A select infantry of Return of the Cypher MC’s, myself, Denero, Slice IX, Unlearn the World, and Spread Fox, are featured on Japanese producer Cloud NI9E‘s brand new 12 Sentence Story album. Cloud NI9E is one of my main producers, tour DJ, and frequent collaborators, and is stationed in Tokyo, Japan. The 12 Sentence Story has a jazzy, downtempo vibe to it, but of course my squadron of MC’s bring that Bay Area rawness!!
Cloud NI9E- 12 Sentence Story Puchase here from Introducing!! Label
This track is dedicated to our hardworking educators in the public school systems. For those of you who know me from real life, you know that I proudly served for five years in the Oakland Unified School District, and for four years prior to that as an adult ESL teacher. Is it a noble and meaningful profession? Definitely. The teachers that teach because they love it are the finest human beings you’ll ever meet.. they are better than people like me. Do the public schools have problems that are setting its students up for failure? Abso-fucking-lutely.. and you’re smoking crack if you can’t empathize with that. I simply could no longer identify with the system.. therefore I left, after many sleepless nights and lots of intrinsic hell.
Portable C (Dear Public Schools) Verse 1: “All the hoes spend gwap on they butts and boobs/ but won’t ever give to a public school/ taught in Oakland, five years, I’m fucking through/ with conditions, we became accustomed to/ ughh! guns on the campus, guys could shoot/ all the kids hella scared, damn I was too/ fosho’ they gon’ end up with PTSD/ where my people of color with them PhD’s/ bring in the coast guards, autism specialists/ 90K salary, hospital therapists/ gotta apologize, kids I failed you/ please forgive my shortcomings, and betrayal/ I’m a piece a shit, acknowledging my faults/ you can go to Harvard, the problem is the cost/ college be expensive, honestly I’m lost/ my coke selling potnas got dollars and they floss/ but graduates are left, with massive debt/ couple hundred in the bank, after cashing checks/ not enough for what we want, though we earned it/ take a close look at schools and ask, was it worth it?/”
Chorus: “The underpaid teachers, rock with us/ the traumatized students, rock with us/ the parents on drugs, rock with us/ but the schools have failed, nothing left to trust/ the true educators, rock with us/ the special ed children, rock with us/ the whole neighborhood, rock with us/ but the schools have failed, nothing left to trust/”
Verse 2: “Good morning third grade, sit your ass down!/ you’re late Mr. Kensho, aye, I passed out/ in the bushes by the bar, couldn’t find my car/ made it to the station, but fell asleep on Bart/ then puked on the schoolyard, I’m so hungover/ lost all my lesson plans, and all your homework/ everyone passes, I’m not grading shit/ I know that I’m biased, you’re my least favorite/ if you never be quiet, and play on your phone/ I keep telling you, leave the gay kid alone/ all bullshit aside, I worry about —–/ always crying in class, bringing lots of drama/ mom’s on drugs and recently lost her father/ I’ve never been ready to deal with such trauma/ chain smoking Newports during prep time/ feel like a part of the school to prison pipeline/ I walked away yeah you can call me selfish/ but I got so depressed from feeling helpless/ far from a saint, just a regular dude/ we need more than the lessons, scheduled in school/”
Chorus:
I am proud to announce the Lineage ov the Lyricist project.. this one is going to be a lot less formal than my previous solo and group albums.. I will regularly add tracks, brand new and old unreleased material, to this playlist; some songs will be original material from selected producers, and others will be verses over instrumentals I like. Once I have more than enough material, I will edit it to about 60 to 70 minutes total, and then hand it over to R.O.T.C.’s DJ Kevvy Kev to mix.
The first track I’m presenting to you is Oriental Rugs. It’s available for FREE download!! The next track for the Lineage ov the Lyricist will be available in several weeks!!
Kuma Oriental Rugs Verse: “To the Asian parent, I’m a screw-up/ to the Rap listener, I’m that dude you trust/ on and off mics, online or real life/ no tattoos on my face, just scars from real knives/ could follow the trends, but that wouldn’t feel right/ civilized gentleman, but I can still fight/ Honoring the protocol, we don’t desert henchmen/ never leave our fingerprints up on the murder weapon/ twenty years in music, consider it a blessing/ and I learned a whole lot from Too Short and Living Legends/ This Jap can’t, pass a CAT scan/ but I been paying dues since the days of Tascam/ was still a teen when I first performed in Japan/ started writing in 二ヵ国語 for all of my fans/ I’m the head Jap in charge, making ancestors proud/ praying 南橋法蓮芸協, please answer me now/ lotta close friends around me are cancerous now/ fiending for some inner peace, but knock a clan member out/ Blow! a lot of phonies, glorifying thug shit/ I’d rather read, Toni Morrison’s Beloved/”
I am proud to present a brand new 2nd Floor Samurais banger.. “Why You Do It” was produced by Japanese turntablist pioneer DJ $HIN of Turntable Troopers Entertainment. It was recorded amidst our Asia tour last year in Osaka, Japan. DJ $HIN runs the Skratch Labo DJ school.. if you’re in Kansai and you’re interested in becoming a DJ, this is mos def the place to check out!! It’s a comfortable environment with more hi-tech gadgets than I can explain..
Kensho Kuma Verse 1: “Got ma game from the smugglers turned businessmen/ it’s a deeper cognition that my words get you in/ yeah the 2nd floor image now worth dividends/ so my circle hella small ’cause the turf listening/ for the intel, hmmm how they get that foreign doe?/ how they tour overseas? what? they was poor before/ how they popping Dom P, and they pouring more?/ you can closely watch, but nothing I’m recording for/ coming with a price tag or sold through an auction/ the weight of the entire world I hold for my squadron/ kamikaze diary, told through my doctrine/ I rep perseverance, we don’t fold when we boxed in/ the broke kids happy with headlining local gigs/ the Samurais on 2nd floor be on some global shit/ monetize, don’t you forgot what the focus is/and we trust only family, not no associates/”
Here is a 2nd Floor Samurais music video which was also shot in Japan last year…
As you hopefully know by now, Hip Hop for Change is a non-profit which combats socioeconomic inequalities and societal prejudices through the implementations of educational outreach with Hip Hop-based curriculum, grassroots canvassing, and local music showcases. I am extremely proud of Khafre Jay, the entire HH4C staff, and the educators, for reaching their 5 Year Anniversary. Yours truly has had the privilege of serving on the board of directors for the past several years, and it’s always been humbling to have my name associated with the organization. On 05/04/2018, HH4C will be celebrating its anniversary at Elbo Room in Oakland.. yours truly will be rocking alongside comrades Khafre Jay, Unlearn the World (who is HH4C’s education director, and it makes sense because he’s smart as hell), Watzreal, and Breathless. Bay Area OG turntablist Ren the Vinyl Archeologist will be the DJ for the evening. Get your tickets here.
My Return of the Cypher squadron was invited to perform at the Broke Buddha Day Party 10:30 AM- 7:00PM on 04/28/18! Please come down to Score! Bar and Lounge in San Francisco!! This event celebrates a diverse array of soundscapes, playing everything from Hip Hop, Tribal Beats, Latin House, and all sorts of other eclectic tunes. Broke Buddha also features 3-D light reactive tapestries, live painters, and local designers… and TACOS!! Myself, Jane the Message, and the Road Warriors, will be performing sets throughout the day, and of course cyphers are open to our R.O.T.C. troopers. Shout outs to our comrade MC Awokeone for inviting R.O.T.C and to Jane the Message for producing the flier last minute!!
As you hopefully know, Return of the Cypher has become San Francisco’s premier Hip Hop weekly.. I proudly serve as a R.O.T.C. Director and I am extremely excited that our event is about to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. R.O.T.C. is your rightful home in the SF Bay Area, if you were raised by Hip Hop culture. Welcome home. We continue to operate as a FREE weekly. Come visit us Sunday nights starting at 9:00 at the Boom Boom Room in the historic Fillmore district of San Francisco.
Oakland Legionnaire‘s weekly Strictly Business party will be joining forces with R.O.T.C. on a monthly basis starting on 03/14/18. Every second Wednesday from midnight to 1:00AM will feature a R.O.T.C. cypher overseen by R.O.T.C. Director Unlearn the World. Shout outs to Foreign Legion and DJ Saurus!
During my Solo Shogun Stories Tour through France, I got down with the Smileyz Cheeky Chinky Crew.. they are an Asiatic Parisian crew representing Paris. They featured yours truly on “Asiatik Kings”.
Smilëyz Cheeky Chinky Crew- Asiatik Kings feat. Kensho Kuma
Production: Kody Babyghost for Wishing Light Music Label
Realization: Kevin Bantsimba
Shot on location in: France and Strasbourg, France
Camoes by: Architeknic, Noa, and King Siroko
I was given the wonderful opportunity to embark on a solo tour throughout France in September ’17, to promote the 2nd Floor Samurais’ Shogun Stories Album. The tour also included stops in Brussels, Belgium, and Leipzig, Germany, where I was honored to hold down the opening slot for longtime friend Akua Naru. Below is a clip featuring performance highlights put together by Donovan Jugarap @Hapa Films. The footage itself was shot on site by Architeknic, King Siroko, Kevin Bantsimba x Kody Baby Ghost of Smileyz Crew, K-Turix of Cultur’a’ Vibes, and Patricia Sanchez. Thank you for making this experience possible.
Special Shout outs to Arckiteknic who masterminded the entire venture.
The good people at In Focus, Inc. conceptualized this brand new video of my group, 2nd Floor Samurais. Yoshi Kataoka and Tadamasa Iguchi were able to execute an artistic and masterful piece, which was shot in Tokyo, Japan, and in SF, CA. The 2nd Floor Samurais site here.
2nd Floor Samurais- Let it All Go