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Publication: The Stanford Daily, , Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Being an independent artist in the modern music industry is difficult, but Kota the Friend embraces that challenge. Since the start of his career, Kota has been a major advocate for independent artists, having a do-it-yourself mentality and maintaining full control over the artistic process. The Brooklyn rapper has been quickly growing his fanbase organically, without the promotion of a major label. Authentic and original content over often mellow, jazzy and lo-fi beats has built up a loyal following for Kota.
2019’s “FOTO” and 2020’s “EVERYTHING” have been two of the better hip-hop albums over the last couple of years. Both albums were able to capture Kota’s ever-peaceful vibe, but in different ways. “FOTO” had much more of the mellow and jazzy feel that a lot of Kota’s music is synonymous with, featuring smooth, emotional and introspective music. “EVERYTHING” took on a much more upbeat and tropical sound, and was another successful addition to his discography.
Statik Selektah is known by many in hip-hop to be one of the better modern producers. 2020’s “The Balancing Act” was his last effort, an album with a collection of incredible names as guest features. With such a breadth of experience and a versatility in style, I expect Statik to mesh well with Kota’s style and craft him a set of beats that complement his ambitions well.
Obviously, opinions can change greatly about an album as time passes. However, here is my initial reaction to each track and the album as a whole on my first listen of “To Kill A Sunrise.”
Kota the Friend & Statik Selektah: “To...