Bay Area Hip Hop

Brand New 2nd Floor Samurais Track

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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…

Hip Hop 4 Change 5 Year Anniversary

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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.

Kensho Kuma x R.O.T.C.@Broke Buddha Day Party

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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!!

R.O.T.C. x Strictly Business

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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!

Solo Shogun Stories Tour- France Performance Trailer

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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.

2nd Floor Samurais- Let it All Go [Official Video]

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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

OrukusaKi Verse
“Around the world like twice, in barely half of my life/ and now I’m really understanding what this rapping is like/ I put the music first was never really after a wife/ or all the glamour and the lights or the name and the hype/ I only did this just to show what I was saying inside/ and if the people want to listen then they can decide/ but the spirits always in me and it’s staying alive/ come upstairs with the second floor samurais/ we going to show you how to Party Rock show you how to lick a shot/ show you how to roll when they don’t know you at the liquor spot/ show you how it’s hip hop, show you how you get caught/ might even throw in to show your girl how to lip lock?/ Cut out all the big talk, posers get a quick shock/ you ain’t rollin with the big dogs then you can kick rocks/ I’m in the streets like when kids box/ or get killed by cops so we’re here to make sure that it stops/ because we dying in these streets from the lying police/ so I’m buying beats replying with inspiring speech,/practice what you preach and you are what you eat/ you pass it down to your kids when you lie and you cheat”
Chorus
” Never back down or Fade Away into the background, never give up or lose hope how does that sound? We coming back around, second floor is out of bounds until we reach the end of the fight we going round for round”
Kensho Kuma Verse
“It’s crystal clear, I see now/ getting younger while the rest of you are going senile/ in the face of adversity, see me smile/ found my inner peace and love, so I can be me now/ raised in the shadows of the legends in the Bay/ many veterans got apprehended then erased/ so I pray, thank God for the lessons that they gave/ I’ll consider those jewels to be blessings ’til my grave/ not the acknowledgements, not the accomplishments/ all we got are problems and strength to go and conquer them/ wanna pop bottles with models  injecting collagen/ but stuck in real life, with my alcoholic friends/ 2FS ready yup, for life obstacles/ if my brother falls, I’ll pick him we got a lot to do/ every single local show, that we rocked for you/ was practice to us homie, our movements unstoppable/ ain’t nothing fiction in the stories that we write/ if you feel that these rappers are corny than you right/ glorifying death but you horrified of life/ we gotta overcome our fears, organize and fight”

Kensho Kuma x Far Beats-World Traveler 2

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Dedicated to everyone that’s been with me throughout my overseas ventures and the awesome people I’ve met abroad. You have changed my life forever..

Kensho Kuma- “World Traveler 2”
Produced and Mixed by: Far Beats
Additional Production by: Akua Naru
Graphics by: Marcus Murray

Verse One: “I’m a World Traveler, nomadic wanderer/ Respect the local folks, but I’m still a conqueror/ Raise the flag of California up at Angkor Wat/ Often in them places foreign artists cannot rock/ Writing down my candid thoughts, hiding out in Sukhumvit/ Go-go dancers everywhere, get lost in illusions quick/ Miles off the beaten path, I’ve seen some gruesome shit/ Third world is grimy, but we know what the beauty is/ Children in the land of smiles, seem to be happy with less/ Many kids in U.S. hoods, carry gats and deal with death/ Most adults are taking medication feeling depressed/ Who are you to tell me that America really the best?/ Weaving through the traffic dawg, don’t crash your motor bike/ Saigon City got it locked, kicked it with the locals tight/ Whether at your venue or a mediocre open mic/ We murderin’ performances perfected out in Oakland right/”

Chorus: “I’m faraway, I don’t know when I’m coming home/ Left my backyard, said good bye to my comfort zone/ Quit my damn job, told my mom that I love her/ There’s more to this life and I have to go discover/ I’m faraway, I don’t know when I’m coming home/ Left my backyard, said good bye to my comfort zone/ Fans always compliment, telling me I’m rhyming dope/ All I ever wanted was to be happy and to find my soul”

Verse Two: “In my wallet I have yen, dollars, and euros/ Cash determines everything, no matter where you go/ Transient, vanishing in back of a Peugeot/ to reappear the next day to rap in Chateauroux, so/ You can say I’m well-traveled, racking up the mileage/ Highly civilized, never blacking out or violent/ Peace to Paris potnas, they made this trip priceless/ And if I stop, probably have a midlife crisis/ Dressed in a kimono yeah fans got impressed quick/ Hustling in Brussels with the man Architeknic/ Bilingual shows in Nantes, translated set list/ And aye damn descendant of Japan must respect this/ No matter where you go, acknowledge they customs/ If you can’t do this then you’ll make all of us look dumb/ Talk to your fans, learn they way of life and have fun/ Take some time to be a tourist but make sure you stack funds/”

Chorus:

Cloud NI9E- Voyage Mix CD

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My tour DJ/ producer Cloud NI9E is releasing the Voyage Mix CD from Twelve Records in Okinawa. The scheduled release is 12/01/17, but my people at We Nod Records are already taking reservations. The mix CD is a blend of soul and jazz, but features a 2nd Floor Samurais track that does not appear on the official album, and audio from a Kuma x Cloud performance in Osaka.

Fliers for Individual Tour Dates

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2017 Shogun Stories Asia Tour: Fliers for Individual Shows

07/28/17- 08/04/17 Osaka, Japan

07/28/17 @Club Zeela, Umeda

07/29/17 @Brand New, ???

07/29/17 @”Skill Bank,” Duke Bar ??

07/30/17 @????????

08/05/17 @Club Clime in Second Life

 

08/05/17-08/16/17 Yokohama/ Tokyo, Japan

08/05/17 @El Puente, Yokohama

08/12/17 Wild Side, ??

08/12/17 Family, ??

08/15/17 Tetoka, ??

 

08/16/17 – 08/30/17 Vietnam w/DJ Cloud NI9E, Hanoi shows with Jovian

08/18/17, Hanoi Rock City, Hanoi

08/19/17 , Chez Xuan, Hanoi

08/19/17 (Midnight- Early), Bird Cage, Hanoi

08/24/17 Waterfront, Da Nang

08/25/17 May Cay, Ho Chi Minh

08/29/17 May Cay, Ho Chi Minh

08/31/17 – 09/17/17  Thailand

09/01/17 Jam Cafe, Bangkok

09/02/17 the Overstay, Bangkok

09/08/17 Live Lounge BKK, Bangkok

09/09/17 Goja, Bangkok