Performed at “The WOW” on March 14, 2010. From their upcoming project entitled “_____ _______”. This is Scottie Spitten’s (From HISD) favorite song this year. That’s a direct quote. That’s Scottie sticking his head thru the backstage curtain.

Footage from a recent show that finds us performing crowd-favorite “Untitled” from the Universal album. Tough crowd that night, but we still did our thing. Appearances by D Rose and The Niyat. Filmed by (DJ?) Remix.

D. Rose – “Revolution”

From the album Taster’s Choice

Written by: D. Rose

Produced by / Cuts by: DJ Cozmos

Directed by: Damien Randle

From Damien -

My wife burst into the room as I was touching up the final edits on the video. I immediately hit her with “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Who’s doing the scratches on that song?”

“Coz.”

“Really? Coz?”

“Yes. Coz. He’s been a DJ all his life. He’s pretty good at doing cuts.”

“You don’t have to be an ass!”

“……….”

“Anyway, his scratches sound FABULOUS! I miss hip hop like that.”

Coming from my wife, that says a lot. If there’s one thing that’s indicative of hip hop, it’s the sound of a DJ moving the record back and forth in a rapid succession that creates the sound that we know as “the scratch”. And even though I was being an ass to my wife, I have to admit that there is something about the sound of some good cutting that puts me in a good place when it comes to listening to hip hop. It’s all but extinct in most music we hear today.

All of this brought back memories of the long days in my home studio where Tasters Choice was crafted. D Rose would make the 60 minute commute from the northside to write and record his vocals; Coz would lug his MPC into the room with a crate full of disks, disks that contained every track in his arsenal. I can’t even tell you how many we all listened to before they settled on the choice cuts that would become the album.

I also thought about the night that Coz came through with the mixer and turntable, and we listened to record upon record to find the right cuts for the right track. It’s funny, because what you hear on the final version of “Revolution” might have been the 5th or 6th set of cuts that they decided on. The others were equally as impressive, but this set just brought it home. And before you ask – no – there won’t be a leak of the alternate versions. You’re listening to the version that was meant to be heard.

I admire D Rose’s work ethic as much as one can admire anything. After a few false starts, he found the resolve to put together an album that I feel is timeless in its own right.It’s rare these days to see an MC and a producer helm an entire project together. Think of Gang Starr; Pete Rock & CL Smooth; Kool G Rap & Polo and so on. In today’s world of albums littered with scattered offerings from so many “super producers”, it’s refreshing to hear an album that has a consistency and warmth that can only be created under these settings. I’m saying that and I was in the room the whole time.

When D Rose hit me up  for the video, he said that he wanted something “simple and elegant”. No frills, no bells & whistles. And that’s what you have here: a clean, vibrant look into the soul of a man who stands alone, but is always in the company of others. The city of Houston serves as a beautiful backdrop to his narrative. This was the one video that he had to do above and beyond any other on the album. It may be the song that best defines who he is.

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

-D-

Get Your Space Up!!!

Yep – it’s coming! “Revolution” from D. Rose’s critically acclaimed “Taster’s Choice” album!

The last in a series of clips from our recent performance with D. Rose and The Niyat. We saved the best for last – “There Can Only Be One”.

From Remix (who was holding the camera):

“Ya know, when we walked in through the backstage, I had the camera on the guys the entire time. You could see that they weren’t taking themselves too seriously. They’re a group of regular guys with their own identities and personalities who have talents. They know they’re not pseudo-celebrities, or arrogant artists who can’t see through their own egos.

When we all hit the stage, the crowd was definitely expecting Tech Nine, but within 2 verses the boys won them over. Once ‘There Can Be Only One’ came on, they started really WATCHING. They were looking at the stage at first, but after a minute or so, they were intently watching. It was an interesting change.

As soon as the set was over, the boys all went back to being the same people they were before we went on: quiet, humble, funny, witty, interesting people capable of holding ACTUAL conversations and not feeling themselves because they can jump on stage and rap. They were normal people with no egos or misconceptions about who they are and what they do. Immediately we went back to talking about whatever inane, unimportant topic we were ranting about earlier, probably picking on each other.

A lot of the magic of these guys is really lost through the camera, but hopefully we can show it somehow over time.”

-Remix

The KO Show – Episode 2.2: “The Science” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Talk about irony – after knowing the members of The Niyat for over 15 years , this was the first time that we actually shared the same stage at the same time. Sure, we’ve had showcases together where we perform on separate sets, but this was a milestone for us.

This particular performance is a good study for younger musicians. No matter where you are in your career, you’ll occasionally come across crowds that are largely unfamiliar with your music. This show was a perfect example of that. Over the years, i’ve seen a lot of less experienced artists run into this situation, and are shocked because the audience isn’t really reacting to their show. Then they berate the audience and tell them “ya’ll ain’t feeling me” or “I thought {insert name of city here} knew what real music was!” Wrong move.

If you look closely at the video here, you’ll notice that the crowd - who has no idea who we are - are just kind of standing there and studying us. Listening. They came to see Tech N9ne. And when it came time for the crowd participation, they were right there with us. That’s a good sign.

So don’t get discouraged if you’re faced with an unfamiliar crowd and they’re not jumping through the ceiling for you. Do you best show, get them involved on some crowd participation, and if you’re opening for the headliner that they came to see – shout out the headliner.

Enjoy.

This is the first of a special 3-part edition of The Show, co-starring D. Rose and The Niyat. We take you behind the scenes of a recent performance.

The KO Show – Episode 2.1 “Before The Show” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

On Nov 3rd, we opened a show with Slaughterhouse and Tech N9ne as the headliner. We knew that it was going to be a pretty serious show, so we brought in D. Rose and The Niyat to make sure that the heavy hitters were represented. We’d heard about Tech N9ne’s fans and the Juggalo culture, but never really experienced them for ourselves.

Yeah…

They’re… interesting, to say the least. When you look at the video, you can tell that we’re a little apprehensive right before we hit the stage, but it turned out to be a good performance.

“Cameos” from members of Slaughterhouse.

This is part 1 of 3.  Tomorrow we’ll premiere the performance of “The Science”. Thanks again to D. Rose and The Niyat. We’ll definitely have to do this more often! Thanks to Remix for the camera work.

In this week’s episode: Coz is still MIA; D. Rose writes another classic in the studio, and reveals some info about the lineup for the album.

D. Rose’s Weekly Journal: Episode 03 – “Next Next NEXT Week” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

In the debut of The KO Show, we take a look on the set of Willie Turner, and Big Mon discusses his priorities – music vs. education. Co-starring D Rose, Brew and PhD from Lower Life Form, and DJ Remix.

The KO Show: Episode 01 – “On The Set Of Willie Turner” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

With DJ Cozmos at home playing Mr. Mom this week, we continue working on the new album, notching another 2 songs in the belt. Along the way, D Rose also receives and unexpected compliment.

D. Rose’s Weekly Journal – Episode 02: “Perfect Shaped Head” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Second installment of D Rose’s Weekly Journal.

The “Weekly Journal” is a new series from D. Rose and DJ Cozmos, that documents the creation of their follow up to the critically-acclaimed “Taster’s Choice”. We’re going to follow their progress every week; it’s an unprecedented look behind the scenes…

D. Rose’s Weekly Journal – Episode 1: “Sandpaper and Champagne” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Remaking Taster’s Choice: Part 2 – Laying The Vocals from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

We’re always doing 2-3 things at a time. So it’s no surprise that on the same day that we shot “Play It Cool”, D Rose and I met a little early to re-record some vocals for the remastering of Taster’s Choice, which was already in progress.

We didn’t have a lot of time, but got it all done. Here’s a look at the vocals for the “What You Want” remix, “Blues For Trust”, and a headstart on his next album.

Remaking “Taster’s Choice” – Part 1: Laying the Tracks from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

This was the mission: to not only remaster, but recreate D Rose’s instant classic of an album, “Taster’s Choice”. The original version was about 90% of what we intended it to be, and we needed to improve it. This meant re-tracking the music, replacing some vocals, and redoing the entire mix and master from scratch.

This video is the condensed version of a recent 8-hour session in which DJ Cozmos and I laid all the tracks for the project. You’ll also catch a preview of a track for his next project (already in progress) at the 3:35 mark.

Damien

D. Rose & DJ Cozmos performing a song I don’t have yet. This must change!

Check out the full recap of The Lounge Sessions with performances by H.I.S.D., The Legendary K.O./K-otix, D. Rose & DJ Cozmos, & The Gecko Brothers!

“The Ballad Of Willie Turner” Explained from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Ethos Music Group, in conjunction with Rappers I Know, are joining forces to develop a project that may very well revolutionize how music is made and presented in the near future. The Legendary KO explains what “The Ballad Of Willie Turner” is:

From Damien (of The Legendary KO):

We finally get to reveal what we’ve been working on for the last few months: “The Ballad Of Willie Turner”, a 6 chapter EP that will be presented in a visual format.

This clip is an advance look at a project that will hopefully revolutionize the way that music is presented going forward. We’ll give you more as it progresses; we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Can’t let everything out of the bag just yet.

And judging by the dark circles under my eyes in the video, I need to get some more sleep.

P.S. – As a bonus, Big Mon relives one of his most memorable days at work.

2nd Video from the “Taster’s Choice” album
Starring:
D. Rose
D. Randle
The P.I.C.’s: Savvi, Scottie Spitten, Big Mon, and Kay

Directed by: Damien Randle
Co-Directed by: C.J. The GRANDfathercloc

Welcome to Rappers I Know’s “Get To Know” Week!

First up, we’re featuring the Kashmere Don himself, the much-heralded D. Rose.

I caught up with D Rose on a windy Houston afternoon, interrupting his downtown video shoot for “Beautiful World” for a quick look at one of the most talented, hard-working lyricists out there. He’s been a staple of the Rappers I Know family since day one. Do a quick search for him on the site, and you’ll see how much work he’s put in.

D Rose, along with DJ Cozmos, released a classic album titled “Taster’s Choice“. If you don’t have it yet, you owe it to yourself to get your hands (or keyboard) on it. In fact, D Rose tells you how to get a copy on the video above.

Editor’s note: Brew of Lower Life Form is also one of the featured artists on Taster’s Choice. (Sorry, Brew – we owe you a beer. A cheap one.)

Damien

Check this out:

D Rose “Just Listen” (Produced by Chris Dave)

Coming soon – behind the scenes footage of the “Beautiful World” video shoot.

Follow D Rose:
www.myspace.com/drose
twitter.com/kashmere_don

The good people of The Legendary KO aka K-OTIX have released “The Reckoning”. This is an 8-track project that features some of the most aggressive, hard-hitting music that we’ve done to date. It also features special appearances by D Rose, The Niyat, Michele Thibeaux, Flow Factory, and Lower Life Form.

This is basically a snapshot of what we’ve been up to since “48 Seasons” and “The Reason”. It’s also indicative of the format that we’ll probably follow with future releases: shorter projects that are released more frequently. Soon to follow after this one – “The Redemption”.

K-OTIX / The Legendary KO

“The Reckoning”

1. Intro / Take A Bow – This song feels like the perfect intro track. In fact, we took the actual intro that we used at one of our shows and incorporated it at the beginning of the song. The irony is, most performers take their bows at the end of a performance, but we know that our shows have to go hard from the beginning. We’re taking that bow before we even get started.

2. Down – Heat! One of our mottos is that we specialize in bangers. Those of you who have been around long enough remember the old, laid-back, jazzy KO of yesterday. They died a long time ago. Get over it. We try to bring the heat now. Music that challenges your manhood. Makes your girl wanna do push-ups. Puts hair on your chest. That’s what we’re coming with on this one.

3. The Streets (Produced by Vango) – Vango has some stangers on the holster. I’ll have to admit – he stayed under our radar for a hot minute. Please be warned: this is another banger. There are also rumors of a KO / Vango project in the works. What rumors? Oops… did I say something?

4. The Science (Featuring D Rose and The Niyat) – You already know how we get down with D Rose; we’ve also been working with them Niyat boys since day uno. This is another sign of things to come – a lot more of these collaborations.

5. Addiction (Featuring Michele Thibeaux) – Everybody knows Michele. If you don’t, please catch up. Her voice is the silk sheet on a Tempur – Pedic mattress. She’s worked with us a lot in the past, most notably on the groundbreaking “Ethos” project. We used her a little differently this time by utilizing her on the prelude to the song. The bass was played live by Denis of Neon Collars.

6. On Ya Grind Remix (Featuring Flow Factory) – As the name implies, this is the remix of a track that will appear on Flow Factory’s long-awaited “Language Arts” album. These guys sound good together, and even better with us (wink wink). Can’t wait for their album to drop.

7. Damn Right (Featuring Lower Life Form) – This one was kind of like cheating, but why mess up a good thing. This is technically a remix for “Let’s Go” from Lower Life Form’s upcoming album. But in the tradition of re-recordings (see-Black Moon, etc) we completely re-imagined this song and still made it hit hard.

8. It’s Over Now – We end it the same way we began it – with heat. It’s more of a ultimatum than an affirmation. Step up or get stepped on. I wonder if we can get this licensed for an EA Sports game? Hmm…

Download THE RECKONING Here!!!

You can still download THE REASON here!!!!