VERBAL KENT
RELEASE DATE JANUARY 11, 2011
In an Internet Age where billions of people are at an artist's fingertips, it's easy to forget that connecting wholly with 10 people is often better than touching 10,000 on the surface. Chicago emcee Verbal Kent never forgot. Like the music over his 10-year career, the grind isn't about the money, but carving out a place of respect in hip-hop history.
"I prefer small interesting pockets of notoriety and respect because that's how things in this world really travel," the man born Dan Weiss says. "That's when ideas spread, through real connections."
And even before Verbal Kent's sixth solo album, Save Yourself, is released, plenty of real hip-hop connections have flourished. With production from Pete Rock, !llmind, Marco Polo, and M-Phazes, as well as guest spots from Sadat X, Edo G, and Masta Ace, Verbal Kent has made a record with artists that he respects and admires in the way that he wants to be respected and admired. "I'm kind of stupid for it," he jokes, "but I really mean it when I say that my only long-term interest is to be part of hip-hop history. I'm not trying to get picked up by a big label—I could care less, I've never even shopped a record before."
Save Yourself is Verbal Kent's most accessible record, without sacrificing an ounce of the hard-bodied and heart-felt hip-hop classicism that fans around the world have come to expect. From the gritty neck-breaker "Dinner Party" to the timeless bounce of the Pete Rock-produced "Take," Verbal Kent continues to find new ways to express himself within rap's formula. "I don't settle ever. Every line is a new combination of words that reflect who I am and what I think; I never just 'lay something down.'" On album highlights like the Edo G and Sadat X featuring "My City," the three emcees provide hometown tours through Boston, Chicago and New York, and Verbal sounds right at home among true legends.
Getting his start with Chicago's hip-hop band, OMU, at the precious age of 19, Verbal finally got serious in 2003, releasing his debut album a year later. What Box was acclaimed both locally and internationally, as the Gravel Records release caught press from URB and Vibe, among others. Things were really looking up for Verbal Kent, which made the attempt on his life even more significant. In 2004, "something of a friend" slashed Verbal's throat, missing his jugular by a centimeter. The event forced him to re-evaluate the way he trusted people, but also pushed him into a never-stop work ethic that has resulted in countless tours, numerous side projects and five albums in as many years. He's shared the stage with KRS-One, Gza, Cypress Hill, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Redman, Atmosphere and more, bringing his brand of hot spitter hip-hop to Europe and across the United States. It's a resume that many rappers aspire to and few attain, but the craft is what really matters to Verbal Kent.
"The day that I put out a record that sounds like the last one or doesn't improve according to my own standards will be the day that I stop making records."
For more info, please contact trevor at score, trevor@scorepress.com, 323.254.4027.
"Examples" Featuring Lance Ambu produced by !LLMIND :
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