As Kyle Rapps continues to prep his debut EP, the New Jersey-born, Harlem-based emcee is treating fans with the second official single “Rent Remix,” which features the legendary KRS-One. The track is a fitting collaboration seeing as Kyle Rapps’ forthcoming EP, Re-Edutainment is his own take on the now classic Boogie Down Productions album, Edutainment, released over 20 years ago. “Being able to meet and vibe with my favorite rapper of all time was a dream come true,” explains Rapps.

Produced by Kev Brown – as is the full EP, using only the samples and dusty loops utilized on the original BDP album – the “Rent Remix” flips a deep and ominous guitar sample, as Rapps offers listeners a vivid account of substandard living conditions and overpriced housing. “I got tired of landlords trying to take advantage – especially in this economy,” says Kyle in speaking on the inspiration behind the song. His sentiments are matched by the power of his words as he raps, “Work 3 jobs, my pockets still tight/ I deserve an apartment that ain’t got no mice/ Hot days, cold nights/ Roaches, broke pipes, this won’t stop without a fight” KRS, who also appeared on the original version of the track, follows with an equally poignant verse, emphasized by his unmistakably forceful baritone as he depicts the daily struggle of dealing with incompetent landlords.

Kyle Rapps’ debut EP, Re-Edutainment, produced entirely by Kev Brown and featuring Joell Ortiz, KRS-One, and U-N-I will drop on March 29th.

Download “Rent Remix” here:

As he continues to prep for his forthcoming EP, Re-Edutainment, a project revisiting the classic BDP album, Edutainment, Kyle Rapps holds us over with “Lazy Dayze” featuring long-time friend and rapper Silent Knight. Inspiration on this track was simple for Rapps: “Some days are just lazy,” says the New Jersey native, now residing in Harlem. “I wanted to bring the laid back, humorous vibes on this one. It takes me back to when I used to spark El’s and write punchlines.”

Kyle Rapps’ debut EP, Re-Edutainment, produced entirely by Kev Brown and featuring Joell Ortiz, KRS-One, and U-N-I will drop on March 29th.

Download Kyle Rapps’ “Lazy Dayze” featuring Silent Knight here.

Re-Edutainment, the upcoming debut EP from Kyle Rapps, is the New Jersey native’s own take on Edutainment, the highly regarded Boogie Down Productions classic released over 20 years ago. Bringing his own lyrical and thematic touches to this eight-track EP, Kyle enlisted the production efforts of Kev Brown for the entire project. Brown produced a reinterpretation of his own; he researched and only used the dusty loops, chops, and breaks that were sampled on the BDP original. Fittingly, the EP features KRS-One, on “Rent Remix,” in addition to Cali crew U-N-I, and Brooklyn’s own Joell Ortiz, who is one-fourth of the recently Shady Records-signed group Slaughterhouse, and is also featured on the EP’s first single, “Hard Knock Children.”

On “Hard Knock Children,” Kyle Rapps brings you back to the good ol’ days of grade school. The lyrics conjure up images of all your favorite parts of those forgotten times: recess, trikes, Lite Bright’s, and candy cigarettes. Kyle Rapps credits these often fleeting memories, and the revisiting of these memories with engineer and long-time friend Nate Greenberg, to what made the song so much fun to create, “The most enjoyable part of the song was reminiscing with my dude Nate G about our childhood experiences that made us who we are today.”

But nostalgia aside, the lyrical content of “Hard Knock Children” also has a greater meaning. Beyond the superficial reflections, it offers Kyle Rapps, who performs throughout the year at high schools, universities, and juvenile detention centers, the chance to reach out to today’s youth, offering his support. “Overall, its clear to me that although technology is different, the inner-struggles of coming of age remain similar,” says Kyle. “I want today’s youth to know that I see them, respect them, and believe in them even during times when they don’t believe in themselves.”

Kyle Rapps’ debut EP, Re-Edutainment, will be dropping March 29th.

Download Kyle Rapps’ “Hard Knock Children” featuring Joell Ortiz here.

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