KC Bandz

Karl Chad Guthrie, better known as KC Bandz, is an American born rapper, writer and musician. Originally from Livingston, New Jersey, KC grew up in the early 90s surrounded by a family of musicians. The son of drummer and pianist, Karl Guthrie, nephew of the late world-renowned bassist Andy McCloud Jr. and the late 80s icon Gwen Guthrie, music coursed through his veins and daily life. By age 8, he developed an uncanny musical ear and rhythmic knowledge as a drummer and pianist.

After the Lion King movie premiered, one day, KC sat down at the piano in our home, said his older sister, Diarra Guthrie, and he began playing the entire theme song by ear. From memory. Thats the moment we knew.

In the years following, KC studied music in all its forms jazz, R&B, gospel and most heavily, hip-hop. Influenced by hip-hop heavyweights such as: Notorious B.I.G. ,Snoop Dogg, Jay-z, Nas, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Ludacris, The Mixtape and Carter 2 Lil Wayne and more. In 2010 he began taking his own turn at writing rhymes and pushing self-produced mixtapes in Essex County, New Jersey.

It all started when KC borrowed his friends Macbook and recorded his first mixtape "Chasing A Dream. It was full of braggadocio and a wide range of songs that gave him a buzz throughout his city that he didn't even expect. His rhymes were leading hip-hop in a new direction.

KC Bandz is part of a new era of rappers, one that is less defined by street credibility and raw aggression and more defined by truth, hard work and success. To KC, hip-hop is about going back to a time when music was honest and it told a story. "Hip-hop," he says, "is more about being young, fly, and having your sh*t together. Its about being you and telling your story better than anyone else.

I don't need to be these other guys. Don't get me wrong I can imitate any one of them. But why spend my time imitating the next dude when I can dominate my own lane?"

Instantly, KC Bandz became a neighborhood superstar for bringing a new sound to the streets of Livingston, West Orange and Newark, New Jersey. His penchant for punch lines and clever wit kept his young audiences captive chanting for encores after his local shows in nightclubs around the area as well as his the attention his song "Gang Sign" received from the world's first Hip-Hop station, Hot 97. Soon, KC sparked the attention of entertainment industry heavyweights, including Mike Cameron, Chauncey Washington (former running back for the New York Jets), and others. Still, with nothing in the works and no major label recognition, he continued working writing and recording with the hopes the right connection would come along.

After over a year of building a local following, in early 2011, he connected with creative film and music producer, Jamison Claxton who would ultimately invest with the kind of faith that could catapult his career. 

KC Bandz is now in the studio working on the release of his free album "Stunna Season" that should be available Fall 2014.