Koba (Phillipines)

“…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
 
Koba is an inventive, irreverent and unrepentantly radical hip-hop vocalist and producer hailing from Brooklyn, 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.