Buffalo Black

No. 9
Artist: Buffalo Black.
Album: Buffalo Black [stream].
What we've already said: "This is a dark, heavy, melancholic and spiteful release. [Jamil] Kelley's quick to say that he's heavily influenced by acts such as the electronically-minded Flying Lotus, and it shows. But, though his new album's tracks also feature influence from such disparate genres as witch house and glitch, this album remains hip-hop to its core." -- Mikel Galicia
What else you should know: Jamil Kelley doesn’t really sound like a Dallas rapper. Hell, he hardly sounds like a Southern rapper. He kind of sounds like a New York rapper. But, realy, he just sounds pissed off. And not like “Mad Rapper” pissed off, either; mostly, he just sounds urgent. As Buffalo Black, Kelley comes across as equal parts progressive and educated. His flows are tight, his lyrics rush past too quickly for you to really realize how deliberate each of his word choices are, and his beats are drenched in all sorts of glorious grime. It’s a good look for a city whose hip-hop entities can so often sound similar to one another.
Recommended if you like: hating on hipster-baiting party rap and feeling holier than your friends. - centraltrack.com

No. 9
Artist: Buffalo Black.
Album: Buffalo Black [stream].
What we've already said: "This is a dark, heavy, melancholic and spiteful release. [Jamil] Kelley's quick to say that he's heavily influenced by acts such as the electronically-minded Flying Lotus, and it shows. But, though his new album's tracks also feature influence from such disparate genres as witch house and glitch, this album remains hip-hop to its core." -- Mikel Galicia
What else you should know: Jamil Kelley doesn’t really sound like a Dallas rapper. Hell, he hardly sounds like a Southern rapper. He kind of sounds like a New York rapper. But, realy, he just sounds pissed off. And not like “Mad Rapper” pissed off, either; mostly, he just sounds urgent. As Buffalo Black, Kelley comes across as equal parts progressive and educated. His flows are tight, his lyrics rush past too quickly for you to really realize how deliberate each of his word choices are, and his beats are drenched in all sorts of glorious grime. It’s a good look for a city whose hip-hop entities can so often sound similar to one another.
Recommended if you like: hating on hipster-baiting party rap and feeling holier than your friends. - centraltrack.com

No. 9
Artist: Buffalo Black.
Album: Buffalo Black [stream].
What we've already said: "This is a dark, heavy, melancholic and spiteful release. [Jamil] Kelley's quick to say that he's heavily influenced by acts such as the electronically-minded Flying Lotus, and it shows. But, though his new album's tracks also feature influence from such disparate genres as witch house and glitch, this album remains hip-hop to its core." -- Mikel Galicia
What else you should know: Jamil Kelley doesn’t really sound like a Dallas rapper. Hell, he hardly sounds like a Southern rapper. He kind of sounds like a New York rapper. But, realy, he just sounds pissed off. And not like “Mad Rapper” pissed off, either; mostly, he just sounds urgent. As Buffalo Black, Kelley comes across as equal parts progressive and educated. His flows are tight, his lyrics rush past too quickly for you to really realize how deliberate each of his word choices are, and his beats are drenched in all sorts of glorious grime. It’s a good look for a city whose hip-hop entities can so often sound similar to one another.
Recommended if you like: hating on hipster-baiting party rap and feeling holier than your friends. - centraltrack.com

No. 9
Artist: Buffalo Black.
Album: Buffalo Black [stream].
What we've already said: "This is a dark, heavy, melancholic and spiteful release. [Jamil] Kelley's quick to say that he's heavily influenced by acts such as the electronically-minded Flying Lotus, and it shows. But, though his new album's tracks also feature influence from such disparate genres as witch house and glitch, this album remains hip-hop to its core." -- Mikel Galicia
What else you should know: Jamil Kelley doesn’t really sound like a Dallas rapper. Hell, he hardly sounds like a Southern rapper. He kind of sounds like a New York rapper. But, realy, he just sounds pissed off. And not like “Mad Rapper” pissed off, either; mostly, he just sounds urgent. As Buffalo Black, Kelley comes across as equal parts progressive and educated. His flows are tight, his lyrics rush past too quickly for you to really realize how deliberate each of his word choices are, and his beats are drenched in all sorts of glorious grime. It’s a good look for a city whose hip-hop entities can so often sound similar to one another.
Recommended if you like: hating on hipster-baiting party rap and feeling holier than your friends. - centraltrack.com

Last week, without much hoopla, Dallas hip-hop artist Buffalo Black released his first LP. And upon listening to the first notes from the very first track, it becomes obvious: This self-titled release doesn't sound like any other current Dallas hip-hop production. Instead, it holds its own as an impressive inaugural alternative hip-hop album with influences reaching far beyond Texas and even hip-hop itself.

Maybe, just maybe, this is why Buffalo Black's release came somewhat quietly. Buffalo Black just isn't a name you see too frequently on local hip-hop bills.

But, to hear the rapper tell it, he's OK with that -- for now, at least.

Jamil Kelley, the man behind Buffalo Black, describes his music project's pseudonym as representative of the vagabond, the outlier and the "man with no name" archetypes of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone films. When conjuring Kelley's on-album persona, think Clint Eastwood circa Fistful of Dollars riding into town ready to exploit its goods.

In fact, listen carefully to the LP's first track, "Initiation," and you'll even hear a hint of influence from Ennio Morricone, who composed Leone's famous Spaghetti Western trilogy's score.

Beyond the production elements, though, it's Buffalo Black's vocals that stand out. Kelley has a well-developed and polished delivery. When he's at his best, his flow isn't all that dissimilar from Schoolboy Q's. He's confident and charismatic. And, on this debut LP, he brashly announces his presence.

This is a dark, heavy, melancholic and spiteful release. Kelley's quick to say that he's heavily influenced by acts such as the electronically-minded Flying Lotus, and it shows. But, though his new album's tracks also feature influence from such disparate genres as witch house and glitch, this album remains hip-hop to its core.

The release's standout track -- and the album's best use of each aforementioned quality -- is "Enter The Void (Black Hole)," in which Kelley shows off his strong, symbolic songwriting skills with a darker-than-anything-else-on-the-album beat and lyrics that allude to the power of lust. The haunting chorus, meanwhile, just hammers all of this home as Kelley exhibits best here his album's pure concentrated emotion.

To say the least: It's an impressive debut. And, dare we say it, an early frontrunner for 2013 Dallas album of the year. - centraltrack.com

slowly enters the theatre. Questions begin to be whispered among the populace… who is this Buffalo Black? What does his name mean? Is he really from Dallas? I heard he doesn’t sound like anything in that city…

Lights drop. Curtains open.

“Initiation” brings us into Saigon, circa 1860. Kimono bundled women scuttle across the dirt roads as we PAN UP to see an ivory white palace, trimmed in gold, sitting atop a hill. Birds chirp in happiness as oriental strings twang through the streets, the city yawning as the morning light kisses each person awake and sends them on their way. We find ourselves walking into the palace on top of the hill, the beat… ba-beat… beat… ba-beat… of the drums echo through the halls as we see a dark figure atop a throne in the center hall. He is dressed in plain clothes – a dark grey sweater, black pants, no shoes, and a driver’s cap. His eyes and the audience’s meet and there is a collective gasp….

This is Buffalo Black. And god damn it, he’s good.

…

Buffalo Black, real name Jamil Kelley, is an anomaly. Like Neo in the Matrix, he possesses a truly unrealized potential as an artist. From rapping, singing, writing, and producing, Buffalo has a grasp on what it takes to be completely self-sufficient as a hip hop artist in this day and age. The Buffalo Black LP represents a drastic combination of mainstream and personal influences. “B.F.L.O. Black” establishes a very lo-fi (low-fidelity) trend in this album. A lot of these beats blend frequencies to the point that walls of sound can only be dissected into separate instruments, no further than that. But honestly, that’s part of the appeal of the album. In such a lyrically-driven world, hip hop fans could benefit from more walls of sound in their headphones.

”We starin’ into the void, where kings begin to glare /
that’s what happens when pupils swell and the focus becomes clear” – Acid Drop (ft. Koolquise)
“Acid Drop” features Koolquise, another incredibly talented Dallas emcee with ties to -topic and the #TeamFromNowhere collective. His softer voice adds a nice contrast to the otherwise hard-cornered track. A rough-and-tumble synth tone fluctuates in the background as both rappers implore you to open your mind. Koolquise’s flow is the only feature on the album that can dance with Buffalo’s articulation, which is welcome, considering Buffalo’s unique cadence and tonality.

“You like condom sensation /
And fuck condemnation /
no lights where my hand’s penetrain’” – Just Breathe
While a couple of the tracks on the album seem to fall behind the others in execution, that just makes the exceptional tracks shine that much more. “Just Breathe” is the cyberpunk sex anthem for the concrete jungle (or if you ask Buffalo Black, the ‘space safari’). The basis of the beat is a sharp female inhale/exhale, presumably from a supermodel or Halle Berry. Stacked on top of that is a gliched bass spark wave and Buffalo’s particular womanly serenade. If this were 2084, and humanity was drifting among the stars in giant floating cities, and happened to drink a bit too much space whisky… this would be the song to come on shuffle after Space Deftones’ “Space Passenger” and Space Barry White’s “I’ve Got So Much to Give In Space.”

All right, who here likes the 80s? No? Well you’re missing out, cause the 80s had some good music, and “Bad” proves it. The instrumental is reminiscent of what Michael Sembello’s “Maniac” would be if the Protomen got a hold of it. It’s a departure from the aggressive in-your-face production of the rest of the album, and actually builds quite nicely. The break is simple, but fits in with the composition. The highlight of this song is very clearly the chorus. Maybe it’s just me, but it makes me want to roll down Miami in a pale blue convertible with a gram of K burning a hole in my pocket. The tone of the song seems to be minor heavy, which gives a feeling of driving that convertible through a long tunnel as opposed to an open street… not a bad thing, just different and requires a certain mood.

I still can’t figure out what exactly Dallas’ collective 13th Village is, but they’re somehow involved with a spoken-wordish interlude. Echoing vocals bounce of stone walls, nestled into a guitar-driven lo-fi instrumental, panning female voices crossing paths with the distinct poetry that leads us into…

“Just risk it all for love.” – Warpaint
Warpaint. This is the protest song of the downtrodden, the ever-confused, the ill-kept, the populace taken advantage of by the 1%. The synth whines in the background like engines tearing through midnight streets, simplistic drum breaks sitting exactly where they need to. The hook is one of my favorites on the album, multi-layered and inspirational.

Remember when you were a kid, eating stale pizza rolls and playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at three in the morning? Remember hearing the foreboding music from those damn temples as you gripped your controller with white kn - ayodoe.com

Before I even get into any detail as to what this project is and what it conveys, just know I’ve been sitting on this, listening to it everyday since the 15th, and now I am finally posting it up on the site.

Jamil Kelley (Jmil Kly) represents a new breed of Artistry out of Dallas, Texas.. Born on May 2, ’88, he was born and raised in Dallas with the perspective of an observer carrying an ambitious spirit. He is the product of a single parent household and has two siblings. He is currently a Philosophy and Film student at the University of North Texas. Music became an important asset in his life early in the year of 2009. He began rapping and writing lyrics for his debut mixtape Flomogenic, later released in May of 2010. After the moderate success that followed from local critics and peers, he began preparing for his debut EP, NEOTokyo. Which inherited a new sound influenced in Jamil by several artists such as, Kanye West, Afta-1 and Flying Lotus. He plans on building off of the release to further his career and influence others as he himself was influenced.

Jamil Kelley, a.k.a. Jmil Kly, has created an EP that is full of greatness. Each track on The Boy King is able to stand on its own and make you want to vibe out to it. There’s a track on the EP titled, Fever, that is an amazing feeling of calm R&B mixed with a few experimental sounds. Aside to the sound that the track conveys, the lyrics go in! The track is descriptive in the way it tells of a moment in time, waking up in the middle of the night, sweating, and what is going on in the mind of Jmil.

“I’m feelin’ similar to Kurt Cobaine when he blew his brains all over the furniture…”

It is honestly hard to put this project into words, it is that good. Jmil has definitely put a ton of time and effort into making this project and it shows in each an every track. Don’t allow yourself to pass up a listen on a project that will blow you away. You are able to listen and download the entire project below.

Suggested Songs: Numb, Fever, Fearless, Delicieux. - yourstrongestally.com

Before I even get into any detail as to what this project is and what it conveys, just know I’ve been sitting on this, listening to it everyday since the 15th, and now I am finally posting it up on the site.

Jamil Kelley (Jmil Kly) represents a new breed of Artistry out of Dallas, Texas.. Born on May 2, ’88, he was born and raised in Dallas with the perspective of an observer carrying an ambitious spirit. He is the product of a single parent household and has two siblings. He is currently a Philosophy and Film student at the University of North Texas. Music became an important asset in his life early in the year of 2009. He began rapping and writing lyrics for his debut mixtape Flomogenic, later released in May of 2010. After the moderate success that followed from local critics and peers, he began preparing for his debut EP, NEOTokyo. Which inherited a new sound influenced in Jamil by several artists such as, Kanye West, Afta-1 and Flying Lotus. He plans on building off of the release to further his career and influence others as he himself was influenced.

Jamil Kelley, a.k.a. Jmil Kly, has created an EP that is full of greatness. Each track on The Boy King is able to stand on its own and make you want to vibe out to it. There’s a track on the EP titled, Fever, that is an amazing feeling of calm R&B mixed with a few experimental sounds. Aside to the sound that the track conveys, the lyrics go in! The track is descriptive in the way it tells of a moment in time, waking up in the middle of the night, sweating, and what is going on in the mind of Jmil.

“I’m feelin’ similar to Kurt Cobaine when he blew his brains all over the furniture…”

It is honestly hard to put this project into words, it is that good. Jmil has definitely put a ton of time and effort into making this project and it shows in each an every track. Don’t allow yourself to pass up a listen on a project that will blow you away. You are able to listen and download the entire project below.

Suggested Songs: Numb, Fever, Fearless, Delicieux. - yourstrongestally.com

"Jmil Kly
Jmil Kly is a young and hungry rapper whose songs are elegantly arranged for his latest project, The Boy King EP. The songs take on the world with wide-eyed force while still maintaining the musicality to achieve moments that can only be described as beautiful.

Highlight: The title track from Boy King." - Dallas Observer

Dallas, Texas Hip-Hop artist Jmil Kly sent us his newest project The Boy King which (for those of you that don’t know) has been on our “projects to watch out for” list ever since we heard that Jmil was working on it. The EP is nothing less than incredible featuring production from: Alpha, Ill Phenom, Hi-Res, The Geek Squad, D-Twine, Chris Adams, Jamil Kelley, N.O.M.A.D, ONETALK and Kure’. Matching Jmil’s lyrical ability with to the last bar giving Jmil his own sound as well as separating every tracks sound allowing all of them to stand out. Tracks to watch out for on this EP are: Ego Trip, Numb and Delicieux. Download link and Soundcloud embed player below, this is one EP you SHOULD NOT SLEEP ON. - neweramusik.com

I believe that I already told you that Texas has a bevy of talent, and to further prove my point, I give you Jmil Kly. I stumbled upon Dallas native Jmil while perusing music blogs and seeing his video for the sexy "Delicieux." A track from his latest EP The Boy King, the song is perhaps the most sensual I've heard hip-hop be in a minute. From the lilting piano to the atmospheric sound the sample creates, you get get lost like the chorus suggests. The (slightly NSFW) video amplifies the sexy even more. Filmed in mostly black and white, which has already been established as the go to for video sexy, the clip shows various ladies leaving little to the imagination in lingerie and includes a sexy (but kinda creepy) experiment in body paint. Check out the video below for your dose. When you're done, head over to Jmil's Bandcamp page, where you can cop The Boy King on a pay-what-you-like basis and also check out his previous efforts Flomogenic and The NEOTokyo EP. [H/T: THO] - www.soulbounce.com

One may find themselves subconsciously licking their lips incessantly and daydreaming about intimate details upon watching Jmil Kly’s sensual illustration of “Deliciuex” from his EP entitled, “Boy King,” set to release June 20th, 2011.

“Deliciuex” depicts a hazy but clear portrayal of charming infatuation. The adhesive execution matches the imagery that most would envision while listening to such lucidity in Kly’s voice.

Kly further explains that “the music is heavy in cinematic flavor, and heavy on strings and dynamic bridges.”

Sounds of piano and string instruments used throughout are resonant of Coldplay’s “Life in Technicolor” from their latest album, “Viva La Viva.” Residing from the palmetto state, The Geek Squad—no relation to Best Buy—produced sensory pleasure aligned with Kly’s initial inspiration from a French, noir film that actualized desire.

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“My intentions for the video were to evoke some sense of comfort and sensuality in the viewer. The liquid, the lips, the legs—it’s one big tease. One big tease. I want people to play this song in their i-Pods when they see a person they like,” Kly said.

The newest EP, “Boy King,” will definitely expose a different, often overlooked area of hip-hop that can be suitable for calm times of thought. Kly’s newest project paints the picture of a rise of power to a young man with all of the odds weighed against him. Depictions of love, egos, and awareness will be transparent throughout; anyone with a pulse and fascination with great music will be able to relate.

“My music in the future is something I can't even sit and speculate on. Every project I've ever done has a different feel to it. I may want to do a Blues throwback hip-hop record, or a psychedelic record, which is what I’m incorporating into “The Boy King” EP now.

June 26th, Kly will take the stage at Hailey’s in Denton at the “Best of Both World’s Showcase” alongside some of Denton’s best DJs and artists at 10:30 pm. It shall be deliciuex to say the least. - www.examiner.com

Since first time I was introduced to Jmil Kly back in 2009, he has managed to remain one of my favorite artists in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. I've had the pleasure of watching and listening as Jmil has grown musically and lyrically. Now, on The Boy King EP, his third project to be featured on THEURBANADVOCATE.COM, it seems as if Jmil Kly has officially found his lane creatively, and perfected his sound. The Boy King EP features production from Jmil Kly himself (who also does wrote and arranged all of the vocals), as well as Ill Phenom, Onetalk and N.O.M.A.D. Jmil jumps off the EP with "Take The Throne", an ambiance driven track that compliments the spirit behind the young emcee's ambitious rhymes. Then, on "Boy King", Jmil's passionate delivery and acrobatic word play proves just how far he's come in his evolution from poet to rapper. But, on the the sensuous "Delicieux", Jmil returns to his poetic roots and with the assistance of The Geek Suqad's hypnotic production, reveals the undeniable symmetry between rap and poetry. One of my favorite songs on the track list is "Fearless". Jmil's ability to balance a breathless flow with keenly delivered harmony without sounding like an array of other cookie-cutter artists proves to be quite refreshing. Finally, on "Questions", Jmil gives a voice to the thoughts that arise in the minds of many about the relationship between the reality and religion; though, many never voice those thoughts, Jmil manages to pull it off realistically and without sounding condescending. As a whole, The Boy King EP is a good piece of art and quite honestly, Jmil's best release to date. Generally speaking, rappers have a tendency to creatively get stuck in a rut. But, Jmil Kly seems to be becoming more polished and seasoned, which is the sign of a great artist. So, I would suggest these other artists 'watch their thrones', because if The Boy King EP is any indication of what's to come, Jmil Kly will be holding the crown in the coming years.

~ Remon - theurbanadvocate.com

THO Let’s start off by saying, when I met Jmil he performed at Jessica Bradford’s Kinetic Exhibit group art show ‘Patterns, Dreams, & Withdrawl’ in August of 2010, I had two choices. Walk over to him & give him congrats on a wonderful performance, shake his hand and pray the hyper-critical nature didn’t read in my face, & leave. Alternatively, the truth threatening to leap from my mouth, contesting for every ounce of my attention span, indeed did. I made the impulsive mistake of critiquing the young mans hustle fresh off the show.
In retrospect, I feel so unnerved that I did that, considering his genius, I am hoping you could except this as a formal apology, Jmil. I say this only because I essentially strolled over to him as he’s leaving the venue and tell him & I quote, ‘Hey, great performance. Are you working on something new? ‘Cause once you get your own production, you are gonna kill this sh*t!’
I’m sure it sounded like a bad pitch to do beats for him myself, but honestly I said it because that’s what I thought befit his lyrics, his own swagger, his own views best. I swear I wasn’t trying to be a d*ck, but I thought he had enough people on his balls that night about his performance. It was great, I didn’t lie to him, but I still felt bad for not showing a little more tact & support, as creative artists are always getting poked with someone else’s ideas. He responded that he had some sh*t coming out, as I walked away with a very unsavory taste of hater in my mouth.

THO Do you remember this?
JK I do remember some of it.. although a few details seem kind of vague from the outset.. That performance was a learning experience for me because of the environment, I knew the people there would be respectful enough to dig what I was doing.
THO So I get home & friend you on a certain networking site… Get a hold of ‘Flomogenic’ and it’s utter sick slickness. It’s rich with hip-hop consciousness similar to the backpack rapper, yet the difference is that you aren’t trying to be something else, you were genuinely enjoying being that fly. By December, you literally come through with a big bang on your exhilarating Neo Tokyo EP. I was floored, as it was everything I thought it would be & more. It was very ambitious of you to tackle a subject/style like AKIRA, because of it’s already established cult following, yet to my knowledge there is no urban take on it at other than yours. Kudos on killer product. If you don’t have Neo Tokyo, you simply don’t listen to music.



THO The newest album called, ‘The Boy King’, is already setting very high standards for hip-hop artists with the aptly named, ‘Delicieux’. The video, shot by Brian Gonzalez and Rhoma Patterson, is one you could watch all day, as the realness, soul, beauty, art & abstract coital innuendo hip-hop videos dream of, but rarely deliver.


When addressing certain artistic ideas & concepts, what is your approach, speaking in terms of the velocity you give your moves, & if you could just speak on what level of what you do is innate being creatively tuned, or do you really toil over your pieces before release?
JK I toil extensively over my releases.. Each project reflects a state of mind I’ve been in for the extent that I worked on the album.. In the midst of that, I’m very particular about what sounds right in certain parts of the songs. So some of it organic and some of it is literal.

THO In respect to working in studio, do you work very closely with producers, or do you farm the cuts, ‘cause I know you’re on a lot of the production yourself…
JK I tend to work very closely with all of my producers its really a relationship like an orchestra of sorts… I compose and they play… (lol) Although I tend to play from time to time myself.. and they compose.. it’s like Yin and Yang.

THO You give people such insight into your genius on the facebook & website, by simply sharing links of things you come across. We had the discussion on the same aforementioned site that we have had a few things we were amused by mutually similar times. Syncronicity. Being on the pulse, do you feel the internet connecting people creates other mediums for artists to steam line & think tank ideas? I personally think the internet’s cool…. (shameless plug).
JK I think there’s definitely a medium to tunneling art on the internet.. its an art itself really. There are many different ways an artist can promote himself online, either by simply creating a blog or website, sharing a few links, or developing applications that make the internet more interesting for people to acclimate to.
THO Anyone you would like to recognize or shout out?
JK Shout out to Brainfeeder for the inspiration and love through music, Darnell Twine, Jeremy Williams, Josh Panakera and Onetalk, Ezra James, Adam Thompson, Emily Wachsmann, Biggame Britton, Quentin Palmer, Justin Fancourt, Ill Phenom and plenty others.

You can pick up ‘The Boy King’ by Jmil Kly on Ba - www.thehiphop.tumblr.com

Buffalo Black - Hip Hop DX

97.9 The Beat Interview - 97.9 The Beat

"Not to take anything away from Lee, but the most memorable moment in Da Sweet Blood of Jesus comes from the soundtrack. Buffalo Black's "Enter the Void (Black Hole)" is a singularly entrancing piece of ambient hip-hop that conveys the two leads' freewheeling headspace more effectively than anything else, so much so that it could have served as a recurring musical cue. The original, piano-heavy score by Bruce Hornsby, meanwhile, grows increasingly incongruous with what's happening onscreen—and not always in a way that feels like an intentional juxtaposition. " - VICE

Buffalo Black is a Dallas Rapper with a Serious Vision - Dallas Observer