By

Jim Testa | For The Jersey Journal

Hudson County hasn’t always been welcoming to its hip-hop artists, but that’s changed this summer with high-profile showcases at Corgi Distillery, 902 Brewing, and Downtown Jersey City’s Serendipity Loft, as well as last weekend’s triumphant Hoboken Blockfest, which featured rappers and singers who are based in the Mile Square City performing outdoors on the city’s west side.

Now, Ki Bohiti, who calls himself a “Hudson County artist” in order to transcend city borders and scene politics, adds momentum to this groundswell with a powerful new release, “The Anteiku Tapes, Vol. 1,” the first of a planned trilogy.

“Anteiku” translates from Japanese to “peaceful ward” or “harmony zone,” but can also mean “antique,” Bohiti noted. That relates to the album as Bohiti and his collaborators try to find harmony in the struggles and travails of day-to-day living.

The multi-faceted Bohiti has been active on the local scene for years, first as a member of the Jersey-based hip-hop collective 7TRiiiBES and, since 2015, as a solo artist whose albums reflect the collaborative nature of his community. “The Anteiku Tapes, Vol. 1″ follows that example, featuring guest stars on seven of its 18 tracks.

“I curated this project specifically to have those features, to reflect in real life our unison,” Bohiti said. “Everyone that will be featured on the Anteiku series will be artists that I have a personal connection with and vice versa. Bonds and relationships beyond music. Togetherness and building bridges. I would like to think it reflects the growth of each individual and what we can do community-wise when we get together for common goals.”

With 18 tracks that fly by in 44 minutes, “The Anteiku Tapes, Vol. 1″ never outstays its welcome, taking the listener on a journey that includes several skits and spoken-word passages. The first half of the album deals with the struggle to make it in the music industry and the importance of remaining independent and self-sufficient. Punk bands call this DIY, or the “Do It Yourself” ethic. Same idea, different beat.

On “F--- Your Playlist,” Bohiti and 070 Phi trade rhymes about growing their own careers without the help of gatekeepers, influencers or radio. “Don’t listen to your playlist, I skip the rotation, it’s been the same songs, I don’t tune in to those stations,” Bohiti says over a sample of tinkling piano and a beat.

Mr. MF eXquire joins Bohiti on “No Invite,” dissing the fakes and phonies who sell out their ideals for fame and fortune, and on “State of the World,” Bohiti proclaims his independence once again: “That’s the reason I never signed/I see the value of my own design/they won’t invest because my rhymes mean their own demise.”

“Outside” recruits Da Boi Ice and Stack Skrilla on a brag track: “Too many shows, I can’t even count/ my locations you should know my whereabouts/ Brooklyn back to Jersey City, Hudson County is my house,” Bohiti raps. His collaborators follow suit, boasting of their exploits on the road.

“Torture” finds Bohiti and EricTheRead13 bemoaning gentrification and displacement. “Smokin” enumerates the pleasures of lighting up a blunt. “Cancel Culture” serves up a tag team rap with Bohiti, Kast Revo, and Truth Killz; “cancel culture can’t cancel culture,” notes Bohiti, and the others drive home the idea that the industry doesn’t want and can’t handle music that tells the truth. “The Thesis” is a 1-minute, 40-second meditation on making music and following your muse despite obstacles thrown in your way.

Up to this point, the production remains sparse, limited to short instrumental samples and a beat, the spotlight fixed on vocals and lyrics.

With “Strung Out,” a diatribe against opioids and addiction, the sound begins to open up, with a singing part and more instrumentation.
 

“Dangerous,” with cameos by Jersey City’s Apito Goeiz and Rico Marlee, adds even more singing to the mix, and the autobiographical “Ki Notes” has Bohiti rapping over an orchestral melody and some of the album’s most gripping lyrics: “My father told me never ask for favors/ but he also didn’t strive for greater / a part of him I see in my behavior/ I find myself my biggest hater.”

The music abruptly ends, followed by an interview in which Bohiti relates details of his troubled childhood -- his home raided and searched, mother arrested and jailed, father self-involved and disinterested.

Time for a break, and Bohiti provides it with the comedic “My B---h,” in which a seductive jazz track and a crooning tale of romantic conquest are interrupted by a discordant woman’s voice screaming, “Who you calling a ...?” The bouncy “The Liberators” (as close as this album comes to a party track) and the jazzy, mumbled “Do All Good Things Have to End” bring us to the album’s strong finish. “Broadcast” uses Emergency Broadcast System announcements as a metaphor for the existential edge we all live on, as Da Boi Ice and Bohiti take us through the travails of a typical day, just trying to survive until tomorrow. That’s a message we can all relate to.

 https://www.nj.com/hudson/2023/08/on-powerful-new-album-hudson-artist-seeks-harmony-in-day-to-day-struggles-testa.html?outputType=amp

New project from Hudson County, Jersey’s very own Ki Bohiti of 7Triiibes entitled “THE ANTEIKU TAPES., VOL.1”. ANTEIKU means “Peaceful ward” or “Harmony zone”. Can also translate to “Antique”. The ANTEIKU Tapes is an audio experience channeled into a 3 part series. With 2 more installments on the way, on top of another 7Triiibes project, Ki Bohiti is showing that 2023 is his year.