To cool for school or too school for cool, The Urban Nerdz are def in a class of their own. Group members Kay Special {Kenny Benjamin Dubuisson} & Aaron Campbell {Ace Boogie} have decided to take hip-hop into their own hands, with a musical curriculum that will teach those {hip-hop} is not all about “shooting up the streets, we {The Urban Nerdz} don’t sell dope, but we’re dope and we’re gonna sell.” –Kay Special
A group of collective talent with new school sounds but still reminiscent of meaningful, creative lyrics. The Urban Nerdz has made a stance in the Boston hip-hop music scene to being different but still keeping true to themselves. Ace Boogie {Aaron Campbell} coming from Silver Spring, MD where go-go beats are something of the norm and Kay Special {Kenny Benjamin Dubuisson} hails from Boston, MA bringing that northern sound and clever word play have created something of a “gumbo – a little bit of this-n-that just thrown into one big pot.” – Kay Special
Where most artists are following the template of what to wear, how to rhyme and catchy beats The Urban Nerdz strive hard to stay far away from the metaphorical “step outside the box” – this duo has gone beyond the box and dimension of music. Their mix tape ‘The Transfer Students’ clearly shows a variation of musical genres from cool jazz tones with the track ‘Trip’ to a harmonious, psychedelic escapade like ‘Triangle Love’. Creativity is something that comes natural to these fellas, each track will def keep your head bobbing and the lyrics will make you press replay..’In this triangular, tangular of a sea of heart beats & love sheets {Kay Special-Triangle Love}…’I lust one but lust the other more, one has a good head but the other gives more..’ {Ace Boogie-Triangle Love}
The passion, drive and originality this duo exudes is something worth keeping a watchful eye, with that said their current single ‘Don’t S.T.O.P {Submit To Obligated Pressure} & music video has portrayed why people in society are so easily swayed by the media, how easy it is for those to become sheep and not lead the herd. The submission of people is society and music has given the Nerdz a soap box to stand on and really voice their true feelings on the conformist views of the world from everyday life to what’s true & dear to their hearts – Hip Hop.
I spent some time with the group to talk about just that – Hip Hop, life and most importantly The Urban Nerdz… #FollowMe
Q: Who are ‘The Urban Nerdz’? How did you come to meet and form the group?
Ace Boogie: We are just a part of a gumbo, a lil bit of this and that just thrown into one big pot. We are all from different states, Kay{Special} from Boston and myself from Silver Spring, MD. Once graduating from high school, I came up here to attend Fisher College – I met our then 3rd member Jovan {Buffard Malory} at Fisher, we both had a great love for music, he created beats and it was basically a meeting of mutual friends that I connected with Kay{Special}. We then started a building a buzz and making connections with folks to really get the name out there.
Kay Special: People say that we {The Urban Nerdz} are different, but different from what?? I think a lot of people are used to hearing about gang banging music, we don’t shoot up the streets, we don’t sell dope but we’re dope and we’re gonna sell.
Q: Originally there were 3 members of The Urban Nerdz, what happened to the 3rd member?
Kay Special: He had a kid and moved back to Connecticut.
Q: Now with 2 members of The Urban Nerdz, how important is it to keep the group going and preserve the essence?
Ace Boogie: Communication is KEY in life, without communication there is no such thing as existence. With that said, the communication between The Urban Nerdz has always been interesting, and because of past situations we have learned that it’s a necessity to communicate with each other because things can go real bad with in a blink of an eye! With the positive energy and feedback that we have been getting from friends and fans it helps us to stay focus, grounded and to keep going! Music is our life and with the creative shit we’ve thought/thinking of, how dare we stop now!? C’mon Son!!
Kay Special: We just take what we can from the old and what we have with the present and make it the future for its what we’re about, making good, strong music. Although our sound may be different we are just adding a few more things to make it better. At the end of the day we are just trying to give people something they haven’t heard in a while, a group that trying to grown more and give Boston something fresh. We’re just doing us, we’re not here to be like anybody else, we are The Urban Nerdz and that’s it.
Q: In what way has this affected the fluidity of the group, if at all?
Kay Special: It just turned on the light bulb of being on your P’s and Q’s cause life happens. He {Buffard Malory} was part of our production and now we’ve had to outsource our production. We are not limited to a specific type of sounds which isn’t a bad thing but we all have our particular sound and like what we like, but it works because we’re open to different things. Now we have to stay grounded and mindful that life happens! Sometimes you have to restructure and rearrange things in our life to work with lifestyle of music.
Ace Boogie: Ahhh, how I say this…in house production..another creative mind…yea! But fluidity, naw, everything happens for a reason and God has tested us a COUPLE of times, lol, to make sure that we are prepared for the road ahead. It only makes us stronger!
Q: Hip Hop artist versus Rappers? Do you think there is a difference and how do you classify yourselves?
Kay Special: A Hip Hop artist has a craft and rapper just rhymes over beats. A real hip hop artist makes music that’s fun but all tells a story, metaphors. It’s just poetry in motion…music is my escape to what’s going on in life. Our foundation is hip hop but we like to branch out to different things, but we love what we do.
Ace Boogie: HELL YEA! True artists have no limits, meaning in creativity! Not saying that “rappers” aren’t creative but “rapping” is a form of art/creativity so by someone calling themselves a “rapper” they are essentially boxing themselves in and only point out one aspect of their creativity! THE URBAN NERDZ ARE HIP HOP ARTISTS!!
Q: If the 2 of you were Hip Hop chefs and could add and/or remove things from the “soup” so to speak; what would you change about Hip Hop?
Kay Special: Wouldn’t change anything about hip hop, but I would bring and open up the door of creativity to different artists. I feel the creativity had been lost in hip hop, people don’t take the time really create or surround themselves around creativity. It’s easy for people to go with the norm and just do what sounds good – too much pressure to keep things the same, there has to be meaning.
Ace Boogie: Hummmmm, I like this questions, I would add a nice strong spice of creativity (a good amount) lol, another splash of humbleness and remove some of the materialistic meat #pause
Q: With 2 Mix tapes on the table; numerous performance – opening for Wale in 2009 at Harper’s Ferry (Brighton Music Hall); appearance in Stuff Magazine & Boston Phoenix; and now your current single Don’t S.T.O.P – your music resume is pretty impressive. How do you feel about how far you’ve come?
Ace Boogie: The amount of success thus far is a true blessing, but we still got some work to do, with that said we stay grounded, focus and not get too comfortable.
Kay Special: I always feel like we can do more, buts it’s a blessing. I didn’t think we would be where we are now, people would come up to us and give so much love and praise about what we do and its nice. We create music that people can relate to; I think we have what it takes to be the next big things. We are a good example of believing in your dreams and making it happen. Its def a true blessing.
Q: Current single, ‘Don’t S.T.O.P. – tell me the meaning behind the track title and why?
Kay Special: Don’t S.T.O.P {Submit To Obligated Pressure} – don’t submit to conformity – greed, don’t give into greed. The obligated pressures portrayed in society like sex and drugs.
Ace Boogie: It’s a chapter of story about a lady named Jezebel, but her story speaks for the masses…without saying too much, the album will explain itself.
Q: When can we expect and album/mix tape release? Performance dates? What’s next for The Urban Nerdz?
Ace Boogie: We are currently in the kitchen cooking up some work! We are focused on finishing up the project so we are away from the live scene until then, but no worries we got ya’ll. Remember patience is a virtue, and the best work will come out of the time you put into it in!
Kay Special: No shows- maybe a show here and there but nothing major and crazy right now. It’s like we are starting fresh, we are taking the old and revamping to the future. Don’t give up on us; just know it will be worth the wait, fans won’t be disappointed.
There you have it folks, The Urban Nerdz working hard and kicking down the doors of imitation – you have to respect the progression and the artistry these fellas put into their music.
:: OFFICIALLY STAMPED :: UNKNOWN CELEBRITY
