K Banger K Banger, now recently signed to Shaman Work Records, has recently dropped TWO new albums “Year of the K” and his latest “Truth Be Told”. Recently topping the CMJ charts with his new single, K has been seen everywhere from BET, the Warped Tour, and in a city near you. Make sure to get these two albums and read this article!
By Rob Schwartz
WHO?MAG: How did you first get into hip hop? K Banger: I had a strange experience when I was real young. Somehow I knew about break dancing before seeing or experiencing it firsthand. It was almost like a revelation, crazy. But honestly, being exposed to the culture was a natural experience. We were all emulating this thing called Hip Hop spreading from New York in to Jersey and beyond. The music just opened me up to things about myself that I didn’t know before, and it felt incredible.
WHO?MAG: What was your affiliation with Miilkbone? K Banger: Miilkbone is a friend of mine that was signed to Capitol Records in the 90s. We were hometown rap heroes back in the day. I was featured on his releases, but those albums got lost in the sauce due to your average music business politics.
WHO?MAG: How did the Shaman Works Records situation come about? K Banger: I’ve had a long relationship with Shaman Work Recordings, starting with my affiliation with Scienz of Life. When Lil Sci aka John Robinson was made president of the label, he got at me like, “K, I want to put you on, but I need a minute.” That was a few years ago. So, I just developed myself, and Shaman Work put me on a few compilations like Family Files, and that got around lovely. Once I got down with Black Entertainment Television and spreading my presence and production throughout the network, I think they (the label) knew it was time. Not to mention the mixtape “Free Reign” that I was buzzing in the streets. You can still download that for free at myspace.com/kbangermusic.
WHO?MAG: What makes K. Banger different from other MC’s? K Banger: I don’t think I’m different from any mc out there when it boils down to spittin’ lyrics. What may set me apart from other mc’s is that I’m not limited to rap at all. I was playing in a reggae band for some time, keyboard and drums, just to keep me afloat, now I do voice overs and audio production for broadcast television as a means to keep my Hiphop artistry fresh and available for those that want it. In short, knowing the depth of audio production keeps me ahead of the game, which is much different than a good number of mcs. Without rap, some will just roll over and die. It really is bigger than Hiphop, you know – to me, anyway.
WHO?MAG: Who are “The Balance Project”? K Banger: Good question! In short, Triplebeam, Kane U$A, Phoenix, Johnny “Future” Nunez, KR Morales, Ed Fresh, Fire, Cise One, etc. Balance Project is just a title of a collaborative effort. We were a band, at first. Now we just bring all types of things to the table and work with each other on it. Balance Project is a movement. All the names that I mentioned covers Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, Soul, House, and Film. We represent a legacy in our part of New Jersey.
WHO?MAG: Tell me about the song “Hush” with Santalina. K Banger: Santi had hit me up about “Hush” and wanted me to flow on it. What more can I say, the joint is hot.
WHO?MAG: Tell me about the new mixtape “Truth Be Told”. K Banger: Truth Be Told is not a mixtape, it is an album. Originally, it was supposed to be a promotional cd, but after the label heard it, they figured that they almost HAD to put it out there. That’s why there are only 10 songs on there, but honestly, it fits the theme of the project. “Truth Be Told” will be available 7/10/07.
WHO?MAG: How did the Warped Tour situation come about? K Banger: The Warped Tour opportunity was just a result of good old-fashioned grind. Someone heard the music (or one of the music videos), and offered the spot in the tour. We did dates up and down the east coast for 2 years in a row on that tour. Honestly, I don’t know if they even have the Hiphop stage anymore, but we did real well at the time.
WHO?MAG: Tell me about “The Year of the K” K Banger: That’s the album we’re gearing up for now. It’s actually a DVD documentary shot and directed by Kane U$A, with an album. I don’t want to get too much into who’s gonna be involved in this project, but you can bet there will be some top notch contributions going down.
WHO?MAG: How is it going to differ from The Stillborn Lives? K Banger: When I did “Stillborn Lives”, that was like an experiment. I was just writing at the time, for the album anyway. I’m a completely different animal now. I have a hand in the production, and we have a well cut documentary as well. People need to see what we’ve done over the years, many will be surprised. I will have a chance to explore vibes that weren’t accessible on previous projects. I’ll get to take it to the south and the club, in addition to classic K Banger raw rap shit.
WHO?MAG: What’s next for K Banger? K Banger: It’s hard to tell now, but when we get there, you’ll be the first to know playa!
