words by Lawrence Burney

Conscious rap is a sub genre of Hip Hop often criticized and overlooked for its tendency to get a bit preachy and having a lack of silky motion. Emcees like Common and Immortal Technique have had this stamp on their heads from the start of their careers. Their efforts to “spread knowledge” at all costs has led them to put placed in a very small corner of the Hip Hop universe. While they have still gained major success, they can’t seem to shake off the label of being too damn boring. Arcieri Keness, a native Baltimore rhymer is taking on the challenge of being conscious, yet smooth and pleasing enough to the ears to not be boxed in. Only sporting the business casual look when he’s on stage but still going as hard as any grimy emcee in the cypher, his cavalier approach to the mic is one that certainly isn’t commonplace and is intriguing enough to peep his game. I got the chance to sit and chat with Keness over the weekend. Get into it!

The rest of the interview can be read at the link below. Also it does contain audio.

http://www.truelaurels.com/2012/04/25/arcieri-keness/