Review: "A Thousand Shades of Black." Album by Kaze4letters
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“A Thousand Shades of Black.” is the newest album from North Carolina rapper and VibeHouse founder, Kevin “Kaze” Thomas a.k.a. Kaze4Letters. Upon my first impression of its rather clever title, I did go in to the album expecting Kaze4Letters to concentrate solely on current political and racial matters of concern in the U.S. To my surprise, he covers a wide variety of everyday topics from love and relationships to black excellence and self-improvement, all from a mature, thoughtful and socially conscious lens.
On the subject of politics and race, the album opens and closes with two of its most powerful tracks: “Wake Up” and “Good Trouble”. The former has a soul-stirring, piano-driven beat and lyrics based on the recent police shootings of Breonna Taylor and Philando Castile, among others. The mellow, jazzy track “Good Trouble” finds Kaze4letters verbally defying a broken system that has kept African Americans subjugated for decades.
As expected, there are a few motivational joints, like the upbeat, bouncy “Past the Sun” with its potent, self-affirmative lyrics and DOPE scratches from DJ Flash and “Bringing Me Down” with its themes of quelling external critics and embracing your greatness, backed by a tranquil musical backdrop, brilliantly sung hook by Kaze4letters himself and beautiful post-hook by guest singer Alo Ver.
There’s also a few love-and-relationship-centered cuts on the album, like the breezy, sunny track “Be Yours” where Kaze4letters raps and sings (he does some 90s-R&B-inspired crooning on the hook) to a girl he wants to share his life with, and “Higher” (which features a great hook from guest singer Ethan Taylor) where he pays tribute to his significant other.
But the album’s major highlight comes in the form of “Dear Son”, which involves Kaze4letters sharing words of wisdom with his son. Not only does it have the best instrumental (a driving, soulful, 9th Wonder-esque beat) and most heartfelt lyrics, but it truly feels like a destined moment where Kaze4letters finally imparts the lessons he’s learnt throughout his life to a new generation of listeners.
Overall, I really enjoyed “A Thousand Shades of Black”. The production is consistent throughout, the performances from Kaze4letters and his guests are stellar, the subject matter is varied, relatable and relevant and there’s no shortage of thoughts, opinions and wordplay brought to the table. Whether you’re a fan of Kaze4letters’ music from the jump, or a newbie like I am, this album is a definite must listen!