Kam Moye: Movin' On....

So it’s official. My good friend and rapper Kam Moye aka Supastition has called it quits. He spoke to me about it a while back but secretly I wished it was just a phase he was going through and hoped it would pass. He announced on his website on April 24, 2010 that he will no longer pursue music much to the dismay of many fans. On his Facebook fan page, people posted words of encouragement and appreciation. They also posted their pleas, asking him not to stop.

Anyone can gather his information and write his bio, listing what he’s done, his albums, where he’s traveled and how he started but I’m not just anyone so I’m not going to do that. *wink* Instead, I’m going to write what I know of him personally and about the last album he released, Splitting Image.

I got to know Kam through a mutual friend a few years back. I’d like to say it was back in 2007 but I’m not totally sure. He was known as Supastition then. I honestly didn’t know much about him so being the music lover I am, I looked into him and I loved what I heard. Who doesn’t love raw lyrics over hard beats? As I do for a lot of my artist friends, I spread the word about him where I could.

He went through a name change, started releasing stuff under Kam Moye and dropping Supastition. We laughed when folks criticized it when they didn’t realize that all he did was start using the name he was born with. He told me his purpose of doing it, his growth through experience, the need to be more himself and to reflect that through his music. While putting together his album, Splitting Image, I played a small part in getting in touch with one of the artists he really wanted featured on a song. Up until that point, we hadn’t met in person. I had been to North Carolina a few times and he’d been up here for a few shows but for some reason or another we never got to meet. It wasn’t until days before the album release.

I was in New York for the first time during the CMJ festival and Kam was part of a hip hop showcase in Brooklyn at a place called SouthPaw. My friend, Ann Marie and I were coming from another show so we got there just in time to see him perform. The place was packed already so I was a little sad that I didn’t get close enough to film his performance. Kam is a beast onstage! I watched with pride as he ripped the stage; the crowd was crazy hype too! We hung outside of the venue for a bit, running jokes and stuff. It really didn’t feel like the first time we met.


Shortly after Splitting Image dropped, I put in an order for 2 CDs (yes, I support artists! I didn’t even download it and waited until it arrived to listen to it.): one for myself and one to give to a friend who became a fan of his through me. In true music fan fashion, I looked at the liner notes and was extremely happy seeing my name listed in the Thank You section. Kam told me he did that but it’s different seeing it in print in your hands!

The album itself is definitely one of my favorites; it includes features by artists like John Robinson and Phonte from Little Brother with production by S1, Khrysis, Marco Polo, D.R. and Vitamin D. Kam’s lyrics really come from the heart on this one, rapping about personal experiences, loves, struggles and life lessons. My stand out song on the album is actually the title track, Splitting Image which has Neenah singing the hook and S1 on production. Lyrically, this track really spoke to me. Kam speaks about his growth and new direction. Perhaps I heard Splitting Image at the right time…my mom was in the hospital, battling cancer. It brought me much needed strength and encouragement with lyrics like, “Happiness is not having what you want but it’s wanting what you have…” I listened to it constantly then and still do now.
Splitting Image Video
(Don't forget to pause mp3 player top right of the screen before pressing play)

As a person, Kam’s one of the realest people I know, great friend and caring family man. He also has a crazy sense of humor! Okay, let me stop this before accuses me of talking about him like he passed away or something! LOL!

Kam, I said this before but I’ll say it again….I’m sad about your decision but I understand. Just know that even without the music…you’ll always have a friend in me.

Before I end this off, I have another video I'm so excited to share with you. My boy, M.O.S of Crew 54 got to interview Kam when he was in Texas for SXSW in March which included the 2 of them showing yours truly some major love!!!!! MOS added some performance footage to the mix and PRESTO! I give to you a video of probably one of Kam's last performances and interviews...ENJOY!(Friendly reminder: Don't forget to pause mp3 player top right of the screen before pressing play)