Kaze

Naming your album "Spirit of '94" is a bold statement no matter who you are. It's no secret that the early 90's was without question, the golden era of hip hop. Hoping to bring back the spirit of that time, North Carolina's Kaze (pronounced kah-zee) teams up with your momma's favourite producer, 9th Wonder, which is about as safe a bet that you can make these days as far as production. Due to the popularity of the original "Spirit of '94" release, it has been remixed, repackaged and redistributed with bonus tracks and full artwork. Guest artists are kept to a bare minimum with only Nature appearing on the last track which is a refreshing change. Kaze does a admirable job as far as controlling the mic but he is undeniably buoyed by 9th's skills on the production side of things. Lots of highlights here so pick it up.

- Juez

Undoubtedly the most proficient crew wreckin' shop right now, the Justus League continues its '05 takeover viz this partnership of 9th Wonder & Kaze. Kaze comes across as your everyday nine to five MC doing his all to promote the culture, be it on wax, or by beaming hip-hop into the homes of hundreds of thousands of American TV viewers with his Hip Hop Nation program. On Spirit, 9th Wonder brings his characteristic soulful infusion to the boards, as the North Carolina-based rhyme-slayer demonstrates his adeptness on the mic, reminiscing about the days of old and articulating the universal struggles of the present. He shares the heartfelt tale of the loss of his unborn child on "Should've Been Here" and waxes poetic about the essence of life on "Soul Dojo", a cut so sweet as to warrant different 9th Wonder variations. The album's single notable misstep comes with "Waiting to Exhale", a track that proves once again that songs written entirely about a man's love for the herb are infantile and wack. There's enough goodness here, however, to help forgive this unfortunate digression. - Kevin Jones

Anybody who's turned on a radio or television recently should be well aware that the "durty souf" has a veritable stranglehold on the world of hip-hop, r&b and even pop music. First you had No Limit, then you had Cash Money, and currently you've got a crazy crop of "crunk" acts lead by the inimitable Lil' Jon. The "crunk" phenomenon especially has given rise to a whole slew of artists who really make a country-fried & gangstafied form of black pop music ( influenced equally by blues, rap, call-n-response disc jocky toasting, Miami-bass and the molassus slow "screwed" style native to some areas of the South ) more-so than they do hip-hop. And while the south has also produced some more left of center hip-hop acts -- such as The Dungeon Fam production squad and their star protégés Outkast, Virginia's The Neptunes, et al -- for the most part it's contribution to hip-hop as an art-form has been greatly eclipsed by the commercial success of hip-hop's slower, countrified, "crunk-pop" cousins. But perceptions of what the south is all about are due for a change, thanks in part to artists like Supastition, Spectac, The Strange Fruit Project, Hydroponic Sound System, Nick Nack, Little Brother & their producer 9th Wonder, and now North Carolina's Kaze.

See, Kaze's here to proclaim that "this ain't the durtee, we ain't gettin' trill or crunk or talkin' 'bout 'how ya niggaz do that thurr?" And he's insisting that "it's time to get back to the graffin' & rhymin' & breakin' & scratchin' & that's word is born." In other words, despite the commercial dominance of some rappers' less than authentic caricature of hip-hop and southern culture real hip-hop is still alive and well in the real south. And Rocksteady emcee battle contestant Kaze is of the rather ambitious opinion that he's just the man to prove it to the rest of the world.

Fortunately he lives up to his own hype rather well on the K-Hill produced anthem "On." Riding a track comprised of that slowed down but jumpy style of stutter-step drum programming laced with double-time hi-hats and a sped-up soul loop complete with screeching chipmunk vocals Kaze confidently flips a perfectly tailored on-beat-off-beat flow that sounds more seasoned veteran than debut artist. Side-stepping rookie rapper pitfalls left & right, he also delivers something rare indeed amongst newbies, especially those emerging from the underground backpacker set, an infectious sing-along of a chorus. This makes "On" remarkably resonant and is likely to leave a listener humming the sampled melody and rapping the hook to themselves long after the turntable's platter stops spinning. Of course it also helps that dude's actually rhyming about something that he clearly cares about, pledging himself and his region to hip-hop as an art as well as an industry while skewing the view that people have of the south by putting out something that represents him, not some prepackaged version of what southern rap is supposed to be.

The b-side features "Move Over," which boasts the return of former Firm member Nature, and the 9th Wonder produced rhyme-fest "Soul Dojo." "Move Over" is a cool enough track, but it would have benefited greatly from some grimier drum sounds programmed in a more traditionally staccato boom-bap type pattern to go with the choppy nature of the sampled strings and piano plunks. The beat would hit just that much harder that way, which would have better suited the track's more rugged vibe. "Soul Dojo" on the other hand is more fire. 9th Wonder's beat rocks on some straight up head-nod shit, flipping a majestic string & horn loop over the neck-snapping snares & kicks we've come to expect from the Little Brother producer. And on the microphone Kaze rips shit lovely, dropping gems on the essence of keeping one's mind, body & soul in balance even when the world goes topsy-turvy like it's '94 and he's Jeru The Damaja laying down new lyrics for a Pete Rock remix.

Don't get me wrong, I like to get "crunk" as much as the next guy, but deep down I know that all the folks who reside south of Pennsylvania aren't really just some pimptastic bumpkins with gold teeth & perms who spend their days kicking back sippin' that sizzurp and waiting for some drama to jump off. So it's more than refreshing to hear from a southern artist like Kaze who's willing to buck the mainstream trends, break the stereotypes and rep his art, his home, his heart, his heritage and his skills, not just the "dirty south." More than just a breath of fresh air though, Kaze's "On" is an outstanding showcase for some of the incredibly talented artists coming out of North Carolina's hip-hop community, who -- if they can keep pumping out quality material like this -- are bound to get the recognition they deserve, and hopefully set a new standard for a new south.

I don't think we're in Cackalackee any more Toto! - El Keter Ben Tzadik

3 1/2 out of 5

North Carolina natives, Kaze and 9th Wonder, have teamed up to re-create Kaze's solo debut, Spirit of '94. The aptly titled Spirit of '94: Version 9.0 features Kaze's re-recorded vocals over 9th Wonder's trademark production and several new tracks for anyone who may have copped the original version. More importantly, the album is branded with 9th Wonder's insignia, thus bringing Kaze's name to a multitude of new listeners.

From the intro track, “For the Record”, it is apparent that Kaze is a gifted lyricist, probably more so than one would expect. When a big named artist (in this case 9th Wonder) collaborates with a lesser-known talent (in this case Kaze), there is a definite stigma; we almost automatically expect the aforementioned lesser-known talent to be out-matched, or musically inadequate. Kaze squashes this assumption with a confident flow and by speaking on a number of
- A.D.

4 out of 5

Kaze is the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill), North Carolina artist paired with one of the hottest producers in the game right now in 9 th Wonder of Little Brother (Jay-Z's "Threats", Destiny's Child's "Girl"). Neither artist does each other dirty as 9 th brings the soul laced beats and Kaze brings the uncommon lyrics of substance on topics such as fronting trying to be something you are not, the relationship between mind and body and Hip Hop's simpler times. This 13 track LP from Brick Records features 10 9 th tracks, one track from Khrysis of The Away Team and two bonus track done by Kaze himself including the "Move Over" track featuring Queens, New York's own Nature.



Kaze seems worldly in his lyrics and doesn't numb the mind with the same lines each song or by limited track riding skills. Exposure is the key to many artists getting more than local exposure and Kaze's story is nothing different. His tips he gives to artists in the LP's insides are those of experience and definitely could help any upstart stay motivated. Kaze is a fresh voice that deserves a good listen to.



I'll give the LP 4 globes
- Clayton Ruley