New Kingdom's Nosaj Re-emerges with "NEW KINGDOM/ORIGINAL CONCEPT" & "RUN-DMC/BAD BRAINS" Covers (Dub Ditch Picnic)

Jason Furlow is a Brooklyn-based emcee, producer, and musician also known as Nature Boy Jim Kelly and Nosaj The Great. Although, Furlow is likely, best known as Nosaj, 1/3 of Psychedelic Hip-Hop/Rap-Rock group, New Kingdom. I, actually, only very recently learned about Nosaj & New Kingdom after publishing UK beat-maker/producer LongDistanceDan's Beat-maker Bedrock column, which highlighted their 1993 debut, Heavy Load. Since New Kingdom's 1996 disbandment, Jason Furlow has worked with everyone from Tricky to The Freak Brothers, David Byrne (Talking Heads) to Morcheeba, Lyricist Lounge to Bill Laswell/Material, Buckethead to CX KiDTRONiK, and more. Furlow released a limited edition 2-track cassingle last year under his government name called "Last Man Standing" B/W "Modern Man" on Canadian cassette/CD imprint Dub Ditch Picnic, which is still currently available to stream or download on the label's Bandcamp. In recent years, Nosaj has re-emerged on Instagram as @nosajfromnewkingdom, regularly releasing video clips of his covers, remixes, de/re-constructions, and original compositions.


Earlier this week, Jason Furlow launched his own Soundcloud page under the guise of NOSAJ (NEW KINGDOM). It appears as though Furlow's newly-launched Soundcloud page will serve as a vessel to host his various audio/visual experiments in Psychedelic Hip-Hop, Trip-Hop, Noise-Rap, de/re-constructions, and other assorted sub-genres of Hip-Hop. For his first his proper Soundcloud releases, Nosaj uploaded two brief, yet extremely unique blends/remix tracks dubbed "NEWKINGDOM/ORIGINAL CONCEPT" and "RUN-DMC/BAD BRAINS (Afro-Punk Weekend.)" "I make the music I wanna hear, ie: raw/brash/Electric-type sh*t," Jason Furlow recently wrote to The Witzard within an email; I would have to strongly agree, as Nosaj's first two Soundcloud uploads definitely fit within that archetype! "NEWKINGDOM/ORIGINAL CONCEPT" is a re-recorded version of the title track from New Kingdom's 1996 album, Paradise Don't Come Cheap, over the instrumental from Original Concept's 1986 Def Jam 12-inch single, "Knowledge Me."


"RUN-DMC/BAD BRAINS" is, just as it sounds, a cover of Run-D.M.C.'s "Sucker M.C.'s" from their 1984 self-titled debut over the frenzied instrumental from Bad Brains' "Pay to Cum" from their self-titled 1982 debut AKA Attitude: The ROIR Sessions, as well as long-shelved 1979/96 album, Black Dots. Nosaj (@nosajfromnewkingdom) Replied to Instagram commenter @horus0 saying, "Recording the "RUN-DMC/BAD BRAINS" [track] was like attempting to jump on a freight train moving at light-speed... it was a good time." Jason Furlow is currently busy recording/writing his own material, as well as gaggle of collaborations and top-secret features. "I have a host of features on the rise; some are, literally, on the hush (literally!) Others, are with Kid Acne & The Mongrels from England and TheDeadCanRap (Mike Ladd & Remi Rough)" Furlow recently explained to The Witzard. "I'm also, working on a major super-group with some serious musicians from The West Coast called El Stew" featuring Extrakd on bass/production, Marc "Mirv" Haggard on guitar/vox, Bryan "Brain" Mantia (Primus) on drums/production, DJ Eddie Def on turntables/production, DJ QBert's world-class scratching, and Jenna Mammina providing vox. Nosaj's currently busy finishing up his long-rumored forthcoming solo project, Sounds Like Acid, expected to be released this Fall/Winter.