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"...mad-as-hell Koba delivered one of the afternoon's angriest and most on point performances which drew high praise from the crowd." - Urb Magazine, April 2005

"Koba recited lyrics that earnestly expressed his grievances with the state of hip-hop." - The Nation Magazine, March 16, 2005

"While most rappers hide behind facades of wealth and power, Koba has been steadily growing his fanbase by simply sharing his innermost thoughts. His music takes listeners back to a time when hip hop was about creating poetry and art, and at the same time ushers them forward with modern beats and skillful rhymes. His raw and energetic live shows with the legendary DJ Boo are not to be missed." - City Scoops Magazine, April 26, 2009

Koba is an inventive, irreverent and unrepentantly radical hip-hop vocalist slash producer hailing from Harlem, New York. For five years he entertained audiences from coast to coast as part of the Asian-American hip-hop group Kontrast, culminating with the release of their album Pencils. In an increasingly corporate and homogenous genre drowning in the illusory pursuit of bling, exaggerated portrayals of thuggery and the relegation of women to video objects, Koba is working to forge a new musical synthesis. Mixing a gritty musical gumbo consisting of the honeyed melodies of soul, the bounce of Southern hip-hop and the poetry and swaggering wit of today's best lyricists, Koba brings a vibrant sense of urgency fueled by his firmly internationalist world view. "It's not enough to live in nostalgia for the days of Public Enemy," Koba points out, "if it ain't fresh it ain't shit." In his quest for freshness Koba enlists help from Toronto-based co-producer Gamshooter of All Day Productions and the formidable DJ Boo, also of the Juggaknots, who provides the backbone to their sweat-drenched live show.

Koba and DJ Boo have rocked at venues and schools across the country like the future depends on it, sharing the stage with Talib Kweli, Slum Village, dead prez, Last Emperor, Immortal Technique, Medusa, Vernon Reid, C Rayz Walz, X-Ecutioners, Outernational and others at such venues as SOB's, the Knitting Factory, the Wetlands, CBGB's, the Lion's Den, the Middle East and elsewhere. Koba is currently working on his debut solo album Culture War slated for a summer 2008 release. As an aspiring mountaineer it is only fitting that he fights to bring hip-hop to the heights.

Koba's Homepage -- kobasounds.com
Add Koba as a friend on Facebook: "Koba Sounds"

Koba and DJ Boo at Foxcroft Boarding School, Virginia

Koba live at the Bowery Poetry Club
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