KZRH The Vultcha, aka Keith Thomas (Brooklyn, NY, USA):

The Vultcha will always be my name, but KZRH is more brandable and just means "Keith will be what Keith will be" — like the saying "Que sera, sera." Vultcha comes from Spider-Man's arch-nemesis, and describes my hunger to be "Awesome!!" everytime I pick up the mic or the keyboard.

I used to think that I was "just" a rapper and a beat maker. My first role was as the production part of a rap trio that featured me alongside viral sensation Eric "Badlands" Booker, who was my first mentor. Then after years doing artist development for broke singers and rappers, teaching others everything I knew, I grew to become a songwriter, producer and artist in my own right. Essentially, you could say I've always been an extra in the unreleased documentary called "Behind The Scenes: New York's Greatest to Never Make It!" From having signed groups like Brand Nubian in my bedroom studio as a teen, to doing poorly released remixes — for one of Jamaica's biggest Dancehall artists (Beenie Man) — oh, and there was that time I was "just" an assistant engineer recording some of Wu-Tang Clan's first album at Firehouse Studios. Always a bridesmaid, that's Vultcha ...

After The Oscar nominated documentary "On The Ropes" featured me in passing, along with the late MF Doom, I actually retired, but only after meeting Pharrell in some insanely expensive tiger skin boots, and after a $100k production deal fell through because the rapper was scared to come to my house in East New York, Brooklyn.  The dream tank was running out of fumes and friends, and the practical tank was filling up with pain and regrets.

My return to music wasn't easy, but it's been colossally better than quitting. After finding God, marriage and kids, I've redefined the role music plays in my life, and that's as one branch to broaden my entrepreneurship. Graphic design and photography have all been staples in my life, so I'm no longer just chasing Hip Hop like Scooby Doo and pals do a ghost story, I'm happy to be a creative person, and I'm on track to making the best music of my life.

My current project "Return of the Vultcha" has me excited, as it will be my first lyrical project since leaving NY, a transition that saw us temporarily homeless and then emerging into a global pandemic. I feel a special urgency with this project and there's a lot to talk about in light of the current identity crisis that's engulfing America. I titled it that way because, allegorically, no one wants the vultures to show up. But since I feel like we're literally dying in our democracy, me coming back this way feels like an omen — sonically because I love 90's hip hop, and conceptually because your new school rapper will never dare say what needs to be said. I guess it takes a Vultcha.

Website: fanboyzravenge.com

Instagram: instagram.com/kzrh_the_vultcha

Bandcamp: kzrh.bandcamp.com