ATTACK OF THE DINOSAUR
KOKAYI DROPS ALBUM ROBOTS & DINOSAURS

How much does age dictate a recording artist’s relevance?  In the Hip-Hop genre AARP cards are issued around a rappers 25^th birthday and pensions get paid out at 30. For every Kendrick Lamar that becomes hot each year is it safe to say there is a veteran of the underground who’s just as exciting but with the seasoned chops to produce a quality album.  Maybe we can find the answer on Robots & Dinosaurs (on QN5 Records), the latest release from grammy nominated MC/vocalist Kokayi (pronounced Ko-Kah-Yee).  Smartly presented as a cool title with interludes featuring a little boy debating what makes dinosaurs and robots cool, Kokayi leaves it up to us to figure out the meaning (guess I ruined that for you) while letting the songs work as the litmus to prove the point.

A staple of the DC scene, Kokayi holds legendary status for his freestyle skills and ability to move the crowd at the drop of a dime with a flow that embodies Floyd Mayweather’s footwork and lyrics that punch just as hard.  Having rocked with groups (Freestyle Union, Opus Akoben), solo, and even as a U.S. sanctioned arts ambassador, he’s seen the world, been signed, worked the indie route and scored a grammy nom in 2009.  We thought he reached his peak with his last CD, Mass Instructions, but Robots has broadened his scope, showcasing storytelling rhymes, punch lines and singing over alternative Hip-Hop backdrops and even the type of beats typically reserved for radio ready songs informing us about the latest two-step craze.  Hard enough for the youngins but sophisticated enough for those who have been rockin boom bap since even the teacher KRS-One was rockin guns on his album.  Who says there’s no good music left.  Oh yeah, those Hip-Hop fans who wait for DatPiff.com and WorldStarHipHop.com to tell us what’s hot.  Some robots can shoot lazers but I’m pretty sure a T-Rex could rip them a new one.

CATCH KOKAYI AT THE 2011 SXSW CONFERENCE ON March 17 & 18.  For info click here.

Get more info on Kokayi at

http://kokayi.tumblr.com/