Verbal Kent

Hailing from Rogers Park in North Chicago, Verbal Kent launched his musical path in the winter of 1998 by seeking out players willing to join a live hip-hop ensemble. The resulting project, Organic Mind Unit, assembled Kent alongside Lance Ambu and a rhythm section featuring Shaye Robeson on bass, William Kirk on keys, and Anthony Reid on drums; the unit fused jazz-combo instincts with an array of stylistic approaches anchored by the foundational elements of modern hip-hop. The self-titled Organic Mind Unit album appeared by the end of 1999, and The Unusual Suspects followed in 2001. In the ensuing period Kent contributed guest verses to Rusty Chains’ “Battle Scars to Prove It,” LongShot’s “Civil War, Pt. 2,” and DJ Anomaly’s “Mountains Rise.” His first proper solo release, the 16-track What Box, arrived in 2004 on Gravel Records and spotlighted appearances from Wordsworth, One Be Lo, Qwazaar, and Iomos Marad; the project relied on conventional hip-hop beats rather than live-band arrangements. Amid the underground attention surrounding the debut, Kent endured a violent attack that left his throat slashed in an alley close to his residence. He channeled the ordeal into his second album, Move with the Walls, a raw and intensely personal work whose beats came from Oddisee, Overflo, Earmint, and additional producers and served as a form of catharsis. Since issuing his debut, Kent has toured the country alongside Sadat X, Count Bass D, and Edo.G. and has appeared on bills with KRS-One, De La Soul, the Pharcyde, and the GZA.