9/3/2003 » Music

My friend Kiran Belur from Cal and his group Karmacy are putting out their first full-length album in November. If you haven't heard them before, they do South Asian American rap with lyrical flow reminiscent of KRS-One and A Tribe Called Quest. And they're good. Check it out...

Audio clips

The flow is intense, and there are sonic textures I’ve never heard before, like the harmonium-tinged bass track. Most tracks are dense, highly textured, almost non-commercial. It’s the intense quality you see when someone creates something for keeping, not for sale, like artwork or filigree. The last track, the happy one like 'Back in the Day' and 'Today Was a Good Day,' sounds like the most overtly commercial / airplay one.

The businessman in me loves that Kiran's started his own label and is going indie with this, a smart business move -- they keep copyright and profits. It means they're in this game for the long run, not giving up control early in exchange for distribution.

These guys are total pioneers. The market will grow, and they'll be known as father of the industry in the U.S. It’s like Gurinder Chadha or Bally Sagoo 20 years ago, when nobody else was doing what they were. They'll end up like Jam Master Jay when he was alive, street cred, mad props from younger South Asians.

Update: You can now buy the album.