Tuesday, August 7, 2012

New Release: Kokane & Traffik - The New Frontier (Album)


Tracklist:

1. The Prayer
2. The New Frontier Ft. Damajah
3. Dirty Game Ft. Damajah & Tha Chill
4. Head 2 Da Sky
5. Family Thing
6. Gimme Some Love
7. Call Me Up
8. Turn It Up Ft. Glasses Malone
9. What's The Business Ft. Soopafly
10. Nobody's Home
11. Make Believe
The album is a refreshing fusion of Hip-Hop, Soul and Funk, with the production entirely produced by Traffik and guest spots from Glasses Malone, Tha Chill (CMW), Soopafly and Australian artist Damajah.
Click through for the official press release and don't sleep on this one!

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Official Press Release:

When cultures collide, the result can be anything fron wonderful to deadly. In the case of Australian musician Trafford Kennedy, better known under his artist moniker Traffik, and Jerry Long, better known as Kokane, the marriage of two styles from different continents resulted in an exceptional fusion of funk, neo-soul and hip-hop, aptly titled "The New Frontier".

Pomona, CA, representative Kokane has been a fixture in the Hip-Hop scene for twenty years, earning himself the title of the "most featured artist in the industry". Stepping on to the scene in the early as a part of Eazy-E's crew on Ruthless Records, he immortalized himself on classic recordings such as Eazy-E's "It's On" album and was involved in the highly publicized feud between Death Row Records and Ruthless Records. After releasing several solo albums on his own, Kokane reconnected with former rival Snoop Doggand the two formed a strong alliance, as Kokane appeared on eight songs on Snoop Dogg's multi-platinum "Tha Last Meal" album in 2000 and the two went on to collaborate on several projects after that, all the way up to Snoop Dogg's "Malice N Wonderland" album in 2009. After relocating to Seattle, Kokane further established himself as an independent force and with his new alliance with Traffik, is set to take on new territories.

Traffik is also a seasoned veteran, having entered the music scene in 1995. The then youngest member of R&B group Taylor Madedisplayed a skill, passion and drive beyond his years. After penning songs for Australian artists such as Ian Kitney and DJ Wasabi, Traffik found his true calling in collaborating with Australia's No. 1 Reggae selectors, Chantdown Sound and before long, became known as one of the finest Roots Reggae vocalists to emerge on the scene. This lead so lending support to international heavyweights such as Ziggy Marley, DJ What?!! (Beat Junkies), Sly & Robbie, Luciano and Mikey General. In 2009, Traffik releases his debut EP "Soul Of The Streets", which lead to performances at the legendary Apache Cafe (Atlanta, GA) at the International Soul Music Summit, as well as the Sullivan Hall (West Village, NY), the Shrine Bar (Harlem, NY) as well as the Soul Music By The Bay conference.

Kokane and Traffik's paths finally crossed in 2011, after Traffik had collaborated with renowned producer and P-Funk All-Star Quazedelic and received blessings from the legendary George Clinton. Kokane and Traffik join forces on their collaborative effort, "The New Frontier", which is slated for a July 10th 2012 release. The album fuses the artists' many influences, from early 90's West Coast Rap to futuristic neo-soul sounds and vintage funk elements. Over the course of the album, the two artists exchange soulful verses, blended in with raps from Kokane, along with guest appearances of Tha Chill (of multi-platinum group Compton's Most Wanted), Soopafly (Doggystyle Records) and Glasses Malone (Hoo Bangin/Cash Money) among others. In times when a dominating part of music released sounds forced and formulated, "The New Frontier" is a breath of fresh air, with its boundary-pushing and liberating sound. 2012 is set to be a funkin' good year!

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