Rayko/KRB's Page

After the triumphant releases of the "Six" EP and the “Up Chuk Skat” Digital Single, Rayko/KRB has launched “The RockStar Poor LP”. This new album promises to go for the throat of mainstream radio, while retaining the hybrid hip-hop-pop-rock sound that garnered Rayko the “Readers’ Choice/Best Hip-Hop Vocalist” Award in the New Times. The guitar licks will still fly, but this time the beats are heavier, relying more on retro drum machines, fat bass lines, and soaring guest vocalists.

“The RockStar Poor LP” features a wide range of sonic moods, all intertwined in an album-wide story arc. The story evolves through the record, and re-invents the timeless tale of making a pact with the devil Herself. The varied chapters include the emotive ballad “Simple Love Song”, which delivers a heartfelt and very personal three and half minutes of Rayko. “Simple Love Song” has already placed #2 on The PMC Top Ten, with an audience of over 200,000 listeners. Album stand-out “Identity” best explains the many voices living in disharmony inside Rayko’s head, and features a Pink Floyd-style children’s choir over a sizzling hip-hop track. Rayko hits the clubs with “RockStar Poor”, a song that deals with the realities of being an independent musician, and “Take It Easy”, an anthem to end all anthems. The story culminates with “Better Daze”, a track that speaks of a whimsical past, and hopes for a better tomorrow.

C.C. Chapman of AccidentHash, has played nearly all of Rayko/KRB’s songs on Sirius Satellite Radio. After listening to the new album C.C. concluded, “Rayko has taken the concept of hip-hop, kicked it down the alley, beat it to a pulp, gave it a drink and let it back into the club with brand new respect.” Colin Meeks from IndieLaunchPad.com wrapped up his review with the following: “Eminently funky, with beats that you'd be hard pushed not to move to, this is an album that has all the Rayko hallmarks, but here there is a stronger sense of bravado. Actually, maybe bravado isn't the right term, I think maybe he's just grown a bigger set of balls. God help us if they get any bigger.” Those balls are on full display every time Rayko takes the stage with the new KRB. In the past year he has headlined SunFest in West Palm Beach, and has opened for Fiona Apple, Omarion, and yes, Michael Bolton.

“The RockStar Poor LP” brings together all of Rayko’s personal influences, fusing the worlds of hip-hop, and pop rock effortlessly. Rayko and the KRB dishes out hook after soaring hook, ultra catchy tunes, and lyrics that are at once witty and introspective. The last track on the album is the last chapter in the story, and invites the fans to decide for themselves Rayko’s fate.