Footage from a recent show that finds us performing crowd-favorite “Untitled” from the Universal album. Tough crowd that night, but we still did our thing. Appearances by D Rose and The Niyat. Filmed by (DJ?) Remix.

The last in a series of clips from our recent performance with D. Rose and The Niyat. We saved the best for last – “There Can Only Be One”.

From Remix (who was holding the camera):

“Ya know, when we walked in through the backstage, I had the camera on the guys the entire time. You could see that they weren’t taking themselves too seriously. They’re a group of regular guys with their own identities and personalities who have talents. They know they’re not pseudo-celebrities, or arrogant artists who can’t see through their own egos.

When we all hit the stage, the crowd was definitely expecting Tech Nine, but within 2 verses the boys won them over. Once ‘There Can Be Only One’ came on, they started really WATCHING. They were looking at the stage at first, but after a minute or so, they were intently watching. It was an interesting change.

As soon as the set was over, the boys all went back to being the same people they were before we went on: quiet, humble, funny, witty, interesting people capable of holding ACTUAL conversations and not feeling themselves because they can jump on stage and rap. They were normal people with no egos or misconceptions about who they are and what they do. Immediately we went back to talking about whatever inane, unimportant topic we were ranting about earlier, probably picking on each other.

A lot of the magic of these guys is really lost through the camera, but hopefully we can show it somehow over time.”

-Remix

The KO Show – Episode 2.2: “The Science” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Talk about irony – after knowing the members of The Niyat for over 15 years , this was the first time that we actually shared the same stage at the same time. Sure, we’ve had showcases together where we perform on separate sets, but this was a milestone for us.

This particular performance is a good study for younger musicians. No matter where you are in your career, you’ll occasionally come across crowds that are largely unfamiliar with your music. This show was a perfect example of that. Over the years, i’ve seen a lot of less experienced artists run into this situation, and are shocked because the audience isn’t really reacting to their show. Then they berate the audience and tell them “ya’ll ain’t feeling me” or “I thought {insert name of city here} knew what real music was!” Wrong move.

If you look closely at the video here, you’ll notice that the crowd – who has no idea who we are – are just kind of standing there and studying us. Listening. They came to see Tech N9ne. And when it came time for the crowd participation, they were right there with us. That’s a good sign.

So don’t get discouraged if you’re faced with an unfamiliar crowd and they’re not jumping through the ceiling for you. Do you best show, get them involved on some crowd participation, and if you’re opening for the headliner that they came to see – shout out the headliner.

Enjoy.

This is the first of a special 3-part edition of The Show, co-starring D. Rose and The Niyat. We take you behind the scenes of a recent performance.

The KO Show – Episode 2.1 “Before The Show” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

On Nov 3rd, we opened a show with Slaughterhouse and Tech N9ne as the headliner. We knew that it was going to be a pretty serious show, so we brought in D. Rose and The Niyat to make sure that the heavy hitters were represented. We’d heard about Tech N9ne’s fans and the Juggalo culture, but never really experienced them for ourselves.

Yeah…

They’re… interesting, to say the least. When you look at the video, you can tell that we’re a little apprehensive right before we hit the stage, but it turned out to be a good performance.

“Cameos” from members of Slaughterhouse.

This is part 1 of 3. Tomorrow we’ll premiere the performance of “The Science”. Thanks again to D. Rose and The Niyat. We’ll definitely have to do this more often! Thanks to Remix for the camera work.

We take a step aside from our normal programming to bring exclusive footage of a highly competitive game of chess between KO’s Damien, and the owner of HoustonHipHop.com, Remix.

The KO Show – Damien vs. Remix in Chess from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

We’ll have some more KO Show later this week. In the meantime, enjoy this Southside vs Northside rivalry take a turn to the extreme – with a game of chess. Without giving away the result, let’s just say that the perspn that lost the match on film redeemed themselves by winning when the cameras were turned off. A tiebreaker is eminent.

HISD feat. KO – “Summer So Good” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

There’s a movement going on at the bottom of the map. If you haven’t paid attention, then you’ve been missing a modern renaissance taking place in Houston, Texas. If you take a look back over the last few years, most of us have been involved in or connected to some of the most inspiring, influential creations to come across your iPods and computer screens. Remember these names: Kay, The ARE, K-OTIX, Chris “Daddy” Dave, D. Rose, The Foundation, J “8 Months” Lewis, Neon Collars, H.I.S.D., The Niyat, DJ Cozmos, Flow Factory and Lower Life Form. If you run through your favorite downloads from the last few years, they’re on at least half of them. And while we can dwell on our individual accomplishments, there’s something to be said about the strength that we have in numbers. We want you to look at this video with the understanding that it’s the first shot of a united front that hopes to change the landscape of the music that you’re listening to. We’ve challenged ourselves to create some of the most enjoyable music that we’ve listened to in a very long time – and we hope that you’ll enjoy it as much as we do. Embrace it.

 

The good people of The Legendary KO aka K-OTIX have released “The Reckoning”. This is an 8-track project that features some of the most aggressive, hard-hitting music that we’ve done to date. It also features special appearances by D Rose, The Niyat, Michele Thibeaux, Flow Factory, and Lower Life Form. This is basically a snapshot of what we’ve been up to since “48 Seasons” and “The Reason”. It’s also indicative of the format that we’ll probably follow with future releases: shorter projects that are released more frequently. Soon to follow after this one – “The Redemption”. K-OTIX / The Legendary KO “The Reckoning”   

1. Intro / Take A Bow – This song feels like the perfect intro track. In fact, we took the actual intro that we used at one of our shows and incorporated it at the beginning of the song. The irony is, most performers take their bows at the end of a performance, but we know that our shows have to go hard from the beginning. We’re taking that bow before we even get started.  

2. Down – Heat! One of our mottos is that we specialize in bangers. Those of you who have been around long enough remember the old, laid-back, jazzy KO of yesterday. They died a long time ago. Get over it. We try to bring the heat now. Music that challenges your manhood. Makes your girl wanna do push-ups. Puts hair on your chest. That’s what we’re coming with on this one.  

3. The Streets (Produced by Vango) – Vango has some stangers on the holster. I’ll have to admit – he stayed under our radar for a hot minute. Please be warned: this is another banger. There are also rumors of a KO / Vango project in the works. What rumors? Oops… did I say something?  

4. The Science (Featuring D Rose and The Niyat) – You already know how we get down with D Rose; we’ve also been working with them Niyat boys since day uno. This is another sign of things to come – a lot more of these collaborations.  

5. Addiction (Featuring Michele Thibeaux) – Everybody knows Michele. If you don’t, please catch up. Her voice is the silk sheet on a Tempur – Pedic mattress. She’s worked with us a lot in the past, most notably on the groundbreaking “Ethos” project. We used her a little differently this time by utilizing her on the prelude to the song. The bass was played live by Denis of Neon Collars.  

6. On Ya Grind Remix (Featuring Flow Factory) – As the name implies, this is the remix of a track that will appear on Flow Factory’s long-awaited “Language Arts” album. These guys sound good together, and even better with us (wink wink). Can’t wait for their album to drop.  

7. Damn Right (Featuring Lower Life Form) – This one was kind of like cheating, but why mess up a good thing. This is technically a remix for “Let’s Go” from Lower Life Form’s upcoming album. But in the tradition of re-recordings (see-Black Moon, etc) we completely re-imagined this song and still made it hit hard.  

8. It’s Over Now – We end it the same way we began it – with heat. It’s more of a ultimatum than an affirmation. Step up or get stepped on. I wonder if we can get this licensed for an EA Sports game? Hmm…

Download THE RECKONING Here!!!

You can still download THE REASON here!!!!

Enjoy!