Kings Dead, the Boston based hip-hop duo is back with their second single entitled "So What" from their upcoming album "Utopia Too". Consisting of Sonny Shotz as the MC/Songwriter, and Alexander Mendoza who acts as the Producer/Film Scorer, Kings Dead is a heavily talented duo who is gearing up to change the game.
The group has been around for quite some time, starting out under the name "The Dean's List" with longtime friend Mik Beats, and even enjoyed a few releases such as the acclaimed mixtape "The Drive In", as well as "Generation X". Before long, the trio parted ways with Mik, and went on to become The Kings Dead. Under this new moniker, the group aimed to change the direction of their music to something that aligned more so with their views.They soon released a few projects "Jerusalem", "Revenge of The Beast", & "Utopia" which garnered positive reaction from listeners & the industry alike, and even achieved 100,000 downloads respectively. Performing at over 50 colleges and universities throughout their career, Kings Dead has become one of the hottest college touring acts in the country.
The track begins with a smooth introduction to the beat, before Sonny Shotz jumps right in for his first verse. Sonny has a unique flow and ability to capture listeners through his lyrics, which is displayed the first time you hear his catchy hook. The ambient production by Alexander Mendoza is perfect for a track such as this as well, which places a focus on the lyrics, though even an untrained ear would be able to hear the multi-layered elements of the production that work together to complete the whole track. The visuals, directed by Luca Repola, focus on Sonny and Alex, and find the two talking to the camera (or listener) in the context of the song, a style that is often used, though displays a sense of polish, courtesy of the producer Itsbongoboy.“The goal was to mesh the advancement of the technology all around us, the chaos of the world we live in, and the struggles of being human, all into one conceptual project.” - Kings Dead
"Utopia Too" is slated for a June 8th release date, and is the second (and final) addition to a concept project that works to send the listeners on a trip to the future in the first installment, Utopia. Are you going to be checking out "Utopia Too" on June 8th? Let us know in the comments.
By now, almost everyone (1,000,000+ YouTube views), has heard Post Malone's breakout hit "White Iverson", but have you heard the upbeat remix from New York producer Alexander Mendoza? If you haven't you owe yourself a couple minutes to check out some fresh music. Aiming for a cool feel, Mendoza places some focus on more of the emotionally charged lyrics with some impressive production that completely changes the feel of the song.
Alexander Mendoza, an astonishing producer straight out of New York is no stranger to the game, he's been producing for quite a long time, and is one half of the hip-hop duo "The Kings Dead", with his childhood friend from Massachusetts Sonny Shotz. Before we go more into that, lets go back a little bit to one of Mendoza's first forays into the music scene, which was a hip-hop trio called "The Dean's List" with Sonny as well as Mik Beats. Together they released a couple mixtapes/albums and gained a large following. After a couple years things started to change for them, and the trio soon became a duo, wishing a fond farewell to their good friend Mik, and Sonny and Alex became The Kings Dead, with Mendoza on the production, and Sonny handling the rap. Mendoza also has a solo career where he focuses on producing, and released his very own solo EP entitled "Libre" less than a year ago which is full of astounding production.
Alex's take on "White Iverson" is a refreshing one to say the least, the track starts off with some welcomed glitchy elements, using some of the familiar tones one may recognize from the original. The catchy hook starts up before long, though is noticeably sped up, to more so fit the feel of the track. Mendoza is a producer that utilizes a multitude of elements in his production, and they really shine through tracks like this. The more you listen the more you can see how much he has put into this production, and without rushing or taking shortcuts Mendoza proves that he is an artist that truly cares about his craft, and goes all out every opportunity he can. The breakdown is a welcomed addition to the track as well, before we hear the emotionally charged chorus once again, creating a unique remix, and a refreshing take on the track.
Mendoza is an artist who has been known to push boundaries, even releasing a huge remix of Major Lazer and Ariana Grande's "All My Love", which was endorsed by the king himself, Diplo. There is much more to Mendoza than meets the eye, though with himself gearing up to release his newest album "Utopia Too" under The Kings Dead, I wanted this article to be but an introduction to the man you hear now. "Utopia Too" is slated for a June 8th release, and you can bet you'll be seeing more of Mendoza and Sonny via The Come Up Show, as these two are taking the music scene by storm.