K-the-I??? is an underground rapper affiliated with the label Mush whose style is characterized by electronic, often hard-hitting beats and thoughtful, wordy rhymes. Born Kiki Ceac and originally from Cambridge, MA, he cites science fiction, video games, and psychedelic rock among his influences, along with the experimental rap of Company Flow and Madlib. K-the-I??? made his recording debut in 2002 with "Nova Solar Search," a self-produced contribution to the Beta One compilation released by the Canadian label GigCity Records. A 12" release followed, Teletron 1 (2003), along with a CD-EP, Fair Weather Under the Surface Negative (2004), on other labels before K-the-I??? was signed to Mush, a well-regarded independent label with an eclectic roster of acts including experimental rappers cLOUDDEAD, Aesop Rock, Awol One, Busdriver, Daedelus, and Bigg Jus. K-the-I??? made his full-length solo album debut on Mush with Broken Love Letter (2006), which he produced primarily himself. His follow-up album on Mush, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (2008), was produced entirely by labelmate Thavius Beck and was released overseas by Big Dada Recordings. By this point, K-the-I??? had relocated to Los Angeles. In support of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, he toured with Thavius Beck, including a leg of dates in Europe. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
