Distribution later that year. He followed this with the Enemy of the State mixtape, featuring contributions from DJ Forge, L.E.G.A.C.Y., 9th Wonder and Nature, [3] and a single "Move Over with Nature", featuring production from fellow North Carolina resident 9th Wonder. 9th Wonder remixed the beats from Kaze's debut, and it was re-issued as Spirit of '94 Version 9.0, with re-recorded vocals, released by Brick Records in the United States and Handcuts Records in Japan. [4] Combined sales of Spirit of '94 and Enemy of the State totalled over 10,000 copies. [5] In 2006, he signed to Rawkus Records, with his second album proper, Block 2the Basement released in 2008. He performed as part of the SXSW festival in 2007. [6] In February 2009, he went on to become co-winner of the LOUD.COM Ultimate Rap Star contest, earning him a record deal with hip-hop business legend Steve Rifkind's SRC Records, distributed by Universal Motown. He joined forces with G-Unit/Shady's DJ Whoo Kid to release the "First in Flight" mixtape in September 2009.

Kaze founded the Sunday Night Sessions open-mic events in Chapel Hill, which he continued to co-host. [7]

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes

Singles

Related Research Articles

Tony Louis Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American rapper and music producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, whom Hi-Tek featured on his second album, Hi-Teknology 2.

Reflection Eternal is an American hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek. They released their first album, Train of Thought, in 2000. They have since released a mixtape, The RE: Union, in late December 2009, and their second album Revolutions Per Minute was released May 18, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rawkus Records</span> American record label

Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label, owned by James Murdoch, known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Brother (group)</span> American hip hop duo

Little Brother is an American hip hop duo from Durham, North Carolina, that consists of rappers Phonte and Big Pooh. DJ and producer 9th Wonder was an original member of the group but departed in 2007. The group has produced five acclaimed studio albums and six mixtapes. Little Brother is highly regarded among hip hop fans and critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Wonder</span> American record producer (born 1975)

Patrick Denard Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record executive, and DJ from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who is also teaching faculty at North Carolina Central University and Duke University, where he collaborates with Professor Mark Anthony Neal.

<i>Soundbombing II</i> 1999 compilation album by Rawkus Records

Soundbombing II is the second installment in Rawkus Records' Soundbombing compilation series, released by the label on May 18, 1999. Mixed by DJ Babu and J Rocc of Beat Junkies, the album included tracks from a variety of artists, both Rawkus' signees and popular artists from other labels.

Supastition is an American underground hip hop artist from Greenville, North Carolina. He has also recorded under the name of Kam Moye and Blackmel. He has appeared on songs with the likes of KRS-One, The RZA, Ras Kass, Tech N9ne, Little Brother, Croup, The Soulution, S1 (producer), M-Phazes, Tajai of Souls of Mischief, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Royce da 5'9", Elzhi, and countless others.

<i>Lyricist Lounge 2</i> 2000 hip hop compilation album

Lyricist Lounge 2 is the fourth hip hop compilation album by American record label Rawkus Records. It was released on November 28, 2000, as the second installment of Lyricist Lounge album series, based on New York's Lyricist Lounge showcases.

Dominick J. Lamb, better known by his stage name Nottz, is an American hip hop producer and rapper from Norfolk, Virginia.

<i>Street Hop</i> 2009 studio album by Royce da 59"

Street Hop is the fourth studio album by American rapper Royce da 5'9", released in the United States on October 20, 2009, on One Records. It is the follow-up to his previous album Independent's Day (2005). At the release of Success Is Certain, Street Hop sold approximately 24,000 units in the United States via HitsDailyDouble. Despite being formally released in 2009, the singles "Shake This" and "Part of Me" were leaked online in late 2008.

Daryl Sams, known professionally as Edgar Allen Floe is a hip hop artist from North Carolina and a member of Justus League and The Undefined. His name is a play on words of the name of the famous writer, Edgar Allan Poe.

Christopher Robinson, known by his stage name Cesar Comanche, is an American rapper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naledge</span> American rapper

Jabari Miles Evans, better known by his stage name Naledge, is an American rapper and one half of the hip-hop group Kidz in the Hall. He is also an assistant professor of Race and Media at the University of South Carolina in School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waka Flocka Flame</span> American rapper (born 1986)

Juaquin James Malphurs, known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He first became known for his 2009 single "O Let's Do It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Warner Records that same year. His 2010 follow-up single, "No Hands" reached number 13 on the chart and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Both songs, along with "Hard in da Paint" and "Grove St. Party", preceded the release of his debut studio album Flockaveli (2010), which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. His second studio album, Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family (2012) peaked at number ten on the chart and was supported by the singles "Round of Applause", "I Don't Really Care" and "Get Low".

<i>Ms. G.O.A.T.</i> 2008 mixtape by Lil Kim

Ms. G.O.A.T. : Greatest Of All Time is the debut mixtape by American rapper Lil' Kim. Released June 3, 2008, Kim produced the recording alongside New York City DJs Mister Cee and DJ Whoo Kid. The title refers to the LL Cool J album G.O.A.T. (2000).

It's a Wonderful World Music Group is an independent record label, founded by hip hop producer 9th Wonder in 2008.

<i>Death of a Pop Star</i> 2010 studio album by David Banner and 9th Wonder

Death of a Pop Star is a 2010 album by hip hop artists David Banner and 9th Wonder, released on Banner's independent record label, Big Face Entertainment, in conjunction with eOne Music. It is the only collaborative work done together by the two artists and the 9th Wonder's fifteenth collaborative album. The album's title derives from the artists' belief that contemporary black music was declining due to a perceived prioritization of style over substance, and the increasing popularity of music downloads, which they felt was reducing a new artist's chance of reaching the iconic status of previous artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharoahe Monch</span> American rapper

Troy Donald Jamerson, better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapsody</span> American rapper from North Carolina

Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".

<i>Cloud 9: The 3 Day High</i> 2006 studio album by Skyzoo & 9th Wonder

Cloud 9: The 3 Day High is a collaborative album from Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo and North Carolina producer 9th Wonder. It was released on September 12, 2006 on Traffic Entertainment. Cloud 9: The 3 Day High reportedly took a total of three days to complete from start to finish. The EP became an underground favorite and garnered Skyzoo media write ups in outlets such as XXL, The Source, Vibe, AllHipHop.com, HipHopDX.com, and HipHopGame.com.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kate Erwin (2003) "Hip-hop Beat: A man of many talents", Independent Weekly , 19 March 2003
  2. 1 2 Kaze Biography, Muze Ltd.
  3. ↑ Toesnes, Chris (2004) "New Soul Dojo: Chapel Hill label kicks out new Kaze", Independent Weekly , 23 June 2004
  4. ↑ "Kaze & 9th Wonder - Spirit of '94: Version 9.0 Review", Okayplayer , 13 July 2005
  5. ↑ Lathrop, Spencer (2006) "Starr Hill goes under(ground) Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine ", Charlottesville News & Arts, Issue #18.22, 2006
  6. ↑ "SXSW 2007 Showcasing Artists: Kaze Archived 2009-07-03 at the Wayback Machine ", SXSW
  7. ↑ Tullis, Eric (2010) "Chapel Hill rapper Kaze may never be famous, but he's local hip-hop's most dependable anchor", Independent Weekly , December 22, 2010, retrieved 2011-02-06
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.