Golden era hip-hop roots planted in black Iowa dirt, tempered by ’90s alternative era rock influence, yields a juxtaposition of the dark, horrific nature of life paired with a slapstick and comedic view of the world. It allows for a wide, unpredictable arsenal of material ranging from soul-spilling indie bedroom rock to wise-cracking battle rap and on to radio pop. And that is exactly what you get with Coolzey, a fixture in the Eastern Iowa music scene for years before moving to Los Angeles. He will perform at The Tin Roof in West Ashley this Wednesday, March 29 along with LucioPro, local rocker Lily Slay, and others.
Coolzey stepped into the public eye around 2005 with a demo album and a series of exploratory DIY tours with rapper/comedian and friend Schaffer the Darklord. Interest spread quickly and Coolzey found himself touring alongside hip-hop legends from Brand Nubian and Jurassic 5 as well as punk rock heroes like Dead Milkmen.
His first album The Honey was released in 2010 and second official full-length Hit Factory in 2013. In these albums as well as in a number of EPs, collaborations and side projects, he finds his niche as a songwriter, navigating hip-hop, rock, punk and pop in the spirit of genre defying influences such as Ween, Beck, The Beastie Boys and Outkast.
Coolzey’s love for multiple genres can also be evidenced in his record label Public School Records, which curates music from grimy underground hip-hop like Bru Lei and DJ PRZM of Spitball to the pop punk ear candy of Lipstick Homicide. In 2014 Public School Records partnered with Fake Four Inc’s Four Finger Distro to bring the label global distribution.
Tin Roof is located at 1117 Magnolia Road. For more information, call 571-0775 or visit www.charlestontinroof.com
