The man who arguably loves Hiphop more than you: Kenzo Digital

I had the pleasure of being introduced to Kenzo Digital at a brunch/informal meeting/focus group through a very good and talented friend Josh Madden. We all spoke in detail and length about the world we live in today and some of the ideas that have been lost in all of this viral media and reality television nonsense that the market has been saturated with. After some talking, Kenzo told me a bit about a project that he had put together, it was hard for him to describe it, so I took a leap of faith and jumped a taxi to check it out. I was quite curios…

City of God's Son

Naturally I thought to myself that this might be a spin-off of the film, City of God, produced by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, it wasn’t in anyway shape or form related to City of God. This wasn’t just a film, it was a play, a Greek Tragedy, a bedtime story, a lullaby, it was whatever you wanted it to be. The beauty in what he did is he created a platform that we take for granted everyday: we forget the strength of our senses and our ability to recreate settings with our memories. When I close my eyes, I can relive nearly every moment of my past, but only because I appreciate all that I have been allowed to see. Our perception of what is essential to our development and survival is completely dependable on the circumstances that we are faced with. In order to properly appreciate this self-induced dramatization you must close your eyes for the entire duration of the event, listen to the sounds and create your own world. City of God’s Son was fantastic and I recommend it for any and everyone that is interested in experiencing something original.

What Kenzo did successfully was take something that was art and still is art: music. He was detailed with his method by taking films like Scarface that inspired just about every hip-hop artist and still does and he created this elaborate mythical story of his own within it, but to take it a step further, by requiring one to close their eyes, he allows all of us to create our own images for this story – FANTASTIC. Essentially he has created art and a new medium for sharing it. His art can or cannot be created alone, but by working with others he is showing us how sophisticated his approach is.

Here is the trailer for artwork.

Although we live in a very digital world in which people often feel more comfortable communicating through words type on keypads, it is refreshing to see art created in a modern way that still pays homage to that which has inspired so many. People forget that Hiphop wasn’t always just “rap.” Instead it was a movement of people that didn’t fit in to the normal categories of society: we were different and the media couldn’t rationalize our actions that’s why we were hiphop. The Beastie Boys were Hiphop. Kurtis Blow was Hiphop. Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, and the list can go on, but essentially if you stood for change you were Hiphop in my opinion at least. These ideas have not necessarily transcended with time, but if we are lucky we can see a glimpse on stages, records, or a party, but it is rarely documented. I’m thankful that Kenzo was able to put this together in the way that he did for all to experience.

Here are some quotes from some individuals who have experienced City of God’s Son.

“A Quentin Tarantino-esque piece of pop art that uses 90’s hip-hop culture as its palette”
- The Huffington Post, Ben Arnon, January 13, 2009

“A new project that fuses sampling culture with gangster storytelling.”
- Kanye West, January 16, 2009

“A unique new project that fuses sampling culture with the type of gangster storytelling that would make Scorsese proud.”
- Complex Magazine, January 13, 2009

“The project is a spectacular sound scape into the world of the iconic gangster.”
- Hypebeast.com, January 13, 2009

“There is nothing on Earth at all like City Of God’s Son.”
- Cinema Suicide blog, August 26, 2009

You can download the project here

*Please be advised*

*IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU WATCH BOTH THE TRAILER AND THE “CINEMA FOR THE BLIND” VIDEO FIRST TO BEST UNDERSTAND HOW TO EXPERIENCE THIS PROJECT, AS IT IS A SOUND FILM, NOT AN ALBUM*

*PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS AT NIGHT, ON HEADPHONES, IN A DARK ROOM FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT. CLOSING YOUR EYES OR WEARING A BLIND FOLD FOR THE ENTIRE PIECE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*

Happy Monday.