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“The End Is Beginning” is the dire title of Out rap artist KAOZ’s timely new album being released on June 9th, 2015 through iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify and other outlets.

For those unfamiliar, Kaoz is a name featured frequently on the Ave. He not only is one of our favorite openly gay rappers (along with Fly Young Red, Lasto and Earthtone), he was also one of our first INTERVIEWS and he was named CYPHER AVENUE’S BEST GAY ARTIST OF 2011.

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The title of the album could easily be called “#BlackLivesMatter: The Album” given the clear activist theme and direction that saturates the new music. This is a good thing in an age where many rappers have been unusually silent on the issues of police brutality, inequality and racism plaguing the communities that support them the most.

Kaoz has always been more lyrically socially conscious than any other LGBT artist, so this approach is nothing new for the Minneapolis based rapper. The only difference this time around is the specific plights Homosexuals, Bisexuals and Transgenders seem to take a back seat to the larger racial issues.

With Empire and its’ black gay character being the number one new television show and the Supreme Court of the United States (almost positively) going to release a decision making Gay Marriage legal nationwide this June or July, there’s hardly a mention of LGBT issues on the new Kaoz album.

Oh well, at least we still have Macklemore to speak on issues for the gay community.

Joking aside, and to be fair, Kaoz has already laid volumes of lyrics on wax relating to The Homosexual Agenda over the years, this may have been a much needed break from spitting about “Gay Shit.”

Don’t get it twisted though, The End Is Beginning is still full of plenty other meaty topics to sink your aural teeth into. From the shady music industry (The Biz), the militarization of law enforcement (Suffocate, Justice, Overtime), interpersonal relationships, female sexual empowerment, (Bionica) to substance abuse (Pillz), there’s plenty more here to sonically digest and angrily pump your black fist about.

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Kaoz will be having a listening party at Bedlam Lowertown in St. Paul, MN on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 10 p.m. featuring local artists such as King C, Dennis John, Lucy Valentine and King Fuvi.  Advance tickets will be $10 with the price going up to $12 the day of the show . Tickets are available at Eventbrite under Kaoz Presents: The End is Beginning Listening Party/Celebration. You will receive a hard copy of the album with the price of admission.