KeyKool

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Key-Kool
Background = solo_singer
Origin = North Torrance, California, United States
Genre = Hip hop
Occupation = Rapper, producer
Years_active = 1989–present
Label = Up Above Records
Associated_acts = The Visionaries
URL = [http://www.upabove.com www.upabove.com] Key-Kool is a third generation Japanese American that got involved in hip-hop in the early '80s when he began pop-locking and breakdancing and picked up DJing in 1983. Key-Kool lived behind the Roadium Swapmeet in Torrance, CA where a record stand owned by Steve Yano had a wide selection of vinyl from both the East and West Coast. As a young hip-hop fiend, Key-Kool hung out at the Roadium record stand every weekend, and witnessed the forming and explosion of N.W.A., (Steve Yano is credited for introducing Eazy E to Dr. Dre, which spawned N.W.A.), which would later influence Key-Kool in releasing records independently.

Key-Kool gained recognition as an up and coming DJ and by the young age of 15, Key was DJing college parties, clubs, and various gigs. In 1989, Ice T Rhyme Syndicate Management recruited Key to be in a group, called the United Nations Committee, (where he met fellow Visionaries member LMNO , introducing him to the music industry. After the UNC broke up, Key would continue his ventures in the music industry.

Up Above

Key-Kool partnered with Intellect (aka Captiol I) and signed a record deal to an indie label Wild West Records. Unhappy with the situation, Key opted out of the contract. Around the same time, Key met USC business grad Doug Kato, and Doug became Key's manager. Key decided to go solo and began recording demo songs when Doug ran into an old friend DJ Rhettmatic. Key and Rhett began working together and eventually formed a group Kozmonautz. Reluctant to deal with major labels at the time that suggested Key and Rhett negatively exploit their Asian American heritage, Key, Rhett, and Doug with the mentoring of industry power-player Violet Brown, decided to release their record independently starting the label, Up Above Records.

=Kozmonautz= Key-Kool, & DJ Rhettmatic were nationally recognized as one of the first Asian Americans to release a hip-hop album. In 1995 they released Kozmonautz received critical acclaim in national publications such as The Source, Rap Sheet, Rappages, and URB magazine. The Source Magazine refer to Key-Kool & Rhettmatic as "Asian hip-hop soldiers" and call their b-side posse cut E=MC5 "an underground classic" (Feb. ’96) . In the academic world, "Reconcentrated," Key-Kool's lyrical thesis on the incarceration of Japanese in America during World War II, , has been used in classrooms from coast to coast including: NYU, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Loyola University Chicago, Columbia University, to name a few. The Kozmonautz album had the first official song released by the The Visionaries, entitled "Visionaries (Stop Actin' Scary)." With fellow members and friends, LMNO] , Lord Zen, Dannu, and 2Mex. Visionaries have gained a large following releasing their four albums, touring the U.S., Europe, Japan, and continue picking up momentum with their energetic live show and infectiously uplifting music.

=Discography=

=Key-Kool & Rhettmatic=
* "Kozmonautz" (1995)

Visionaries

* "Galleries" (1997-8)
* "Sophomore Jinx" (2000)
* "Pangaea" (2004)
* "We Are The Ones (We've Been Waiting For)" (2006)

Lyrically appears on

* "Kozmonautz (album)" (as an MC of the duo KeyKool & Rhettmatic) (1997)
* "Galleries (album)" (as an MC in the group Visionaries) (1997)
* "Sophomore Jinx (album)" (as an MC in the group Visionaries) (2000)
* "Pangaea (album)" (as an MC in the group Visionaries) (2004)
* "We Are The Ones (We've Been Waiting For) (album)" (as an MC in the group Visionaries) (2004)
* "Ubiquity" (with DJ Rhettmatic, Evidence, Divine Styler) (1998)
* "Rob One Tribute" (with Rob One All Stars) (2000)
* "Time to Grow Up" (with Mum's The Word) (2000)
* "Upside Down" (with Mind Clouders) (2000)
* "Associated Somehow" (with Urbanites) (2001)
* "Truth Serum" (with Writer's Block) (2001)
* "Next Stop" (with Writer's Block) (2001)
* "Frail Beats" (with Subtitle) (2001)
* "Lifted-Tek-Knowledge-G" (LRG 7" Exclusive with LMNO & DJ Rhettmatic) (2001)
* "Loud Telepathy" (with LMNO) (2004)
* "Itinuous Blessings" (with LMNO) (2004)
* "Hands On" (with DJ Numark) (2004)
* "Forgive Us" (with LMNO) (2005)
* "Negotiate" (with LMNO) (2005)
* "SonGodSuns At Night" (with SonGodSuns aka 2Mex) (2005)
* "Get It Together" (with LD & Ariano) (2006)
* "SonGodSuns At Night" (with SonGodSuns aka 2Mex) (2005)

Production Credits

* "Kik Yo Kan" (from Key-Kool & Rhettmatic album Kozmonautz) (1995)
* "Hit The Fence" and "Courage" (from LMNO debut single Hit the Fence) (1996)
* "Lady of the Lake" (from Of Mexican Descent album Exitos y mas Exitos) (1996)
* "Highsmen" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "The Gallery" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Rejoice and Praise" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Love (Hip-Hop)" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Humanitree" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Pope Mobile" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Here to Stay" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Say Where" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Rob No One" (from Visionaries debut album Galleries) (1997)
* "Revision" (vinyl exclusive from Visionaries single Couch Potato) (1998)
* "Audio Screen Part 1 and 2" (vinyl exclusive from Visionaries singles Come On & Couch Potato) (1998)
* "So Far" (vinyl exclusive from Writer's Block single Basically) (1999)
* "1st Things 1st" (from LMNO debut album Leave My Name Out) (2000)
* "Natural Beauty" (from LMNO debut album Leave My Name Out) (2000)
* "Enhanced" & "James Addiction" (vinyl exclusive from LMNO single Natural Beauty) (2000)
* "Quattroduction" (from Visionaries album "Sophomore Jinx") (2000)
* "Somersault Suicide" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "L.A. Fresh" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "Tipping The Scales" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "Self Sufficient" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "Come One Come All" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "Spiritual Warfare" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "Who" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "Together or Separate" (from Visionaries album Sophomore Jinx) (2000)
* "Lifted-Tek-Knowledge-G" (from Visionaries limited edition 7" vinyl promo LRG Clothing) (2000)
* "Truth Serum" (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "Road to Monte Carlo" (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "Kiyomitro" (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "Avenue of Hope" (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "Basically" (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "Spin the Wax" (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "Poetry Explains" (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "Via Satellite" co-produced by DJ Rhettmatic (from Writer's Block album En Route) (2001)
* "DoMakeSayThink" (from Visionaries album Pangaea) (2004)
* "Believe It" (from Visionaries album Pangaea) (2004)
* "Nine Eleven" (from Visionaries album Pangaea) (2004)
* "Broken Silence" (from Visionaries album Pangaea) (2004)
* "DoMakeSayThink" (from Visionaries album Pangaea) (2004)
* "Meeting of the Minds" for Eligh, Murs, 2Mex, KeyKool, and LMNO verses (from Visionaries album Pangaea) (2004)
* "Damsel In Distress" (from LMNO album Economic Food Chain Music) (2004)
* "We Need You" (from LMNO album Economic Food Chain Music) (2004)
* "Microphone Love" (from Writer's Block album Next Stop) (2005)
* "Faith" (from Writer's Block album Next Stop) (2005)
* "How We Chant" (from Writer's Block album Next Stop) (2005)
* "Every Day" (from SonGodSuns album Over the Counter Culture) (2005)
* "Everywhere Once" (from SonGodSuns album Over the Counter Culture) (2005)
* "P's & Q's" (from LMNO album P's & Q's) (2005)
* "When Reality Starts" (from LD & Ariano album A Thin Line) (2006)
* "The Moreye/Reprise" (from Visionaries album "We Are The Ones (We've Been Waiting For) (album)") (2006)
* "School Daze" (from Visionaries album "We Are The Ones (We've Been Waiting For) (album)") (2006)
* "We Are the Ones" (from Visionaries album "We Are The Ones (We've Been Waiting For) (album)") (2006)

=References=

External links

* [http://www.upabove.com/ official Label Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/keykool myspace.com page]