Video: Kokayi - Gibson Guitar x CouchSessions.com

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	Video: Kokayi - Gibson Guitar x CouchSessions.com	02.02.2011


	D.C. Bred Multi-Talent Sits Down With Gibson Guitar And CouchSessions For Interview, Performance

Critical Praise for Kokayi: "Robots is Kokayi's Illmatic- a masterpiece that will surely be regarded as the artist’s crown jewel, no matter what he records afterward." Rating: 93/100 - OkayPlayer "Kokayi has created a sound that’s entirely his own - a blend of rap, rock, electronica, R&B and whatever else he decides to throw into the mix and doing so with expert ease. If this album doesn't make a best of 2010 list, it would be a complete travesty. This release deserves not only deserves measurable acclaim, but also a place in anyone music lover’s collection." Rating: 4/5 - Potholes In My Blog The Video: While rapper, singer, and Grammy nominated songwriter and producer Kokayi continues to ride high on the success of his latest album, Robots & Dinosaurs, released late last year on QN5, he recently sat down with artist Matthew Hemerlein on the Gibson tour bus as part of the Gibson Guitar x CouchSessions.com interview and performance series. The two start by reminiscing childhood influences and how music first came into their life. Cross-genre reigns heavy here, and Kokayi in particular discusses broad musical influences of Funk, R&B, Jazz, Classical, and of course Hip-Hop, all of which were introduced to him by various family members, and which goes to explaining the eclectic sound of Kokayi's own music. Kokayi's and Hermelein's similar backgrounds once again spill over into their shared passions, this time in the quest for musical innovation. It is here where the very essence of hip-hop lies for Kokayi expressing, "hip-hop in its most honest form and its truest, purist is about innovation." Kokayi then explains how this very topic is what gave him the title for his latest album Robots and Dinosaurs. "Your either a Robot, which is everything sounds the same and they start to take away the humanity of what everything is...Or you’re a Dinosaur where everything has to sound old, and has to be the old way. And what do you do if you like the middle? What do you do when you don't like the margins?" Wrapping things up, Kokayi performs an acoustic version of "RoxTar," the lead single from Robots & Dinosaurs, which Kokayi recently released an official music video for and will be releasing a remix for next week. Joining Kokayi for the performance is Ezra Greer on bass and Darrell Perry on guitar. Kokayi's new album, Robots & Dinosaurs, is available now via QN5. Watch the videos here: Part 1 of 2: http://vimeo.com/16408954 Part 2 of 2: http://vimeo.com/16953508 "RoxTar" acoustic performance: http://vimeo.com/19375574 Please Post Buy Links: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/robots-dinosaurs/id396136677 Tweet Please contact Michelle or Dan if interested in talking with Kokayi. The Background: Kokayi (Carl Walker) is a Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, emcee, producer and educator. Koyaki (pronounced "Ko-Kah-Yee") has already independently released his debut album Mass Instructions (2007), toured the world and snagged the 2009 Grammy-nod for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for his work as a vocalist and co-producer on "Lovin' You (Music)" by Ethiopian singer Wayna. He also produced Wayna's "Moonlight Rendezvous" which spent 7 consecutive weeks on Billboard's Top 10 R&B/ Hip Hop Singles and 100 Hot Singles Sales charts. Kokayi keeps busy on multiple fronts with several side-projects - as one half of the electro-hop duo, Dastardly (with DJ/Producer Sharkey), and his long-time Afropunk outfit, TheCaesarz. In 2009, Kokayi signed to NYC's independent hip-hop beacon, QN5 Music as an in-house artist and producer.
Streams: Gibson Guitar CouchSessions: http://vimeo.com/16408954 http://vimeo.com/16953508 http://vimeo.com/19375574 "RoxTar": http://vimeo.com/17161832 http://media.audibletreats.com/KOKAYI-RoxTar.mp3 "Chanticleer": http://media.audibletreats.com/Kokayi-Chanticleer.mp3 "Only": http://media.audibletreats.com/KOKAYI-Only.mp3 "Autumn Rules": http://media.audibletreats.com/KOKAYI-Autumn_Rules.mp3 Bio, pictures, and streams available here: http://www.audibletreats.com/download/kokayi Twitter: http://twitter.com/KOKAYI Official Site: http://www.kokayi202.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KokayiMusic MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kokayi Label Site: http://qn5.com/