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Artist
Czar*Nok
12+ albums
about
When music sparks the mind and stirs the soul, its impact and influence resonates long after the sounds fade from the speakers. It has the power to stick with you. Music can even change your outlook on life. Cincinnati rap duo Czar-Nok know this, which is why they infuse their music with a deft mix of street commentary and soul-searching, much like their idols, rap icons and Memphis rap pioneers 8 Ball and MJG. "That's how we see ourselves, like them," says Hayczar, who is joined in Czar-Nok by E-Nok. "They're some real cats. They don't sound like clowns. They're about heavy-pimping and are in the streets, but they stand for something. We patterned ourselves off of them." That influence is evident throughout Czar-Nok's debut album, the powerful That One Way. A popular phrase in Cincinnati, That One Way speaks to getting something done by any means necessary. "That's how we've been putting it down," Hayczar says. "All the streets dudes know our face, from corner to corner and hood to hood. It's That One Way." Lead single "Hercules" contains an irresistible combination of sonic energy and lyrical self-assuredness. "It's fun and you can involve yourself in it," E-Nok says of the lively cut, whose chorus includes the celebratory lines: "I make my paper, paper don't make me/Be about your paper, be about your cheese." "That's what everybody's doing in the club," E-Nok continues, "having fun and getting crunk with the crowd participation." Two other songs sure to get crowd
