“Let’s stop with the pretentiousness and all the second guessing, it’s time to use this art for more than merely self-expression,” is the chorus for Brandon Mitchell’s song “Hypocrisy.” Mitchell, better known to his fans as MC Kadence (as-he-is), is a Progressive Hip Hop artist from Ann Arbor.
Kadence comes from the word cadence, referring to the “rhythm of speech,” a name Mitchell gained from his friend and former DJ when he was 19 years old. The addition “As-He-Is” refers to Tendai/Nichiren Buddihism, which according to the artist’s blog “Kadence of The Real,” can be explained in his posting “Important Inquiries re: (phenomenology and the question of being).”
Kadence said, “They talk about absolute reality. I’m showing who I am.”
Around 1993, Kadence started his rap career. “I started rapping at 13,” he said. “I was listening to Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Especially Snoop Dogg, with his way of speaking and technique. I was like, ‘This is sweet! I want to try this!’”
Kadence did rap for a few years before taking a break and playing with different styles of music. It wasn’t until he reached his senior year of high school that Kadence turned back to rap.
“When I was right out of high school, I did battle rap,” Kadence said. “I was really into the battle rap scene.” While the style used for battle rap is very different than what he does now, the artist described how his experience in battle rap allows him to be aggressive in the music he writes. “I basically won a bunch of rap battles. Free style was all I did for two years.” After consistently winning three to five rap battles in a row for years, he said, “I was getting tired of it.”
As Kadence was getting more into rap, he started gaining new musical influences that guided him in his road to fame. The Roots was his first major influence in the mid 90s. Another important influence was Georgia Anne Muldrow, who was his first exposure to conscience rap.
As Kadence was working on his music, so was another Hip Hop artist who was living in Ann Arbor. This other artist is known as Samiyam. Kadence said, “I knew Sam before he knew Steve from Flying Lotus.”
Kadence uses a lot of Sam’s beats in his music, and has an album titled Kadence vs. Samiyam due to the combination of Kadence’s rap with Sam’s beat.
“The local scene here in Ann Arbor is super tight knit,” Kadence said. “I pretty much grew up with most of Sam’s friends.”
Kadence said, “I seriously started to write lines around 2002.” It was at this time that Kadence was changing his music from rap to what became Progressive Hip Hop. “The beats I have now from Georgia are a synthesis of the early 90s west coast stuff I grew up with, and that inspired me to rap in the first place,” Kadence said.
“The Roots [in the] mid-late 90s [and] J Dilla influenced, composed and inspired work. We got to have the best in technique and content. How you manipulate your voice, rhyme scheme, the cleverness. Combine that with dope content.” Kadence manages to do both perfectly. While the beats themselves are fresh, the lyrics are powerful and deep, and the combination is beautiful.
Kadence’s next album is already starting to get on its way, as soon as he gets his latest beat from Georgia Anne Muldrow. As for dreams, the Progressive Hip Hop artist says, “I hope to get to a level where I can travel more frequently, and get out more.”
Kadence has already traveled to nine European countries and 13 different cities, his favorite of which was Vienna, Austria. Yet this local artist dreams of more. Using his networks and his music to inspire, Kadence concludes, “I think it’s really important to try and use connections and to raise consciences.”
You can check out MC Kadence (as he is) on facebook http://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaAnneMuldrow#!/pages/MC-Kadence-as-he-is/194856982461?sk=info or follow him on twitter. And make sure to check out his music. I promise, the politically-aware college student in you won’t be disappointed.
