The Video:
Last year, Kyle Rapps broke out with two impressive projects, his Kev Brown-produced Re-Edutainment EP and his Air-sampling On Air mixtape, a collection of projects that found the Harlem-based upstart collaborating with the likes of Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz, KRS-One, and more. The first half of 2012 has been equally busy, and has seen Kyle branch out as he continues to work with new collaborators, the most recent of which is producer Diwon. Together, the rapper and producer released their Tyrone Gosling EP, a free project inspired by the 2011 thriller Drive, and now, they're prepping a new mixtape, Syndication, to be released this fall, which pulls its samples from a variety of classic TV theme songs.
Up first from that tape is today's single, "Mr. Rogers," a track built around a sample of the theme song from the classic kid's show. The video, directed by Robbie Barclay, is a funny, lighthearted clip that pulls a variety of classic clips from the original show, with Kyle's head superimposed, rather expertly, on the body of Mr. Rogers. Despite the humorous video, however, the song isn't all fun and games. "I grew up in the David Dinkins era of True York City - the grimy, the gritty," explains Kyles Rapps. "The song is an ode to the pre-gentrified, pre-Disney'ed-out days."
Watch the video for "Mr. Rogers" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nKQn129bFA
Okayplayer premiered the video, and more info can be found here: http://www.okayplayer.com/news/kyle-rapps-diwon-mr-rogers-video.html
For more information on Kyle Rapps, please contact Michelle or Dan at Audible Treats.
The Background:
By age 20, Princeton, New Jersey native Kyle Rapps started winning poetry slams in NYC with a concept-strong, socially sharp raw hip-hop delivery. Once he graduated from Rutgers University, he had already opened for big name acts like Wyclef Jean, Fat Joe, Talib Kweli and Dead Prez with his group, Thought Breakers. And once he decided to change his name to Kyle Rapps, he was getting ready to release the single "Love, Love" with KRS-One and Homeboy Sandman, which eventually went on to reach #1 on the college radio charts for hip-hop. Fresh off his critically acclaimed EP, RE-Edutainment, which featured Joell Ortiz and KRS-One, and production from Kev Brown, Kyle put together a new concept project called On Air, which samples from one of his favorite artists, the French-electro DJ duo, Air. The album features Talib Kweli and C-Rayz Walz, along with previous artists like KRS-One and Homeboy Sandman, and was released last summer. Kyle Rapps will soon be releasing his debut full length album, The Sky's On Fire, which has features from Murs, Action Bronson, and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire.
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