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Candy Coated Killahz Have Got The It Factor
Tuesday May 06, 2008 @ 08:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
Candy Coated Killahz |
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly makes an artist unique. It could be their style, their attitude or a combination of both. What's certain is that they have some kind of "it factor" that translates to people that their artistry is unlike any other.
Tasha Schumann and Michael Ayodeji Akinlabi, the duo behind electro group Candy Coated Killahz, debate over what the "it factor" really represents.
"Artistry is not a hobby, you live it," Akinlabi says. "It's a part of who you are and having the 'it factor' is being able to express yourself freely."
"I think it's really [about] having something that is intangible, [where] not only were the tracks cool, but the people were charismatic enough to have made an impression," Schumann adds. "You're left with something that you can't quite explain. It's that wanting more."
Toronto-based CCK will release their It Factor debut album on May 8 during a hometown performance at Wrongbar. Although the city is brimming with more than enough supposed beat-makers, CCK can confidently stand their ground in a sea of synth-dance music artists. Schumann is a classically trained pianist who produces the group's tracks under the stage name Tosha Dash. Artist-of-sorts Akinlabi writes the lyrics under the pseudonym Icon The Anomali. Together, they're a colourful duo who make colourful music.
It Factor is an 11-track fusion of hip-hop elements, electro beats and dance music influences. Lead single "Playboy" is akin to Nelly Furtado's "Maneater," but somehow avoids sounding like a blatant rip-off.
"I think we've done a pretty good job at developing our own unique sound," Schumann says. "Our influences are diverse enough so that when they come together, it's not really what anyone's doing right now.
"Both of us really love and enjoy pop music and our goal's always been to make pop music so that people who like the big names like Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Gwen Stefani and M.I.A. can like our music while being given something just a little bit different."
What's different about CCK's music is that they don't try too hard. They're essentially making music without sounding pretentious or pushing the uber-hipster lifestyle. Songs such as "Kiss 'N' Tell," "Chocolat" and "Technicolor Discotheque" are just simple, grimy tracks meant for fun-loving nights out at the club. There's none of the macho bravado or ridiculous bragging often found in mainstream rap. CCK quip about everyday events and make random pop culture references about films and boy bands in their songs.
"Our lives aren't interesting enough," Schumann jokes. "We're both imaginative people, so things don't actually have to happen to us. Our songs are about exploring ideas in your head."
"We don't have to experience things to write about them," Akinlabi adds. "We just write stuff that people can relate to — very general, universal themes."
When Akinlabi isn't seductively rapping to Schumann's gritty mixes, he bides his time as a screenwriter and visual artist. Conversely, Schumann directs Beats. Mind. Movement, a government-and-donor funded program at the UrbanArts Toronto community centre, teaching music production to at-risk youth. Stretching themselves beyond the studio adds to their vibrant musical flavour.
"We're artists in the most general sense of the term," Akinlabi says. "We dabble in so many things that we can express ourselves in so many ways."
Whether it's mixing beats, writing lyrics or dabbling in community art, CCK are working it. They're versatile, creative and are pushing themselves to be just outside the mainstream pop box and to slowly define the ever-elusive it factor.
"We're students in a lot of ways, in that we're always comparing our stuff and always listening to other music that's out there," Schumann says. "It's important for independent artists to have a clear sense of who they are and to develop their own sound and image."
—Antoinette Mercurio
 
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