Articles by Kelly "K-Fresh" Frazier

Renaissance Soul September 29, 2020

Renaissance Soul Podcast Ep.9 – The Branding of Detroit Hip Hop Episode (w/ Illustrator & Designer Mario “Khalif” Butterfield)

For this episode, your host Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier is joined by designer, photographer, illustrator, film director, fashion designer, Mario “Khalif” Butterfield to talk about the branding and marketing history behind Detroit hip-hop. We get into how he first found himself in the Detroit hip-hop scene as a designer and photographer, who he met, what he learned, and how he networked throughout the city. Once he got comfortable in his skills, he was able to help improve the visual aspects of Detroit hip-hop starting in the mid 90s advocating that the full product package is important for a music artist.

Fresh is the Word September 25, 2020

Episode #230: Sly5thAve – Brooklyn-Based Grammy Award Winning Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer, Arranger, New Album “What It Is” Out Now Via Tru Thoughts

The guest for this episode is Grammy Award winning Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer Sly5thAve, who just released his new album What It Is via Tru Thoughts. We do on a track-by-track breakdown of the new album and how his musical upbringing influences his work. We also talk about his move to New York over a decade ago where he found a home at The Clubhouse (AKA The Clubcasa or BKLN1834), home to a host of New York talent, along with the making of his critically acclaimed project The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute to Dr. Dre.

Renaissance Soul September 22, 2020

Renaissance Soul Podcast: Ep. 8 – The These Days Episode (w/ Indie Soul/Americana Artist Stephie James)

For this episode, your host Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier is joined by Indie-Soul/Americana musician, singer, and songwriter Stephie James to discuss her debut EP, These Days. Growing up in the Detroit area, she helped kick start a DIY coffee shop with her brother that doubled as a music venue when she was teenager. Now making Nashville her home, she hasn’t forgotten her soulful Michigan roots, but has been able to hone her skills in the musically vibrant city. During are conversation, we talked about her upbring and how that influenced the making of These Days. We go into a track-by-track breakdown of the EP along with the visuals that accompany.

Fresh is the Word September 16, 2020

Episode #229: Kiarely Castillo and Kristen Sturgis (of the metalcore band Conquer Divide) – New Single “Chemicals” Available Now, First Single in Five Years

The guests for this episode are Kiarely Castillo and Kristen Sturgis, members of the metalcore band Conquer Divide. Recently, they released their first single in five years with the song “Chemicals” along with a cover of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”. We talk about coming back together to make music again and where everyone in the band is in life, along with my obsession with their song “What’s Left Inside” from their debut album. We also talk about how they have been dealing with the pandemic, both personally and as a band.

Renaissance Soul September 14, 2020

Renaissance Soul Podcast: Ep. 7 – The King Father Episode (w/ Detroit Hip Hop Artist Fatt Father)

For this episode, your host Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier is joined by Detroit hip-hop artist Fatt Father to discuss his latest album King Father that he released back in May 2020. We talk about the events going on in his life surrounding the making of King Father, what “King Father” means, fatherhood, and the themes of the album, as we go track-by-track through the album. King Father is a very personal album for Fatt Father and we talk about the life lessons that shaped the album.

Fresh is the Word September 10, 2020

Episode #228: Cammie Gilbert – Vocalist of Houston Prog Metal Band ‘Oceans of Slumber’, New Self-Titled Album Out Now

The guest for this episode is Cammie Gilbert vocalist of the Houston prog metal band Oceans of Slumber. They just released their newest self-titled album this past Friday via Century Media Records. We talk about the new album, the importance of being a Black woman fronting metal band, her musical influences, the cathartic nature of heavy metal, releasing this album during the Black Lives Matter movement.

Renaissance Soul September 9, 2020

Renaissance Soul Detroit Music History Post of the Day: Eminem “Slim Shady LP” + In-Store at Record Time in Roseville, MI

Pictured is an original pressing of the “Slim Shady LP” vinyl from back in 1999. Everybody knows about everything with this album, so this is a story about the autograph from Eminem on it. Shortly after the release of the “Slim Shady LP” in February 1999, one of the most prominent record stores in the Metro Detroit area Record Time, located in Roseville, MI, hosted an in-store with Eminem.

Renaissance Soul September 7, 2020

Renaissance Soul Podcast: Ep. 6 – The Virus Episode (w/ Detroit Hip Hop Artist Miz Korona)

For this episode, your host Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier is joined by Detroit hip-hop artist Miz Korona as we talk about her EP titled The Virus released back in April 2020. This release is very timely as she tackles current issues involving the pandemic and the current Black Lives Matter civil rights movement from her perspective. During this very educational and insightful episode with Miz Korona, we talk about her hiatus from releasing music, her reasons for doing The Virus, the personal and social issues she wrote about, and we do a track-by-track breakdown.

Fresh is the Word September 3, 2020

Episode #227: Meryem Saci – Algerian Refugee, Now Montreal-Based Singer, Songwriter, and Emcee, New EP All In Available Now

The guest for this episode is Meryem Saci, who is a soulful singer, songwriter, and emcee raised in Algeria and escaped as a refugee to Canada back in 2000. Based in Montreal, she has a new EP titled All in that she released via her Bandcamp back in May. During our chat, we talked about growing up in Alergia and what finally caused her to flee from her wartorn home with her family to Canada. We also talk about her music upbringing, her influences, and about her new EP.

Renaissance Soul August 31, 2020

Renaissance Soul Podcast: Ep. 5 – The Sincerely, Detroit Episode (w/ Detroit Hip Hop Producer Apollo Brown)

For this episode, your host Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier is joined by Detroit hip-hop producer Apollo Brown as we take a look at a very adventurous project of his, Sincerely, Detroit, released on November 8, 2019 via Mello Music Group. We talk about his motivation of doing such a project that included over 50 Detroit hip-hop artists over 21 tracks. Sincerely, Detroit is a love letter to the culture and its one of the most comprehensive looks at the various types of talent coming from Detroit’s music scene. As we go track-by-track during this episode, we hear stories from Apollo Brown about why he chose to include all these artists on this project. Sincerely, Detroit, just for the amount of artists having to coordinate for it coupled with its high quality of artistry, is something we never seen before and may never see again.

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