KC Slater & Shy the Duke Take On The Perception of Black Women In "Black Mona Lisa" Clip

I love the movement going on in hip-hop right now. When Black Collar Biz was really on his grind a few years ago, you saw the worlds of hip-hop and the arts scene in Trenton, NJ coming together, and last weekend, I got to see KC Slater & Shy the Duke take it to the next level.

They held a premiere for their "Black Mona Lisa" music video at Artworks Trenton, which was dope because they shot the video for the Rell Gambino-produced track at the local art gallery as well. It's dope to see them give back, considering they lit up the Art All Night - Trenton 2016 stage last summer.

The spot takes a look at how black women are perceived in America; it reminded me of that scene in The Birth of a Nation where Nat Turner essentially made his master buy the woman that would become his wife. I hated that scene, but it's a mirror of how things can be seen in real life, so it was dope to be able to have an open discussion about these kinds of things during the post-premiere discussion at Artworks.

Hopefully more local acts start bridging gaps like KC and Shy are. Word is they both have projects set to drop some time this year; if you rock with this track, grab their Adderall Rx album.

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KC Slater & Shy The Duke ft. DJItsjustAhmad - "Kings"

With their Adderall RX LP due out on July 12, KC Slater & Shy The Duke attack a jazzy bassline to talk speak not only on the fuckery in the cities, but who's still a threat and why. It's all done with a '90s flavor that has me more open than some of these other jokers who are infatuated with that era.

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There Are Some Dope Acts at Art All Night - Trenton 2016

Back in 2014, Black Collar Biz performed in front of one of the largest crowds I'd ever seen amassed in front of Art All Night - Trenton's main stage. It was dope because I'd just spoken to him a few weeks before the event, and it truly felt like something was about to happen. Collar did it for #TheTown, and it felt like there was a real moment; there's always been a hip-hop scene in Trenton, but I think the combination of the live band element fused with the raw poetry and the neo soul vibes really shifted the focus of the artists in Trenton.



It's been a wild ride for hip-hop at Art All Night - Trenton, and in the city in general, but for those of you looking for a few hip-hop/neo soul vibes at the event, take a glimpse at some of the dope neo soul/hip-hop acts that will be a part of the the three(!) music stages at Art All Night - Trenton this year.

And don't forget, Art All Night - Trenton isn't just about great music—their 10-year anniversary will feature an Iron Pour, live glassblowing, thousands of pieces of art, loads of delicious food, and much, much more. We're talking 24 hours of a great damn time in the city of Trenton. The festivities start at 3PM on June 18, 2016 and roll right through to 3PM on June 19, 2016 (which is Father's Day). I'll be there for at least that long—if you see me there, say whattup!

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