New Kingdom (band)
Encyclopedia
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.
fans, they decided to begin recording raps
in 1987. 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. 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."
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." However, The San Diego Union-Tribune
writer Jeff Niesel called it "a clunky affair."
, psychedelic music
, funk
, and blues
. Their live performances featured a disc jockey
and live instrumentation by a guitar
ist, a drum
mer and a percussionist, as well as a masked dancer. The lyrical content of Nosaj and Sebastian is often abstract
and ranges from autobiographical subjects to science fiction
fantasies. References made by the band range from Bruce Lee
and Super Fly to the folklore of Paul Bunyan
. Nosaj and Sebastian's raps are often unintelligible.
Sebastian had previously been a member of some local hardcore punk
bands, and Nosaj was primarily influenced by Curtis Mayfield
. 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
", while Allmusic's Bret Love compares the group to Beastie Boys
and Onyx
. 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. 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.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
consisting of Nosaj and Sebastian. Formed in 1987, New Kingdom was known for their psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-influenced style and abstract lyricism. The duo released two albums on Gee Street Records
Gee Street Records
Gee Street Records was a British hip hop record label started by Jon Baker in 1985. The label's name came from its original location, a converted warehouse on Gee Street in London....
in 1992 and 1996.
Biography
Band members Nosaj and Sebastian met as coworkers in clothing store in New York City. As they were both hip hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
fans, they decided to begin recording raps
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
in 1987. After New Kingdom moved into a recording studio, engineer Scotty Hard
Scott Harding (musician)
Scott Harding, sometimes credited as Scotty Hard, is a Canadian producer and musician who is based in New York City and who has worked in underground hip-hop and jazz....
heard New Kingdom's demos, helped them develop their sound and introduced the duo to Gee Street Records
Gee Street Records
Gee Street Records was a British hip hop record label started by Jon Baker in 1985. The label's name came from its original location, a converted warehouse on Gee Street in London....
, who officially signed the act in 1992, after two years on a demo deal, New Kingdom released its debut album, Heavy Load
Heavy load
Heavy Load was a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm. The band is often hailed as the first Swedish heavy metal band, and were known for their Viking themes...
in 1993. 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."
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." However, The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
writer Jeff Niesel called it "a clunky affair."
Musical style
New Kingdom has been appraised for its unique sound and performance style. New Kingdom's musical style combines elements of hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, psychedelic music
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. Their live performances featured a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and live instrumentation by a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist, a drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mer and a percussionist, as well as a masked dancer. The lyrical content of Nosaj and Sebastian is often abstract
Abstract
Abstract may refer to:* Abstract , a summary of a legal document* Abstract , in scientific publishing* Abstract art, artistic works that don't attempt to represent reality or concrete subjects* Abstract structure in mathematics...
and ranges from autobiographical subjects to science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
fantasies. References made by the band range from Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
and Super Fly to the folklore of Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
. Nosaj and Sebastian's raps are often unintelligible.
Sebastian had previously been a member of some local hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands, and Nosaj was primarily influenced by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
writer Jeff Niesel described New Kingdom's music as "a cross between the Wu Tang Clan and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
", while Allmusic's Bret Love compares the group to Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
and Onyx
Onyx
Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
writer Jon Parales compares New Kingdom to rap rock
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
fusions by artists such as Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
, Public Enemy, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
and the Wu Tang Clan. In his review of Paradise Don't Come Cheap, Allmusic writer Ned Raggett compares the group's sound to "a Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob is a Hip Hop act based in Atlanta, Georgia that formed in 1991 and currently consists of members Cee-Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp.-History:The group's name acts as a double backronym...
/Bubba Sparxx collaboration produced by the RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
-- or, say, Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
'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.
Discography
- Heavy Load (1993)
- Paradise Don't Come Cheap (1996)
External links
- New Kingdom at Allmusic
- New Kingdom at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...