Kero One Color Theory

Kero One, coming fresh off the heels of performing at sold out shows at Korea’s Olympic Stadium, House of Blues Hollywood, and Showbox Seattle with Dynamic Duo (Korea’s equivalent of Jay-z & Kanye), is ready to release his fourth solo album, Color Theory. On naming the album, the San Francisco native says, “I believe color theory can provide clues about life and this album is all about doing life; the good, the bad, and the ugly.” Different from his previous albums, this album was partially funded via kickstarter.com, an all-or-none funding website.

Through the journey of his 12 year professional music career, Kero One has worked with artists such as Aloe Blacc, Mark Farina, Fashawn, Talib Kweli, David Choi, and Abstract Rude. With Color Theory, Kero One looks to keep the collaborations coming, this time with a slew of emerging youtube stars such as Clara C, Dumbfoundead, Jeni Suk, as well as Shing02 of Nujabes fame.

Like his previous albums, Kero One shows that he is not only a rapper, but also a musician by producing a majority of the tracks using influences from jazz, analog synths from the 80’s, and funk basslines from the 70’s. Kero One rhymes conscious messages reminiscent of Mos Def or Lupe Fiasco, as heard in the lead single What Am I Supposed to Do. In this lead single, Kero One announced a call-to-action for the “Free the Slaves” charity, where half of the proceeds from the downloads, in the first month, were able to provide a year of specialized education for a former child slave in India and help prevent future slave trafficking in their home village. However, Color Theory is not only about conscious raps, tracks like “In Time” and “Lackadaisical” showcase fun, lighthearted lyrics accompanied by bouncy beats reminiscent of a pool party perfect for this summer season.