Kero One dropped one of my favorite LPs for far this year with Early Believers, and today he is back with a very dope remix he did for Talib Kweli’s “Keep It In The Pocket”. I believe this was on Kero’s Myspace a while back, but it is finally here for your downloading pleasure. Some very smooth production on this remix, something that is just a given these days from him. Check out the track, cop the album, and let us know what you think!

Download: Talib Kweli – “Keep It In The Pocket” Kero One Remix

Kere One drops his second single for “When The Sunshine Comes” with an excellent video and storyline. This is one of my favorite cuts from his album, Early Believers, which drops today! After peeping the track, I must compliment Kero on his innovation on the track. Instead of taking the normal route and rapping positive on such an upbeat, Ben Westbeech hook, he changes it up with a rather dark story. Of course, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, but I don’t want to ruin the ending of the story for you. 

I also included his first single video for “Welcome To The Bay” after the skip…

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Welcome to the weekly rundown where we (soulsupreme and marty) provide you with our top ten headlines for the week that was.

1. Guru declares; “I am Gang Starr” ??? This just in: Above-average rappers who blew up thanks to a legendary producer need to shut up. Guru’s proclamation that he was Gang Starr is insulting to everybody on this planet. Does he not realize just how much he owes to Premo? PSA: Artists who feud with the DJ/producers never win; see CL Smooth

2. RUN-DMC get inducted in to the Rock & Roll hall of Fame. Congrats to the pioneers and a R.I.P. shout out to Jam Master Jay. I wish he was still alive to see it. We look forward to another induction when hip-hop has its own hall.

3. Hamilton-gate: Charles Hamilton beat-jacking Black Spade. We’re happy to see a negative scenario produce a positive outcome. Thank you, Charles, for giving us and others a reason to play Black Spade’s topnotch To Serve With Love again.

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Kero One is not your run-of-the-mill hip-hop artist. With Korean roots, Japanese influence and a blend of every element of American hip-hop, you get a man that does more than just make beats and rhymes. Kero got his start with his interest in art as a graffiti artist and graphic designer and later found his love in constructing beats and rocking the mic. Getting his first big break in Japan, he began touring Asian and continued to produce more and more  music. Now several years deep into his career and at the dawn of his sophomore LP, Kero One joins Potholes In My Blog on Open Mic Presents… It was a great pleasure to chat with the man behind so many smooth hip-hop classics and get to know him a little bit more. Please join me as I get the inside scoop on Early Believers, Plug Label, future collaborations and much more!

Be sure to cop Early Believers, in stores April 7th!

Official Website
Myspace
Plug Label

Here is a preview, hit the skip for the full interview…

Reyn: Hey Kero, been playing the album a lot lately, it’s dope! Are you happy with the outcome?
Kero: Yeah, It’s one of the projects that I am most proud of. It just went the way that I wanted it to.

Reyn: Yeah, it has a very fresh, polished sound, a little more then your first release. How have you developed from your first release?
Kero: Well, I dumped a lot of money into my studio that’s for one. Definitely just been studying up and learning as much as I can about engineering and sound. Also experimenting with sounds that I wasn’t able to do on the first one with more like up-tempo stuff, bringing in some Latin influences and also collaborating with some soul singers.

Reyn: The album has a very positive sound, yet you keep most of the topics very serious. You have a track like “When the Sunshine Comes” where you have that very uplifting beat and hook, but then you get some more dark, serious rhymes. Where do you find that balance in your lyrics on this album?
Kero: A lot of my inspiration always comes from just experiences I’ve had in my life, although this story is fiction, it’s inspired by events that I know of and people that I know about. But with this song in particular, first Ben did the hook on it. When I heard it there was pretty much two ways this song can go. It can either go like generic, happy party track, or I can have some sort of storytelling or a message. That is kind of what I wanted to do with this one, kind of tell a story like a situation where things go rock bottom but that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. A lot of my album, Early Believers, is about optimism and even thought there are a lot of pitfalls and darkness, there’s always light.

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Album Review: Kero One – Early Believers (2009)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Potholes

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