Found in the Inbox: Koncept and J57 Handle With Care on “Porcelain”

Koncept and J57 make, in the words of the Rive Video Promotion campaign for “Porcelain,” “earnest Big Apple stadium bangers” with deep emotional resonance that still keep the party rocking. The duo grew up on crate digging and local deep cuts, with one foot always in the mainstream.

Two résumés

Koncept, the Queens-raised MC, came up in the underground and went on to work with Ty Dolla $ign, Pharoahe Monch, Big Daddy Kane, Doomtree, Brand Nubian, Royce da 5’9” and Dead Prez. J57, raised on Long Island and based in Brooklyn, counts DJ Premier as a mentor, assisted Premier on songs by Nas, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, and has collaborated with Joey Bada$$, Method Man, Raekwon, Mack Wilds and The Roots.

From Fat Beats to The Fuel

The two met in 2006 working at Fat Beats, the West Village record store that launched so many underground rappers between 1993 and 2010, and formed the collective Brown Bag AllStars with four co-workers. After a fiery opening set for Ghostface Killah at A3C, Red Bull Music picked Koncept for its SoundSelect artist program, and the duo refocused on music for a wider audience. The result is The Fuel, an EP the campaign describes as an underdog story told as if looking back on a legacy, ESPN SportsCentury-style. “Porcelain” features Hollis.

Why it was in the inbox

Boom-bap revival, orchestral synths and clever hooks: “Porcelain” is two record-store lifers making something built for arenas.

Watch the official video

Release details from Rive Video Promotion’s campaign for “Porcelain” ft. Hollis. This feature updates Exposed Vocals’ original October 2016 post.