From Russia with Love: Mr KiD's Jazz Rap & Jazz Hop Instrumentals
Since legendary hip hop groups like, Gang Starr, Digable Planets, and A Tribe Called Quest, began blending jazz samples with hip hop music in the late 80s and early 90s, jazz rap and jazz hop has become a part of both jazz and hip hop culture. The music is composed by combining live or sampled jazz music with hip hop’s drum and bass arrangements. Most notably, A Tribe Called Quest's album The Low End Theory (1991) received critical acclaim by jazz and hip hop fans around the world.
Its production (and popularity) however declined between the mid 90s and early 2000s. Although, some successful projects like, G.U.R.U.'s Jazzmatazz Vols. 1-4 were produced during this time, some believed it was a trend that had played out. The last few years, however, have seen a fresh wave of new instrumentalists, producers, and artists building on the work started by its pioneers. One such instrumentalist emerging today is surprisingly from the small northern town of Surgurt in the Russian Federation.
Speaking of his hometown, Kirill Panov (Кирилл Панов), aka Mr KiD, says, it is beautiful “especially in the early autumn”. About 400 people populate the town, whose main economy is in the extraction of oil. Growing up there were a few rap teams, but today there is not a breath of hip hop culture. Through the encouragement of his parents, he began studying music at a young age, something he is very grateful for. About the time he was 10 years old he came in contact with hip hop & rap music and was drawn by then Russian rap team Dots.
"Then, I more and more start to be interested in this field of music, getting to know other teams, collect different CD discs with records of hip-hop". In 2007, he and a friend started experimenting with hip hop music and writing, trying to increase their skill. The group eventually dismantled and Mr KiD started solo projects and turned his experimenting toward making hip hop jazz music in 2011. He also left his “beautiful yet melancholy” hometown to attend school in Krasnoyarsk, where he studies broader aspects of music production.
When asked what inspires him, he responds,
"Every time it happens in different ways. Most often [what] inspires me, my favorite girl … relationships … a particular situation .... to feel my soul, heart, every note [that] is [in] the relationship between a couple is very strong dope for the music!"
You will notice his inspiration and artistic touch when applying song titles which collectively read like a poem. Take the track list of Indifferent for example
I had the opportunity to write and record a song with one of Mr KiD's instrumentals earlier this year. As a songwriter, I found his music provokes emotions and imagery with more dimension (or nuances) than I may experience from an otherwise purely hip hop-structured instrumental. I asked songwriting expert and author of the blog Song written, Nicholas Tozier, to help me understand why Mr KiD's music (and jazz hop in general) can have this effect. In brief, Tozier pointed out that jazz music has more moving elements and these subtle changes can also create nuances in the feelings they provoke.
Besides introducing jazz textures, an instrumentalist must know the art of mixing music of different genres. My feeling with Mr KiD's music is that he allows the musical expressions of jazz to speak by keeping the elements of hip hop or rap music simple, you can hear this in the musical track "Dreams of Paris" (Fragments, 2012). A saxophone driven piece with a melodious soft piano is combined with a sparse drum and bass arrangement, keeping tempo like that of a slow heartbeat, while the trumpet and piano tell the story of a memory in Paris.
Proving that hard work and dedication pays off, his bandcamp page boasts the release of 10 instrumental mix tapes since he started his solo project in 2011. His latest work, After August, a 17-track mix tape, was released last month. When asked about his latest release he says he feels it is his best work yet, and named "life will be better" as a favorite track because of its melody and motive.
Listening to his music you come across a variety of sounds and textures. A couple personal favorites, "E-mails" (Indifferent), a sultry instrumental similar to that used by Jean Grae in "My Angel is You". "Let’s Dance" (My Little Dream, 2011) reminiscent of Atmosphere's instrumental dance groove for the song "Spaghetti Strapped". Last year he produced all the songs for the Russian rap artist Marik J's 10-track EP.
1. So go2. I surrender3. End of summer4. It’s true5. Part6. E-mails7. Pass by8. If this isn't love9. Round midnight10. Better to leave
I had the opportunity to write and record a song with one of Mr KiD's instrumentals earlier this year. As a songwriter, I found his music provokes emotions and imagery with more dimension (or nuances) than I may experience from an otherwise purely hip hop-structured instrumental. I asked songwriting expert and author of the blog Song written, Nicholas Tozier, to help me understand why Mr KiD's music (and jazz hop in general) can have this effect. In brief, Tozier pointed out that jazz music has more moving elements and these subtle changes can also create nuances in the feelings they provoke.
"I’ve always felt that more complex harmonies can express more nuanced moods." Tozier explains, "they can be soothing yet tense, beautiful yet dangerously fragile… and a thousand other possibilities. At least… in jazz, there might be as many as six notes in each chord, and there are often more chords packed into the tune, too."
Besides introducing jazz textures, an instrumentalist must know the art of mixing music of different genres. My feeling with Mr KiD's music is that he allows the musical expressions of jazz to speak by keeping the elements of hip hop or rap music simple, you can hear this in the musical track "Dreams of Paris" (Fragments, 2012). A saxophone driven piece with a melodious soft piano is combined with a sparse drum and bass arrangement, keeping tempo like that of a slow heartbeat, while the trumpet and piano tell the story of a memory in Paris.
Proving that hard work and dedication pays off, his bandcamp page boasts the release of 10 instrumental mix tapes since he started his solo project in 2011. His latest work, After August, a 17-track mix tape, was released last month. When asked about his latest release he says he feels it is his best work yet, and named "life will be better" as a favorite track because of its melody and motive.
Listening to his music you come across a variety of sounds and textures. A couple personal favorites, "E-mails" (Indifferent), a sultry instrumental similar to that used by Jean Grae in "My Angel is You". "Let’s Dance" (My Little Dream, 2011) reminiscent of Atmosphere's instrumental dance groove for the song "Spaghetti Strapped". Last year he produced all the songs for the Russian rap artist Marik J's 10-track EP.
He is available for collaborations and says if he could have his wish of working with any artists in the world, he would love to collaborate with those whose music has been an influence to him, such as Marat (ex-member of the group KREC), Foner, Apollo Brown, I-Tone, Oster, and Ta-Ku to name a few. You can check out the latest release, After August below. Mr KiD's mix tapes are available for listening & download on his bandcamp music page.
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