| New Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City |
| Genres | Hip hop, rap rock |
| Years active | 1987–1996 |
| Labels | Gee Street |
| Associated acts | Truck Stop, Freak Brothers |
| Past members | |
| Nosaj Sebastian |
|
New Kingdom was an American hip hop duo from New York City consisting of Nosaj and Sebastian. Formed in 1987, New Kingdom was known for their psychedelic, funk and blues-influenced style and abstract lyricism. The duo released two albums on Gee Street Records in 1992 and 1996.
Contents |
Band members Nosaj and Sebastian met as coworkers in clothing store in New York City. As they were both hip hop fans, they decided to begin recording raps in 1987.[1] After New Kingdom moved into a recording studio, engineer Scotty Hard heard New Kingdom's demos, helped them develop their sound and introduced the duo to Gee Street Records, who officially signed the act in 1992, after two years on a demo deal, New Kingdom released its debut album, Heavy Load in 1993.[1] Allmusic's Bret Love wrote of the album, "Heavy Load shows an awful lot of promise, but all too often New Kingdom fails to deliver."[2]
New Kingdom released its second album, Paradise Don't Come Cheap in 1996. Allmusic writer Ned Raggett, who gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and selected the album as the site's Album Pick, wrote that Paradise Don't Come Cheap "arguably beats out the fine debut Heavy Load -- there's something even more belligerent, raunchy, and fiery about Furlow and Laws this time out."[3] However, The San Diego Union-Tribune writer Jeff Niesel called it "a clunky affair."[4]
New Kingdom has been appraised for its unique sound and performance style.[3] New Kingdom's musical style combines elements of hard rock,[5] psychedelic music,[2][3] funk,[2][3] and blues.[3] Their live performances featured a disc jockey and live instrumentation by a guitarist, a drummer and a percussionist, as well as a masked dancer.[5] The lyrical content of Nosaj and Sebastian is often abstract and ranges from autobiographical subjects to science fiction fantasies.[5] References made by the band range from Bruce Lee[3] and Super Fly to the folklore of Paul Bunyan.[5] Nosaj and Sebastian's raps are often unintelligible.[5]
Sebastian had previously been a member of some local hardcore punk bands, and Nosaj was primarily influenced by Curtis Mayfield.[1] The San Diego Union-Tribune writer Jeff Niesel described New Kingdom's music as "a cross between the Wu Tang Clan and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion",[4] while Allmusic's Bret Love compares the group to Beastie Boys[2] and Onyx.[2] The New York Times writer Jon Parales compares New Kingdom to rap rock fusions by artists such as Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, Anthrax, Cypress Hill and the Wu Tang Clan.[5] In his review of Paradise Don't Come Cheap, Allmusic writer Ned Raggett compares the group's sound to "a Goodie Mob/Bubba Sparxx collaboration produced by the RZA -- or, say, Eminem's "Square Dance" completely gone to hell -- well before its time" and concludes that the only easy comparison between New Kingdom and another musical act is the Wu Tang Clan.[3]