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    PAST III KINGS ARTICLES

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    SKOPE Magazine: May, 05th, 2002 III Kings: Have Arrived Bearing Gifts Music of innovation and inspiration drove the genre of hip-hop from the bricks of poverty stricken housing developments to the boardrooms of corporate America. With growth came uniformity, culture was lost in commerce. The hardcore following, those who were raised by the genre’s founding fathers are fading fast. Hip-hop heads in search of alternative means to satisfy their musical needs may have turned to reggae, international music, or even the old school. Without having to turn their backs or turn back their clocks on the game, disciples of hip-hop culture can find salvation in Boston based III Kings, who have arrived bearing gifts of reggae’s feel-good vibe, the traditions of international music and the social awareness of the old school. Skope Magazine caught up with Michael Henry (vocals), Joshua Melvin (vocals), Amadeau Tolentino (vocals), Benjamin Wright (bass), Michael Hermans (guitars), Cannon Dweese (drums) and Luis Blanco (percussions) following an acoustic set at the Virgin Mega-store I had the pleasure of sitting down with the World Music Hip-Hop ensemble and openly discussing their roots, their sound and their new debut album.

    Louder Magazine: April, 07th, 2003 Album Reviews: Feature Boston Local Band III Kings- Salvation By far the most diverse band in Boston and probably the country. With hip-hop and reggae being the base, the III Kings incorporate the sounds of the world in this album. Whether it is West Africa, Middle Eastern or Caribbean, the III Kings cover it all. Listening to this album made me think back to Arrested Development and The Fugees, but don’t get me wrong, the III Kings bring their own style to the mix.

    Northeast Performer: December, 08th, 2003 Reviews Recorded: III Kings – Salvation Engineered by Bill Crabtree at Q Division, Somerville Mastered by Jonathan Wyner at Mworks, Cambridge III Kings aptly titled debut album, Salvation, is the long-awaited result of four years of musical experimentation. The Allston based reggae/hip-hop/world music band have successfully foregone the trappings of Boston’s rigid ideals of reggae and rap, exploring instead the possibilities created when three dancehall influenced emcees get up in front of a talented Berklee backing band. The result is impressive: a heavily orchestrated monolith of an album – complete with full printed song lyrics – by a band who are here to save us all. Salvation is a glorious album: soaring strings fly overhead, conga and djembe drums emerge out of the atmosphere, a woman sings warmly in an ancient language. The ‘kings’ of the band, Michael Henry aka JUNIOR, Madu, and Joshua Melvin, pepper these lush soundscapes with revolutionary/conscious lyrics. The songs range from the introspective title track to the battle hardened “Something Serious,” all the while maintaining a production value rare among local releases. As a matter of fact, Salvation doesn’t sound ‘local’ at all, but rather the product of a major label finishing for platinum. The ‘Kings’ aren’t looking to get signed right now, joining the growing number of bands self-publishing their albums and finding their own distribution. So far they’ve done a damn good job. This disc will dominate every house party in Allston and Brighton through next semester and soon extend far beyond. They’re destined for success, so go buy a copy and be one of the first.

    Weekly Dig Magazine: October, 05th, 2004 Dig This: Music Performances Written By: Nolan Gawron Katrina Benefit Show featuring: Akrobatic, III Kings, & Jeff Robinson OK, so maybe you’re bummed because that cute redhead lied to get out of a date with you, or you missed the C train again. Or maybe you’re kinda stressed out because an enormous fucking hurricane destroyed New Orleans, and now thousands are homeless or dead. How can you possibly enjoy yourself again? Two words (sort of), brah: hip-hop. Let the beer and charity flow from kegs and wallets like bacteria thick water from a broken levee. Weeklydig.com

    The Boston Phoenix: September 3rd -9th , 2004 Live & On Record Written By: David Boffa BOSTON’S III KINGS: RAP AND REGGAE All exceptions to the rule aside, reggae and hip-hop share a certain sensibility in that their musical parts are mainly intended to set the backdrop for vocals. At the Paradise this past Saturday night, the local group III Kings established that reggae and hip-hop can share the same stage without compromising either’s power or substance. They even set up a vocalist in front and instrumentalist towards the back to give more attention to the lyrics. A short introduction from vocalist Joshua Melvin started the show while guitarist Michael Hermans, bassist Benjamin Wright and drummer Cannon Dweese added a soulful accompaniment. The rhythm section set the tone early – there would be no flashy solo antics; rather the drums, bass and guitar would act as one unit to produce tight and clean rhythms. Although the melodies were mostly repetitive, there was certainly no lack of imagination to the music played. Michael Hermans’s specialty lies in creating a necessary mix of standard guitar chords with eclectic palm-muted and wah-wah blasted riffs to keep each song fresh.Just as soon as the introduction ended, vocalist Khameleon and Amadeu Tolentino joined Melvin to get the show rolling. As the rhythm section played more of a subaltern role, the vocal section took over with each singer bouncing fast-paced rhymes back and forth, each giving way to the next while continuing the onslaught of aggressive verbiage. This – combined with the band members jumping around yelling, “Get your hands up!” – gave the show a free-for-all atmosphere, and the crowd fed off their unlimited supply of energy.

    Boston Herald: Friday, February, 27, 2004 Kings of the World: Diverse backgrounds fuel these III rappers Written by: LARRY KATZ You can find hip-hop rappers and reggae rappers in Boston. You can find rhythm-driven African bands and guitars-driven rock bands, too.But you won’t find another band in Boston -- or anywhere else –putting together all these flavors like III (say “three”) Kings. This fast-rising collective, which headlines the Paradise tomorrow, is winning a diverse audience with its music and message of liberation. Older fans can find echoes of Bob Marley, Fela Kuti and Chuck D., while younger fans hear the sort of political and social wake-up call sounded by Rage Against the Machine and Roots. III Kings’ multicultural power – captured on its self released debut CD, “Salvation” – springs naturally from its members’ differing backgrounds. This became clear when the group’s three rappers and frontmen got together on a recent morning at a Dunkin Donuts across the street from the III King’s rehearsal studio in an industrial building in Brighton. “I am from the Cape Verde islands” Amadeu Tolention said, “and I have family all of West Africa. Drums are very big in my culture. People here are mostly familiar with the more melodic side of Cape Verdean music, like Cesaria Evora, but there is a heavier side. A hand drum driven side in the working people’s music that helps you get through the day.”Tolentino, 24, moved to Boston when he was 11. He met Connecticut native Joshua Melvin while studying acting at Curry College. “I grew up in Bridgeport,” Melvin said. “The music there is very gritty, very hardcore hip-hop. I was always interested in live music, but coming from there, it wasn’t easy to get into that. It was all about the sampling and turntables, not playing instruments. So I started freestyling when I was 10 or 11. My uncle had a couple groups and I’d go down in the basement with them. I’d be with my friends trying to freestyle and stuff. ”After leaving Curry Melvin and Tolentino kept making music together.“We showed each other different cultures,” Tolentino said. “He showed me some hip-hop that I didn’t know and I showed him music he didn’t know. In the process of getting to know each other, our music meshed as well. I would do some African rhythms and Josh would rap over them.” “Then Mike came into the picture and brought a lot of Caribbean reggae flavor. ”The Third King Michael Henry met Tolentino at Roxbury Community College.“I was born in Boston, but I had grandparents and uncles and aunts in Jamaica,” Henry said. “I had the best of both worlds. My father was always big on having me know where he came from and the struggle he had. So I spent a lot of summers working on farms in Jamaica with my family.”The suggestion tat each King represents a different musical culture strikes them as not only simplistic, but also terribly funny.“No, no,” Melvin said after the group stopped laughing. “We didn’t set out like, ‘OK, you be the reggae guy and you be the African guy and you be the hip-hop guy.’” “What you hear is our music is not just our backgrounds,” Henry said, “it’s the intertwining. As we grow, we learn from each other. It’s like a musical metamorphosis.” “I’ve never done a show where I’ve felt, ‘This is my time,’” Tolentino said. “I always feel like when Mike’s talking, I’m talking. When Josh is talking, I’m talking. When the band is playing, I’m playing. I just feel so connected with this band. We speak through each other.”The others nod their heads.“The name III Kings came because the three of us started this band originally,” Tolentino said. “But there are other musicians in the band, too. Amazing musicians. Mike Hermans on guitar. Benjamin Wright, bass, Cannon Dweese plays drums. And a conga player, Luis Blanco, who’s pretty much part of the group now. We’re very fortunate to have them. They take a simple idea and reinterpret it in a way that’s unbelievable.” And all six – or seven – are the Kings.“The Kings part of our name,” Tolentino explained, “means to be in control of your own life. We live in a world that is so commercialized where everything is forced-fed (to) you. The radio tells you what to listen to. We don’t have a chance to think or grow. To be a king is to create your own destiny and make your own choices.”Which is what the III Kings are doing.“It can be difficult without a label to support you,” Tolentino said, but the good part is we don’t have anyone to answer to. We’re the booking agent, the graphic designers, the Web designers, the musicians, the composers, the A&R.”“We’re the street team,” added Henry, “the guys that put up the posters.”“And the roadies,” Melvin said. The Kings dissolve in laughter again.“What we’re trying to do something bold, daring, new,” Tolentino said. “It started with more like a feeling than a sound. None of us knew what the end product would be. But not being easy to define has made it easier to find an audience. We play for people who love music.”“It’s definitely a melting pot when you step into a room where III Kings is playing,” Henry said. “You’ll see an array of people. Old, young, black, white. At our shows, you will not be the only one of you. You won’t feel alone.”

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