Modern funk guitar hero Eric Krasno and indie rap legend Wax are back with the second single from their upcoming collaborative album, "LIGHT YEARS," released by Feel Music Group. The new song "Higher" is a heartfelt boom-bap banger that hearkens back to the era of Kanye's first and second albums. This time, the duo has recruited features from hip-hop cultural icon Talib Kweli and Lettuce frontman Nigel Hall, who provides the wonderfully catchy and powerful, soul-drenched hook. Kweli blesses the track with a classic display of lyrical prowess he is known for, then Wax comes in on the second verse with a take-no-prisoners energy that grabs your attention by the throat. This song is an anthem fit for the title credits of a Hollywood blockbuster. You've got to hear this one!
Fresh off winning his 2023 Grammy, the modern funk guitarist and all-around prolific musician Eric Krasno (aka Kraz) has added Wax to his list of epic collaborations. To date, his credits include being a founding member of Lettuce, Soulive, King Canyon, and more. He also boasts production credits for a wide array of artists ranging from Aaron Neville and Norah Jones to Justin Timberlake. Surprisingly to most fans, he is also an established and successful hip-hop producer who has worked with artists such as 50 Cent, Talib Kweli, Redman, and many others over the past few decades. Kraz's new project titled LIGHT YEARS blends his worlds to bring a live hip-hop vibe center stage, drawing from his immense production chops alongside the indie rapper powerhouse Wax.
Wax is a gifted, unpredictable wordsmith and multi-instrumentalist who has been touring and releasing albums since the early 2000s. After catching a wave of online success by creating many viral music videos on YouTube, he was signed to Def Jam Records in 2011. His two mixtapes, "Scrublife" and "Eviction Notice," released at that time are still considered classics by his cult fanbase. In 2013, Wax released the viral music video for "Rosana," which resulted in a record contract with Warner Music Germany. The song has earned an RIAA Gold Record and charted number one in Germany, Austria, and several other countries. Since then, Wax has steadily released quirky-yet-poppy independent hip-hop albums and toured continuously for his very loyal cult following. In 2018, Wax quit drinking alcohol, which he says was a serious detriment to his artistic output, and now he is back with a vengeance, rapping like he is making up for lost time.
Kraz and Wax have been friends and occasional collaborators for many years. Their shared love for organic, funk/jazz-inspired hip-hop beats prompted them to team up on the LIGHT YEARS project. While Wax and Kraz dabble in a lot of the same things musically (they both play guitar, make beats, sing, and write lyrics), their different approaches balance each other out in the studio. Kraz tends to be more serious, while Wax is more comedic. On this project, they threw ego to the side and really allowed each other to critique beats, verses, hooks, guitar parts, and anything else.
"I get to really just be a rapper on this project, so I took the time to craft the verses meticulously. I want people who hear this that have no idea who I am to go, 'Oh, I see why Kraz fucks with this dude,'" says Wax.
"I like working with Kraz because when we feel like we have made something dope he turns up the volume, gets out of his producer chair, and just kinda stalks around the studio feeling the music. He ALWAYS has fun when he works. Not everyone is like that," he adds.
With the new project, LIGHT YEARS, the non-stop duo hearkens back to the classic producer/rapper combo like Gang Starr or Pete Rock and CL Smooth. Kraz describes LIGHT YEARS as “highbrow boom-bap hip-hop.” With features from legend Talib Kweli and upcoming star Marlon Craft, ensure fans of pure hip-hop lyricism will not be disappointed. Topics range from the modern political climate to coping with existential dread, to light-hearted relationships, to, OF COURSE, straight-up braggadocio rap bars. Nigel Hall and Andy Frasco both make appearances on the album to sing some infectious choruses.
“Higher” is out now and releasing on Feel Music Group – You've got to hear this one!
