For many years, critics have declared hip-hop to be “dead.†Rapper / music producer Khakolak Boy seeks to prove that the reports of hip-hop’s death have been greatly exaggerated. He brings realness, ambition, and skills that are said to be missing from mainstream hip-hop and rap music. Citing influences ranging from Jay-Z and Wu-Tang Clan to Mos Def and Common, Khakolak Boy seeks to be the “Evolution†of hip-hop music.
Khakolak Boy, born Tony Clayton, hails from the state of North Carolina, home to such musical legends as George Clinton, Nina Simone and John Coltrane. The musical blood of his home state flows through Khakolak Boy’s veins, as he has been honing his skills with the pen since the seventh grade and also is well-versed in the violin. What sets Khakolak apart from his fellow North Carolina hip-hop contemporaries is his engineering background; his training at Asheville, NC’s vaunted Echo Mountain Studios, as well as New York’s Institute of Audio Research has given Khakolak an ear that very few can compare with.
Khakolak Boy has had the opportunity to collaborate with vocalists and producers across the United States and the world. He has opened in concert for fellow North Carolinian Petey Pablo, and has been featured on tracks with artists from New York, Las Vegas, Houston, London, and Africa. Most recently, Khakolak has been featured on Spin Da Club III, the latest club mix by Parisian DJ DBEFEKT .
Sadly, Khakolak Boy’s life has not been all about the music that is his passion. In 2003, he was laid off from the job he worked to support his wife, daughter, and unborn son. Additionally, he received a marijuana charge, resulting in felonies which prohibit him to reentering the workforce to this day. After 2003’s woes, Tony decided that his life needed a change. In 2004, he enrolled in New York City’s Institute of Audio Research to further enhance his production and engineering skills. While at IAR, he collaborated with several of his classmates, including Duane “DCT†Thorpe , who was on the verge of forming independent hip-hop label Urbanizm Music , a label that Khakolak Boy represents to this day.
Currently, Khakolak Boy is hard at work putting the finishing touches on his debut album, entitled “The Future,†with its follow-up already nearing completion. He is also focused on bringing attention to his music production team, Khakolak Boyz, formed with long-time musical collaborator Terry “T-Dub†Whitaker. His latest single, Evolved (The Dialogue), aims to bring hip-hop back to a place critics claim it can never return; Khakolak has the lyrical ability to prove them all wrong. When it comes to the chorus of his single “I’ll give you my all / Man I swear I will dog, just check the dialogue,†truer words have never been spoken.
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DISCOGRAPHY
DJ DBEFEKT - Spin Da Club III
Released March 2009
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