Houston lyrical titan Killa Kyleon returns with his new EP, Lorraine Motel, a conceptual project that honors the legacy of historic Black leaders and figures, chiefly, Dr. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.
Kicking a bunch of rhymes and gems on police brutality, Black on Black crime and inspiring unity within the African-American community, Killa Kyleon stated,
“The Lorraine Motel project is directed at what’s going on in today’s society within the Black community as a whole. It’s not a one-sided commentary, it deals with the treatment people of color have been receiving from law enforcement and how we are programmed and influenced by social media, television and the culture of Hip-Hop to treat each other as well.
As a race and culture, we need to stand together, but also take accountability for our actions. I feel the Black American dream and ideal died when MLK was murdered in Memphis (at the Lorraine Motel). So I created this conceptual project as an analogy of today’s climate in America. We all (African-Americans) died that day at the Lorraine Motel. Barack Obama is the last of one of our strongest Black leaders to lead us as a race. The Lorraine Motel project focuses on events (both past and current) that have taken place since that fatal day.”
During the segregation era, the hotel was an upscale destination that accommodated exclusively Black clientele; and it became a frequent destination for many influential and iconic artists as well, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and The Staple Singers. The hotel is now a complex of museums and historic buildings, tracing the history of the Civil Rights Movement from the 17th century to present day. The National Civil Rights Museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel.
Straight fire all the way through, a few cuts to check for include “Killing Over Jays,” “Trust Me” and “Strong Black Woman.”
Killa Kyleon will also be dropping his new album Texas Plates & Candy Paint 3 this spring which will include guest appearances from Bun B, Scarface, Devin The Dude, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Willie D, and Young Dolph among others.
In the meanwhile, get woke and enlightened as the Texas MC drops fire with some deep messages in his music.
