Kal-J

Kal-J

Music makes Kal-J feel refreshed daily. Every day is a new experience with music though the workaday details of life may grind by with sameness. And that same newness that music brings to his life everyday is what he wants to bring to the industry. Something new, refreshing, vigorous, different, exciting! Enough same-old-same-old. Music in general – not just hip-hop – is suffering a malaise, a stagnation resulting from a lack of originality. People don't get stoked about what they've heard before. They get excited about something surprising, something unheard, or even a new twist on a classic idea. People require change and art must grow or lose its relevance and validity. Along comes Kal-J. The originality of his music instantly asserts itself to the listener's consciousness. One can't help but be aware of the creativity with which Kal-J infuses his music. The grooves flow with an amazing vibrancy and the lyrics hit with a profundity that is rare in popular music. His vocal delivery is equally distinctive. Kal-J's voice is Kal-J's voice. It's unmistakable. Plus, Kal-J's passion for music is an important bit of fuel that runs each and every song. He's here to share his hip-energy with everyone. “Music makes me feel at peace,” he says. “It makes me excited, refreshed, especially when writing. Every day is the same routine, but the music is always new because I never write the same thing.” That's Kal-J's personal declaration of undying musical growth.

The Right Vibe

Kal-J is also here to combat unnecessary cynicism and negativity in the world of music. Hip-hop is particularly known for its upbeat grooves with downbeat ideas. Anger has its place in life but when it comes to dominate, to become venom and bitterness, art can suffer. Success is an admirable goal, but when it takes over one's dreams – and one's music – the true meaning of music is lost. Kal-J keeps his focus on creating great music that isn't bogged down in the darkness. “I just try to make real hip-hop with a positive vibe. I don't rap about guns, selling drugs, etc. I make music that people can listen to any time of the day, no matter how they are feeling.”

The Artist at Work

While his music is complex, Kal-J says writing is a simple process. It's all about oneness with the grooves. Find the beat and you find the spine of the music. Build from there. “I like to be inside the beat, so it's like the beat and I are one. And I know when it's right.” And as for recording, he says it's no different than being on stage – for his inner mind, anyway. He throws his all into recording and, in the studio or on stage, he delivers a hot performance. “I'm a different person when recording. I make sure I have all my stuff memorized and ready to go. I like to act it out and feel the vibe while I'm recording.” Kal-J's “Best in the City 2” is now available for public consumption and he's working on “This Is Why I'm Hot” - due out in December - and “Best in the City 3,” which is set for Summer 2008 release. Kal-J is a motivated artist. He's always got something new in the works – and you can bet it's something original. And when listeners say he's as good as some of hip-hop's current greats – and you better believe that's happened – it makes it all worth while. It means he's on the way.<