K.M.D.
Long Beach, Long Island, New York-based rap outfit who have allied their breakbeats to a strong moral and political stance. This was made evident by their commitment to be a ‘positive Kause (sic) in a Much Damaged Society’, on their Rap The Vote college tour of the US, an attempt to encourage young people to vote. They were a key element in 3rd Bass's RIF production roster, whose M.C. Serch (who discovered them) and Pete Nice handled executive production duties on MR HOOD. The fluid sound of the latter featured twisted riffs and hip-hop holding together a barrage of samples. However, the following years would not prove easy ones for the band. Their DJ, Subroc, brother to lead rapper Zevlove X, was killed in a car accident in 1993. The band were just readying themselves for the release of a promotional single (What A Niggy Know), when they were called into a meeting with label bosses on April 8 1994, where chairman Bob Krasnow informed them that they were not happy with the artwork for BLACK BASTARDS. This featured a Sambo character being hung by the noose. The thinking, on KMD's part, was to ‘execute the stereotype’. However, R&B Billboard columnist Terri Rossi had already taken issue with the image, without really understanding the statement. It was a classic case of Time Warner paranoia in the wake of the Cop Killer issue, dropping the band even though they were prepared to discuss changes, and hardly the tonic a recovering Zevlove needed. Ironically, the music on the second long playing venutre was a more sober affair, in a more reflective mode ala A Tribe Called Quest. It was lyrically informed by Last Poet Gylan Kain's spoken jazz (notably the BLUE GEURILLA set).