The first video off of “Bare Knuckle Gospel” from Krum and Rob Viktum! The album drops on April 28th for FREE via RappersIknow.com

Krum & Rob Viktum announce the April 28th release date for their album, Bare Knuckle Gospel. The first single, “Abraham’s Nephew’s Wife“, showcases old Southern Gospel samples and is matched with a moody video that captures the somber track and introspective passion of the lyrics.

“I wanted to keep the vibe of old Gospel music throughout the album. Rob used classic Gospel samples on every track so the music was there, but I wanted the lyrics to keep the same emotion of the Gospel songs he sampled. I love how similar Gospel music is to blues. While all the songs are talking about the challenges and sometimes despair of life, there’s always a hope that we’re going to be ok. Through every struggle, we can always focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s good news“, Krum said. It’s hard to imagine traditional gospel music without the sweaty imagery of a hot church in the south. Being that Krum and Rob Viktum reside and recorded the album in Dallas, Texas, it is undoubtedly the reason that the album feels so natural.

The album that resulted from this collaboration is 10 songs that push beyond the current state of digital Hip-Hop music that’s clean and polished. The music is gritty, raw and full of analog record crackle straight from Viktum’s vinyl collection. “I collect records,” Viktum says. “That’s just what I do. A lot of the stuff you hear on the radio just sounds the same. It’s kind of like instant music.” Rather than making electronic beats or sampling a song he couldn’t name, Viktum is very specific about the old sounds he is rejuvenating.

The project isn’t littered with a large list of trendy collaborations on every song. The music sounds incredibly focused and only features two guest artists. The outcome sounds very deliberate with no forced collaborations just to beef up the track listing. The song Nineveh features Denmark Vessey seamlessly flipping between melodies and wordplay, while The Rain Come showcases Jabee speaking from the heart as “Rosa Parks on Noah’s arc”. Each track transitions naturally between classic Gospel themes and the raw, bare knuckle rhymes that are true to the album’s title.

They both place a large emphasis on their live show, and it’s allowed them to play for sold out venues in their hometown as well as tour the world. Between their collective careers, they have played shows and worked with Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Leon Bridges, Stalley, Kool Keith and the list goes on. Bare Knuckle Gospel is the good news Hip-Hop fans have been waiting for, releasing on RappersIKnow.com on April 28th.

Bare Knuckle Gospel tracklisting
1. Genesis
2. Suitcases and Passports
3. Emily Morgan
4. Merci
5. The Rain Come (feat. Jabee)
6. Before The Monsters Came
7. Nineveh (feat. Denmark Vessey)
8. Grandma’s Prayer
9. Abraham’s Nephew’s Wife
10. The Real Question

via SOHH