New Kingdom



New Kingdom was a Alternative Hip Hop group formed in 1987 by a couple of music geeks from New York, Sebastian, a former Hardcore Punker, and Nosaj, a devotee of Soul artists like Curtis Mayfield. Despite only making two albums, this underappreciated band is the missing link between Psychedelic Rock and Hip Hop, and are considered by their fans to be pioneers in a trippy, acidy psychedelic fusion of rap and rock that has oozed over into other genres and artists in the Underground Hip Hop scene.

New Kingdom is known for their bizarre, freeform-sounding lyrics which are often Mind Screwy or slurred as fuck, and a sound that, as explained above, mixes Funk, Soul, Rap Rock and Psychedelia, sounding like a early Funkadelic crossed with Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and a rapper doing an imitation of Captain Beefheart. The vocals are not so much rapping as it is shouting spoken poetry over Psychedelic Fusion.

They dropped off the face of the Earth after only two albums: Heavy Load and their Magnum Opus Paradise Don't Come Cheap.

Not to be confused with the Alternative Rock band of the same name.

Influences:
 * Curtis Mayfield, Black Flag, Miles Davis, Grand Funk Railroad, Geto Boys

Related Acts:
 * Truck Stop
 * Freak Brothers


 * Alternative Hip Hop
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Scott Harding, the producer of their first album, Heavy Load, later went on to produce Gravediggaz and Prince Paul albums.
 * Indecipherable Lyrics: Probably the reason why they aren't well known is that perhaps none of their songs contain lyrics that were performed clear enough to be understood and memorized.
 * Magnum Opus: Paradise Don't Come Cheap, their second and final album.
 * Mind Screw: The majority of their lyrics. Even foreshadowed by their song titles, like "Unicorns Were Horses"
 * Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: As noted above, their style mixes Psychedelic Rock with Funk, Jazz Fusion, Soul, and stoned speak-rapping.
 * Rap Rock: Early pioneer in this.