Queens crooner Kyngjo is back with his latest summer anthem with the Utopian single “Six in the Morning.” Featuring fellow afrobeat/hip hop artist, LAFROMNEWYORK, the Ghanian duo paint a blissful reminder of the entrapments of a passionate romance.
“Six in the Morning” is a catchy record that sees both artists showcase the kind of artistry that creates stars. Kyngjo starts off with his charmed delivery of a jaded womanizer.
“When she hit me on my line I can’t help but to count all me pesos. When she tell me she want diamonds I buy double cause I can’t really say no.”
“I could show you what it’s really like. 3 a.m. on the hill that’s my vibe. But baby I can’t stand the way that these girls lie,”
he whispers as he sets the tone for the well-known tale of men, women and money. LAFROMNEWYORK brings the afro inspired vibe full circle, seamlessly interloping with Kyngjo.
This is a strong effort as Kyngjo builds anticipation for his upcoming debut EP. The Lefrak native is hitting his stride, as he seems to be even more sure of his own sound. His best records have seen his show his most potential. Songs like “Need Em” and “I’m Good Luv” are both stolid records.
“Six in the Morning” has nice replay value as the summer nears.
Analyzing the motive behind a politician’s actions or words can be tricky, for deception is often their one true ally. For every politician elected, no matter how prosperous their tenure, there is a group of people left feeling bamboozled or unnatended. From a historical perspective, it’s clear that politics are about control and the ability to generate waves with one flick of the tongue, which is sometimes guised in the want to build a better all-around community (depending on the politician). A preacher and a politician aren’t too dissimilar, there is a performance aspect to holding office and the theatrics of a reverend/preacher is of good use when dealing with the media. Which is why it’s seamless for a member of the clergy to slap on the title of “activist” and enter the political world.
In the case of New York City mayor, Eric Adams, momentary power doesn’t seem to fit his bill, having held dignified positions of authority and moving on from each for greener pastures, Adams gives the impression of a man with a larger play in mind. New York City is a tough place to govern and win over. If one wants to truly make their mark (and be elected for a second term and maybe more), they must find an agenda and make it their focus mission. For Giuliani, it was the mob and his “tough on crime” stance, for Bloomberg it was the implementation of stop & frisk. Adams may have found his silver bullet with his recent harping on the negative impacts of drill music and the need to keep it off social media and radio airwaves.
Fivio Foreign: The most commercially-successful living drill rapper with an upcoming album executive produced by Kanye West
While discussing the shooting death of Bronx drill rapper, C-Hii Wvttz, an emotional Adams apologized to the teens’ parents and made plans to meet with civil rights activists including Al Sharpton and state NAACP President Hazel Dukes to pitch his plan to crack down on gun violence. Which all seemed fine and dandy after all, isn’t that what you do after the tragic death of a young Black man? Meet with Al Sharpton. Until Adams pivoted and began to use drill — a violent hip-hop sub-genre in its own right — as the scapegoat for the many unfortunate deaths of Black youth. Adams even went as far as to say that he had never heard of drill music and learned of it from videos his son (who works at RocNation) sent him, claiming he was alarmed by his findings.
22Gz: recognized as the founder of the Brooklyn Drill wave
Drill music (which gets its name from the slang term for killing someone) derived as a sub-genre from Chicago rappers like King Louie, Edai, Lil Durk and Chief Keef in the early 2010’s. It is composed of threatening lyrics, constant references to gun violence, disrespectful disses aimed at dead rivals and most importantly, gang culture. Once popularized, the genre made its way to New York City. Brooklyn, New York to be specific. Adams, who served as Brooklyn borough President from 2013-2021 watched as Brooklyn artists the likes of 22GZ, Sheff G, Sleepy Hallow, Fivio Foreign and most of all, Pop Smoke (who took over the world musically in the year 2020) reached commercial success while trading insults, threats, injuries and fatalities all on the back of drill music.
The most popular drill artist ever as he took the genre to unforeseen heights before and after his tragic death.
The irony in all of this is that the current incarnation of the ever-evolving drill sub-genre derives not from Brooklyn but from the Bronx. This latest version where a pop-friendly record is sampled, sped up and laced with heavy drums, while backed by menacing lyrics has put the Bronx back on the map. With its most recognizable names being the currently incarcerated Kay Flock and Dthang, as well as B-Lovee.
It’s why when Adams says things like,
We are alarmed by the use of social media to really over-proliferate this violence in our communities. This is contributing to the violence that we are seeing all over the country. It one of the rivers we have to dam.
The public stops and rolls its eyes, because this has been happening for quite a few years and prominently in his own borough.
Gang culture in New York has been prevalent since the 1990’s, yet none more so than in the past decade (when social media became a factor). Adams himself comes from an under-privileged background — much like many gang members and drill artists — and was around during the crack epidemic and witnessed the gangster music culture it fostered. While hip hop has always been about reflecting one’s reality, emcees went from rapping like this, to this, to eventually this. As the streets became more menacing, so did the music, as it reflects the anger and angst that comes with growing up in project buildings and crime-infested areas.
One of the faces of the Bronx drill scene, Kay Flock, is currently incarcerated on a first-degree murder charge and is awaiting trial
Quite honestly, drill music could be the last bit of realism left in the rap game. Southern trap, which was once hip hop’s ugly stepchild has transformed into the main segue into the music industry and drill music may not be too far behind with the mainstream success of several Brooklyn and Chicago drill artists. Yet, as of now, drill is the voice of the streets. It is honest, brave and raw. So much so, that the constant dissing and shooting between rival gangs may be too much for New York City’s bright lights. When a drill artist makes a diss record and is then the victim of retaliatory gun-violence, it comes as a surprise to absolutely no one. The fans and artists alike know what’s to come. Yet, the inevitability of it all tends to make law enforcement look like helpless bystanders, especially when innocent civilians are also affected by these reckless shootings, as they look to the police to put a stop to it.
Called the founder of Bronx drill, Dthang is also serving time for a weapons charge
However, would banning drill music from hitting airwaves change anything? Adams referred to former President Trump’s Twitter ban as precedence but, are the two instances even comparable? Donald Trump is a privileged white man with enough wherewithal to know exactly who he is provoking with every word. Drill artists are teenagers who — for many — have yet to leave their own neighborhoods. Donald Trump had conflict with Russia and the Ukraine. These kids beef with each other because that’s all they know and where they’re from, death and murder are commonplace.
Blovee: the Bronx rapper represented his borough in the meeting with mayor Eric Adams
Instead of using drill music as a scapegoat, why not eliminate the problem at its core and focus on nurturing a more positive outcome for the youth. How about focusing on the vast number of underperforming high schools and making sure they meet certain standards? After all, education is one of the things that helped turn Adams’ life around. Schools could even begin introducing trade programs for kids who feel as though their future does not lie in a textbook, exposing them to legal income at an earlier age certainly would pique interest.
Rather, this past Wednesday, mayor Adams met with several drill artists to hear their opinions on the matter and clarify his stance.
They came in with a lot of energy — of, you know, here’s a 62-year-old guy that [doesn’t] understand young people and you want to destroy. And I let them talk and then I told them what I said: That violent people who are using drill rapping to post who they killed and then to antagonize the people who they are going to kill is what the problem is.
Eric Adams on his meeting with NYC rappers
And they heard me, and we’re going to be rolling out something in the next few days to deal with this issue. It was a great conversation, and I was happy to have them there.
The antagonizing lyrics Adams refers to have been happening in hip hop for decades, the difference is, rappers of yesteryear were more discreet with their disses, it was an “if you know you know” kind of thing. As we’ve entered the social media era, where anything and everything gets shared publicly, the reality that New York City is fostering youth that have such little regard for human life is a little too real for some and it reflects poorly on its leaders.
Besides, what can one meeting solve when only two of the people in attendance are actual drill rappers (Fivio Foreign and B-Lovee), and none of the rival gang members/ drill rappers who their antagonizing lyrics are aimed at are present? Isn’t that how you come to a treaty, by having opposing factions sit down and come to a resolution?
Nonetheless, this might be a strategic move from the mayor. With his denouncing of drill lyrics and vague rapper meetings, he can give his “hey, I tried” answer the next time a young driller rapper is killed, or he can continue to attack the sub-genre itself, but we’ll all know the problem was never the music. The music itself is a voice for the problems. But then again, the mayor may have just found his long-term cause to hang his hat on.
Black history month can be a frustrating time of the year. The opportunity to celebrate the numerous Black vanguards is a great honor. Yet, having to encapsulate so much greatness in only 28 short days is a task in itself. How do you prioritize one Black success story over another? The truth is you can’t, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.
While limiting the importance of Black people to just entertainment can be negligent to the immense contributions made to math, science, architecture and communication that laid the foundation for the modern world… this is a music website.
And while the likes of Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey’s roles as revolutionaries are to be studied and admired, it is the arts that continues to push pop culture forward. There is no greater form of pop culture now than hip hop, having overtaken rock & roll as the world’s most popular genre. Yet, hip hop would not exist without those that paved the way during the Harlem Renaissance.
Black history is everywhere, and New York State occupies some of the most important landmarks, where countless fabled musicians have inhabited. From The Cotton Club — where entertainers during the Harlem renaissance helped bring Black music to the mainstream — to the Marcy Projects that once housed Jay – Z.
Cab Calloway.
Our Black History Maps give readers a chance to view the boroughs, neighborhoods and exact addresses where many a Black history that has shaped the world originated from within New York State, and the accompanying stories deriving from such landmarks. A fun interactive feature, the BHM will also serve music aficionados who may want to see just how close they are to where their favorite artist once frequented.
Most have heard the common saying “everything that happens in the dark comes to light.” Insinuating an air of inevitability when it comes to the truth. In the world of hip hop the truth can often be found in the shadows, and for a genre that was built on the struggles of the inner-city, the light shines upon the streets. The streets are where Eric Smith, widely recognized as “E-Money Bags” made his name and his bones and where he met his untimely end. In between the chaos, he built a name and legacy that will continue to ring throughout the inner cities of New York for years to come and served as an acquaintance or close associate to many of hip hop’s most fabled emcees.
Don’t matter if I did it, or you heard that I was with it, you can’t get the story from a spirit.
Hailing from Brooklyn’s Sumner Projects, Smith attended Westinghouse high school, along with The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay – Z, cultivating a close relationship with the former, while his dealings with the latter would eventually turn cantankerous. Smith earned his name for being about his bottom line and would resort to the streets to earn his living. From selling drugs, to being a stickup kid, extortion and even murder, he built quite a reputation with friends and enemies alike. In fact, for residents of Queens and Valley Stream who would frequent the now destruct, Sunrise Multiplex Cinema in Valley Stream and wondered, why were there metal detectors in a movie theatre? Well, Smith’s crew and an opposing posse began to argue during a showing of The Godfather III and thus a shootout erupted between the conflicting gangs, with Smith shooting a rival 15-year-old in the head and killing him. He was beloved by his friends because he was supportive and showed lots of love, while he was hated by his enemies for his cunningness and ruthlessness.
E Money Bags with Tupac Shakur (back left, dark long sleeve)
After relocating from Brooklyn to Lefrak City, Queens, Smith once again began to run with legends of the hip hop world. One he was particularly close to was, Tupac Shakur, whom he met in the early 90’s due to their street ties. While rappers hold most of the sway in this day-and-age, this was the era where the rapper’s looks, style, lingo and subject matter derived from whatever the street dudes were into. Most importantly, record contracts were still so shitty back then, that the rapper might be broke, while the hustler would be rolling in dough. Which is why, Smith and Shakur’s relationship cultivated so quickly. Not simply because of their similar mindsets in uniting people for a better cause, but because they would do street dealings in tandem. When Shakur was incarcerated as a result of his sexual assault case, Smith was one of the few people to visit him and even informed him on who gave the order that led to his infamous shooting at Quad Studios.
After Shakur’s release and subsequent rebranding as a West-coast act (despite being born in Harlem and spending much of his time in Hollis, Queens), Smith had developed relationships with many other prominent-turned legendary hip hop acts. Having befriended the likes of 50 Cent, Noreaga, Nas, Cormega, and Prodigy — who he became especially close to and spent many of his finals days and weeks with — while steadily treading the line between family man and street hustler.
A lot of people can’t understand E, like how fucking cool can one Black man be.
Prodigy goes in detail on their relationship and much more from hip hop’s golden era in a 2010 interview with Planet Ill,
I know Bags from my man Shameek. Me and Shameek grew up together in Hempstead, Long Island and we bumped into each other going down the block. He like I just moved out here, I’m like I just moved out here! So down the line, Shameek started bringing E Moneybags out to Queens Bridge. So that’s how I meet Bags. They started hanging out with Nas and all that, we got real close through Shameek and through Nas.
Ironically, their relationship began to forge at a time when Prodigy was embroiled in a rap beef with his former schoolmate, Jay – Z. The tension between the emcees was a result of a line heard in Hov’s “Money, Cash, Hoes” record, the third single from his 1998 Grammy-winning album, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life.
He was referring to Snoop Dogg and west coast duo, Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz Dillinger), crushing the twin towers in their video for their record “New York, New York.” Prodigy and many other New York rappers took great offense to Jay – Z’s lyrics, because it was as though he was dissing them for not standing their ground. But, from their perspective, when the tension between the East and West coast was at its peak, Jay – Z was nowhere to be found, even when Tupac dissed him, it was rappers like Prodigy and Havoc who took it upon themselves to defend New York with records like, “L.A., L.A.”
So, years later he’s [Jay-Z] trying to restore the feeling? What feeling you trying to restore? What are you talking about son? Who are you talking about and why are you talking? Shut the f**k up son you should have said something a long time ago. Me and Fat Joe were in Loud offices one day and I even heard Fat Joe say it. I didn’t even come out and say nothing, I was just chillin’ in the office and Fat Joe came out and said, ‘Yo, this mother**ker Jay-Z said he’s trying to restore the feeling.’ I looked at Fat Joe I said ‘Word! I feel the same way son, I feel you on that!’ He was like, ‘Yo, that n***a is a funny n*** for saying that. Who is he talking about?’
Upon learning of Prodigy’s tension with Jay – Z, Smith made his feelings on Hov clear,
I live it so it never be forgotten
I went to high school with Jay-Z. Me, and Jay-Z went to high school. Sauce Money is married to my sister. F**k Jay-Z, that n***a is a bitch son. I know that n***a man.
While the beef between Jay – Z and Prodigy intensified, it would get personal between Smith and Jay – Z as well. While listening to a Roc-A-Fella freestyle on Hot 97, Smith was stumped to hear that Jay – Z had marketed one of his upcoming artists as “H-Moneybags,” which left him incensed. He had Prodigy call up the radio station and after getting on the phone with Hov, he let him know how he felt about his artist biting his style.
How the fuck are you going to let some random n***a bite my name. You know me n***a and you know how I get down, I done put in work for this name.” Feeling disrespected by Jay – Z’s indifference to his words, Smith told him, “when I see you, you know what it is” and hung up.
From there, Smith decided to seriously consider a rap career. After all, he was close to some of the biggest rappers out and he felt as though it was easy money, referring to it as “stickup without a gun.” He would release his only project, In E Money Bags We Trust, in 1999.
Unfortunately, Smith would not live long enough to see his hip hop dreams pan out. There are conflicting stories as to what led to his demise. One theory is that Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff — leader of the infamous and feared Supreme Team — refused to return a down-payment Smith had placed on a Lincoln Navigator. Once again feeling disrespected, Smith resorted to street rules and sought out McGriff to kill him.
Bags had beef with ‘Preme ‘cause bags was going to buy a car and ‘Preme was selling it. So he put a down payment on it and I was doing music with Bags and I paid him for it. So Bags is like, ‘Oh shit, I got this money now. Let me get that money back from him.’ Bags like let me get that back, ‘Preme like nah, you cant get that back. Bags like what? Bags seen him behind The Coliseum, one day. Seen him chillin in the car, walked up to his car and shot his car up. Nothing hit ‘Preme, the shit hit Black Just. Black Just was still alive, he got shot in the thigh and probably somewhere else, I don’t know, but the thigh was the bad one.
Mary Immaculate [Hospital] is right around the corner. Preme takes Black Just to the hood and tells somebody else to take him to the hospital. Black Just dies from bleeding to death, so now n***as is after Bags for that.
– Prodigy in a 2010 interview with Planet Ill
Another theory is that his death was the result of him robbing Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti, his brother Irv Gotti and Ja Rule, which Irv Gotti referred to during a 2020 appearance on Noreaga’s Drink Champs podcast.
Nonetheless, Smith’s street dealings caught up to him in July 2001. While at a barbecue at his friend Majesty’s house, four gunmen crept up while he sat smoking and eating in his Navigator. The gunmen fired over 40 rounds into his vehicle hitting him over 10 times and ultimately killing him.
Supreme took the murder hard, & had E Money Bags murdered in 2001, shot ten times in his Lincoln Navigator. They even taped it all. pic.twitter.com/YNGwnugr8y
For a period, E-Money Bags’ name rang bells throughout the streets and while he never got the chance to fully escape that life, his contributions to hip hop and the street culture that fuels it will never be forgotten.
To many, the term “hippie” is often associated with counterculture, drug-induced dreamers. Sure, they may have the right societal ideals, but they are often followed by eccentric and unconventional behavior with abstract resolutions instead of anything concrete. Others turn the hippie persona into an identity, becoming a caricature that further discredits a way of life that has many valid ideologies.
As the Hippie persona loses credibility within contemporary culture, up-and-coming duo, dp.thuH and blond.bomber, are looking to revive what it means to be against the grain. Collectively, the Pittsburgh (blond) and Toledo (dp) bred artists are recognized as Hippie Tribe. A fitting name as their blend of rock & roll, hip hop, alternative music along with their live instrumentation and overall mix of musical elements create a magnetic sound that sways further away from popular contemporaries with each listen.
Now, different does not always mean better. Yet, their organic approach to their sound is a direct result of the duo’s realization that some spaces aren’t meant for them and that their niche isn’t any particular sound, but rather an encapsulation of their influences. They don’t occupy a sub-genre of hip hop, or Rock or R&B, they are those genres and whatever else they choose to become.
Operating out of Brooklyn, the duo feel as though they have the world at their fingertips, Assured about what they bring to the table. The duo answered some questions for NYS Music.
NYS Music: What part of Brooklyn are you guys from?
dp.thuH: We stay out in Bedstuy. We aren’t originally from BK. I’m from Toledo, Ohio and Niko’s [blond.bomber] from Pittsburgh.
NYS Music: How did you guys come together?
blond.bomber: We’ve been making music together for about five years now. We met playing ball in college. We spent a lot of time before we decided to make music just talking about it. Freestyling at parties, chatting on why certain albums were better than others. It all happened real organic like.
NYS Music: Your music is very diverse and does not confine itself to any genre. How much do you feel if (any) did your environment play a part in that?
dp.thuH: It played a huge role. And it still does. Growing up in gospel choirs naturally shaped our eclectic ears. You can hear hella genres in gospel music – blues, jazz, funk, rock. Once I got my own headphones and smart phones came around, it was over. So our music is a reflection of the sounds we’ve been hearing our whole lives.
blond.bomber: And playing instruments and producing all of our music gives us an advantage too, we can really manipulate and shape our music so that it’s super palatable to the average listener. But still unique too.
NYS Music: Your LP on Apple Music is labeled as “Alternative Rap” but what would you guys label your style as?
dp.thuH: Honestly, I don’t really know. It fluctuates so much. Hip-Pop&B? Alternative Punk Rap? It’s just different for real. In the best ways, like it’s uniquely refreshing.
NYS Music: You call yourselves “Hippie Tribe,” is that because you guys see yourselves as musical outcasts? Or different from the norm? Even your individual names (dp.thuH & blond.bomber)
dp.thuH: I guess so, we definitely go against the grain with our shit. But I think I felt like an outcast my whole life. And it took me some time to accept it too but I realized I was moving further from my purpose the more I tried to integrate myself into places that were never meant for me. Truthfully, it’s not on purpose. I think we’re different because unfortunately, a lot of this world is made up of bullshitters and people looking for photo ops. People who like to hear themselves talk and say things just to say they said them later. We’re not just being different because it’s the cool thing to do. We got chosen for this shit – that’s why we’re different. And that’s why we take it dead ass serious. It’s our job to push the art further, really push boundaries.
blond.bomber: This is just how our brains work. And it’s beyond the music like Dee said, we’re mad unorthodox without trying. We speak in cursive and dream abstract. I don’t claim to be cool or none of that shit and I don’t try to be. I just know God loves me and my shorties love me and I try to treat every breath like it’s my last. We’re here to leave a legacy and you can’t do that tryna fit in. our homies say it all the time, we’ve just always been different.
blond.bomber
NYS Music: Describe your songwriting process.
dp.thuH: I think I’m like 70/30 when it comes to freestyling versus writing so it doesn’t take us long to make records once we have production, or vice-versa. It isn’t hard to produce once we have lyrics or a melody. We feel like we’re vessels so producing records top to bottom comes naturally. And there’s no ego in this so if one of us is like, ‘yo, I feel like you should change the flow here’ or ‘I think we should find a stronger way to say this bar,’ the other is all ears. It’s all about putting the best product together possible.
NYS Music: Why only 2 songs for Gullah Punk: mod 1?
blond.bomber: Gullah Punk: mod 1, is the first of several capsules we’ll be dropping. We’ve always been pretty eclectic with our sound but over the past couple of years, we’ve been really focused on creating dynamics within minimalistic production. We love to rap and we love to rage so rock and hip-hop tethered naturally. This two-pack is littered with those little moments of perfectly balanced raw emotion, vulnerability and disorderliness. These capsules will be both auditory and visual too, we’re releasing a series of film shorts leading up to a short film. We pitched our film to a few directors and now we’re blessed to have a whole ass incredible production company behind us believing in our vision and mission. Along with the drops, we also put together a few community events in Bed-stuy. So this music project has sort of turned into a living, breathing movement.
dp.thuH: The goal for this particular project rollout and accompanying events is two-fold; We love music and the arts so if our presence and efforts allow kids to discover a new passion or encourage others in the community to pursue theirs, perfect. The second piece is probably most important for us… we want to ignite a new mindset in our people that together, we have the tools necessary to rewrite our fate. The philosophy is simple – “Kill your demons”. But in order for us to get that done, we got to shine a light into the dark.”
dp.thuH
NYS Music: Do you guys consider yourselves abstract artists?
dp.thuH: To us, we’re just doing our thing. I kinda feel like we’re Queen when they first wanted to drop “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They’re banging coffee mugs against chandeliers and shit, singing until their voices can’t crack any more. And all that “abstract” stuff was just their process. It’s exactly the only way they knew how to get out whatever it was they were hearing in their heads. So I don’t know if we’re abstract artists. I don’t know if that’s something we can even say because it looks like 1+1 to us.
NYS Music: Is there any particular artist that influenced you guys’ sound?
blond.bomber: Particularly, no. And that’s not to say that we don’t have influences – it’s actually the opposite. We get influenced everyday by everything. You could be sitting at the park and words come to you or, with your homies or, having sex or, dreaming. We just let things flow as organically as possible. So, sometimes Dee will have a beat that inspires me or someone will come in with some bars they came up with on the random. We really just let the universe decide.
dp.thuH: Yea it’s hard to name particular artists because it’s such a fusion of hella sounds. But lately we’ve been listening to a lot of N.E.R.D, Nirvana, Yves Tumor, and Willow…
blond.bomber: Haley Williams.
dp.thuH: Yup. We’ve been getting some gnarly sounds out of it.
NYS Music: What are your goals in the music industry?
dp.thuH: Because we’re super-producers, we’ll be a powerhouse label soon, with some of the dopest artists under our wing, all while producing and writing songs for the biggest acts in the world. We’re going to have a full-blown production and multimedia company soon too. We’re already writing, directing and scoring our own visual projects so, we feel confident that with the right infrastructure, we’re going to make some serious noise before people can even blink. And we’re going to debunk the whole notion of celebrity. Because, we’re giving it all back to the streets. We’re about to revamp Bedstuy to be the hub for the best art, regardless of medium, in New York. Studios on every block, random installations on the sidewalks and in parks, immersive programs. We’re about to turn it all up.
