If you’ve been hanging around these parts for a while you know that Kooley High is one of my favorite groups coming out of NC, period. If you’re new here (welcome!) do a search and you’ll see how many times they’ve been featured.
Music In The Gardens is an annual summer concert music series in it’s 3rd year that runs from May-August. The event takes place in the historic (and very beautiful) setting of The Sarah P. Duke Gardens (Sarah was the wife of Ben Duke, who founded Duke University) in Durham, NC.
Anyway what makes Kooley High’s performance so special is Music In The Gardens hardly ever (and I mean NEVER) has hip hop artists perform. The crowd is usually the wine, cheese and grey poupon types. I know cause I’ve checked it out. Don’t judge me. Well last year they did have The Carolina Chocolate Drops, but they play folk music on fiddles (covering Blu Cantrell’s “Hit Em Up Style” on Genuine Negro Jig is the closet I’ve heard them get to hip hop). Music In The Gardens doesn’t even have a hip hop genre on their listing page ( just “Chamber Music” and “Rock”).
So when I got word over the weekend that Kooley is performing on July 7 as part of the annual event my initial reaction was shock, then excitement. Here is a group who has put in alot of work on the NC hip hop scene, recently toured with Tanya Morgan and is hip hop I’m not embarrased to play around my mama. And don’t forget that back in 2008 Rolling Stone named them one of the top 10 groups to watch out for. So it feels great to know that Kooley’s brand has the opportunity to be exposed to different types of people and grow even more. And they rep Carolina.
Kooley High’s Eastern Standard Time album is dropping soon. Stay tuned!