The Brooklyn rap veteran Ka has carved out a beautiful, singular DIY lane for himself. While working a day job as a captain in the FDNY, Ka writes, produces, and releases his own music from time to time. His slow, atmospheric production perfectly suits his gruffly contemplative delivery and his layered, allusive writing. His albums are generally full-length meditations on a particular theme. One month ago, Ka surprise-released his new album The Thief Next To Jesus. He shared a self-directed video for one song, “Such Devotion,” but you could only hear the rest of the LP by buying the wav files directly from Ka. If you didn’t want to part with $20 for early access, you can now stream The Thief Next To Jesus.
I’m a broke poser, which means I am now on my first listen to The Thief Next To Jesus and in no shape to give any deep analysis of the record. I can, however, tell you that the album is full of gospel samples, and it sure seems to show a deeply conflicted relationship with Christianity. It also sounds amazing, as Ka’s albums always do. I’m relishing the chance to really dive into this one.
Whenever he puts out a new album, Ka traditionally shows up on a New York streetcorner to sell physical copies of the record directly to fans. This time, he’s doing a 9/28 pop-up in Manhattan. He’ll sell records, CDs, shirts, socks, and bandanas. Ka’s also just shared a self-directed video for the album track “Borrowed Time,” and it’s got the moody, evocative black-and-white cinematography that’s become Ka’s visual trademark. Below, check out the album and the video.
KA Pop-Up Shop
Sat. 9/28/24
1pm – 9pm
104 Charlton St.
Ground Level, NYCVinyl & CDs:
The Thief Next To Jesus
$100 for wax
$20 for CDsMerch:
T-shirts, socks & bandannas
(all limited…all choice)Some past catalogue also available (AMR, LA/WS, etc.)
Pounds & hugs still free
— Ka (@BrownsvilleKa) September 12, 2024
The Thief Next To Jesus is out now on Ka’s own Iron Works label.
