Kaze

Few musicians are endowed with the patience and endurance that Kaze has displayed. Then again, few rappers are endowed with the skill and tenacity that Kaze has displayed over the years. What does all this mean? It means that as soon this Chapel Hill emcee signed his record deal with Steve Rifkind’s SRC/ Universal Motown after splitting a $100,000 purse and recording contract in 2009’s SRC/Loud.com rapper challenge, everyone, including him, probably let out a 10-second sigh of relief.

Soon thereafter, Kaze released the DJ Whoo Kid-hosted mixtape First in Flight aka 4Letters. On songs like the 9th Wonder-produced “Fresh”,” we heard a lighter, more commercial-friendly Kaze, very much unlike the rapid-firing aggressor as which he’d earned his reputation. If this trend continues, it’d be something we could easily adjust to, and if even we couldn’t, we still have the classic 9th Wonder-remixed version of Kaze’s debut album Spirit of ‘94.

In North Carolina, a music festival without a local hip hop architect like Kaze might as well take place in the back of minivan parked in the middle of a Wal-Mart parking lot. Luckily, we get to pay homage to a fine Tar Heel emcee who’s represented good-natured hip-hop in every possible way. —Eric Tullis