Kourvioisier

Kourvioisier’s been making rounds throughout the North Carolina scene for a while now. After getting numerous co-sign’s from some of the state’s known (Phonte of Little Brother, 9th Wonder), the Durham, NC artist finally releases his first EP, The Fear Of Progress. Features & production include Sean Boog of The Away Team, J.L. Proof, Kidd Bama, Skaz Digga & S.T.T.R.E.S.S. Tracklist and link after the jump.





Tracklist:
1. Intro (feat. Dasan Ahanu) (Prod. by J.L. Proof)
2. Can’t Hide Love (Prod. by Skaz Digga)
3. Resurrection (Prod. by S.T.T.R.E.S.S)
4. Hypnotized (Prod. by J.L. Proof)
5. The Recipe (feat. Sean Boog) (Prod. by Skaz Digga)
6. Dreams (feat. Dre) (Prod. by Skaz Digga & J.L. Proof)
7. Sometimes (Skit)
8. Sometimes (Prod. by J.L. Proof)
9. Here We Go (Prod. by J.L. Proof)
10. All I Know (feat. Dre) (Prod. by Kidd Bama)
- I Am Not A Pirate

This is pretty dope right here. - RailRoadHipHop.com

Two tales intertwine here: The first strand is that of Durham's veteran DJ crew, "The World Famous Butta Team"—the most important hip-hop posse in the history of the Triangle, but one that remains largely unsung. The second is a big, doe-eyed 19-year-old from Durham, Kourvioisier Richmond, who recently fell under the tutelage of one of those DJs, Skaz Digga, who doubles as Big Daddy Kane's official DJ.
In these parts, many of the reputable hip-hop artists (and I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, since getting called out hurts) have been long stroking their own feathers. They seem to have forgotten that there may come a day when some no-name kid might emerge and force them to rethink their flimsy raps and empty microphone overloads. Some emcees are content to caress tracks, while others beat beats into triage, without hesitation.
Kourvioisier, as it turns out, is in the latter talent pool, and he might just be that kid, too. On The Return of the Golden Era, his Skaz Digga-hosted debut mixtape, we're introduced to a beastly young talent who, if you believe in reincarnation, must have been on this Earth before, marching early rap ciphers into battle. Otherwise, how could a voice so fresh render tunes like "East Coast Jackin'," "I Love the '80s," and "West Coast Jack Move"? On those stylistic workouts, Kourvioisier ambushes the songs by swiping beats from classic tracks, skipping between several of them on any given number and mimicking the original artists with a flair that's all his own. During a short segment of "West Coast Jack Move," for instance, he lifts the beat from Above The Law's 1994 "Black Superman," then shucks and chides: "Black Clark Kent without an S on my chest/ replaced with a K/ An animal koala wit' braids/ in honor of me/ These adolescents need to behave." Only a few years past adolescence himself, he sounds like a studied hip-hop student who could be better than his teachers. Even at his tender age, he is an astute observer of a disheveled and often uninspiring environment, delving into topics concerning his relation to the rest of the world—likely an effective vestige from his days as a serious spoken-word poet. On "Still I Rise," he borrows first the title from Maya Angelou and then the track, "Grown Simba," from J. Cole. He explains the turmoil: "Down and out so you figured I won't get back straight/ I reappeared in the flesh/ I ain't get that break/ I want a slice, but I ain't get that cake/ Could have waited, I ain't get that day/ So to him I pray..."
Kourvioisier is a verbose sort, and The Return of the Golden Era might be a bit much for some. But these aren't the second-rate freestyles of a B-list rapper. Rather, Kourvioisier bedevils beats supplied by Skaz's production team, Panama Red, in a way that few other Triangle emcees ever have, ripping apart both the beats and the tired gallery of emcees who aren't quite up for head-to-head battle with this sort of wolfing. Throughout the mixtape, Skaz and Kourvioisier gather friends and fellow Triangle upstarts Thee Tom Hardy and Ricky Ruckus. Kourvioisier consistently gets the best of them: "Do not recommend simple syllables/ sample subliminals/ nerve struck/ terrible the intention," he lets loose in one instance. "KRS the teacher/ I'm the sub/ Now you got detention/ double loser who recycled in defeat/ The stripes get beat off of Tigers who wanna cheat."
"Tell me, who let these wack boys in the market/ without being incredible artists?" Kourvioisier asks. It's a question no one has found the answer to, but one it seems that the young gladiator might put to rest himself. Certainly, some listeners will want him to relax, to not be so "rappity-rappity-rap." Let him go, though: It sounds like he might become an indestructible whirlpool of mega-energy, obliterating all of the undesirable rap matter we've all become so adjusted to here.
- Independent Weekly ; Eric Tullis

"The Return Of The Golden Era"
featuring The Golden Child aka Kourvioisier
Hosted by Skaz Digga of the Butta Team
Reviewed by Nesto
inthecrates@hotmail.com

Aiight, I can’t lie when I first got this mixtape I was like “who the hell is Kourvioisier”? I mean isn’t Kourviosier a damn Cognac, and why is this dude naming himself after a drink, but after checking out the artwork my interest was sparked. Homie is holding a copy of the Ice T album “OG”, and had a Technics 1200 turntable with stacks of wax and milkcrates on the cover art. Just having the Ice T album on the cover art in vinyl format and not CD made me want to check this out.

The intro comes from a familiar Eddie Murphy movie that just happens to go by the same name as the Golden Child himself. Next track that catches my attention is the “East Coast Jackin” cut. Just as the title states, this is a collage of east coast bangers that help Kourvioisier get the listeners attention in a big way. Not only are you treated to snippets of some of the illest east coast hits from acts like Das Efx, Redman, A Tribe Called Quest, Camp Lo, Nas, Jay Z, Wu Tang, BlackMoon, etc. and even the homie Nine, but Kourvioisier even takes it further by flipping his flow to fit these tracks. You’ll get a better feel of what I’m talking about when you listen to it, but it’s like he’s mimicking each artist.

The next track that stands out for me and will definitely pull the listeners in is “I Love The 80s”. Again this is a collage of hits that most of the heads that go back will know right away, and again K spits over each and every snippet with the swag and confidence of a vet. I’m diggin how homie starts off each snippet with a rhyme directly related to the artist of the track being used. Another standout track is “Someday”. K rides this track and lets the listener know that he’s ready for the next level. If homie keeps putting out good music I can see another talent from Tobacco Road putting NC on the map.

Up next is the “West Coast Jack Move”. Another collage of familiar west coast tracks that the Hip-Hop heads will know right away. K uses tracks from Above the Law, Ice Cube, Dre, Cypress Hill, Pharcyde, Ice Cube, MC Eiht, Domino, Snoop, 2Pac, Warren G, Xzibit, DJ Quik, Ahmad, Alcoholics, Hieroglyphics, etc. This track stood out more for me then the “East Coast Jack Move” track, and once again K is specific with his rhymes as each snippet starts.

The next track that I’m sure people will be talking about is called “Hands Up” (Stick Up). K has a dope beat to spit over and goes after all the producers that have put out heat over the years. He’s naming the “Who’s Who” of producers and doesn’t let the hometown homies 9th Wonder or Ski Beats off the hook. Ski and 9th give Kourviosier a shout at the end of the track. The following track “Everything You Do” is more of a dedication to all the producers in the game, and it’s refreshing to hear a relatively new talent shouting out the list of producers that K shouts out.

The beat jacking isn’t over just yet. “Southern Jack Move” borrows familiar tracks from the south that we have all heard over the years. Familiar tracks come from the Goodie Mob, 3 6 Mafia, Trick Daddy, Geto Boys, Master P, DJ Screw, Scarface, UGK, 8Ball and MJG, Outkast, Da Brat, Kris Kross, Juvenile, etc. and once again K is specific with his rhymes as each snippet starts.

Kourvioisier impresses with his rhymes on this mixtape, and Skaz Digga also impresses with the beats, turntable skills, and scratch samples throughout this mixtape. Kourvioisier and Skaz Digga have put together a dope mixtape that will give hip hop heads another reason to check for talent out of North Carolina. It’ refreshing to hear younger talent using such a large and varied list of tracks on their mixtape, and spitting some real lyrics that one doesn’t expect to hear from today’s over saturated, run of the mill MC’s in the game.

The only problem I have with - RapAttackLives.com ; Reviewer: Nesto