Exclusive Kenan Bell x Micro-Chop Mix
A multi-talented artist offers his unique take on the Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist.
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Born and raised in Los Angeles, DJ, educator, rapper, and producer Kenan Bell has had an impressive 15-year career. The single “Like This” from his 2010 debut Until The Future was featured in the video game NBA 2K10. “T.G.I.F” - the b-side of another album single “Good Day” - features the esteemed L.A. rap pioneer Aceyalone.
In terms of live performances, Bell has shared the stage with many luminaries of the rap world. He was the opening act for De La Soul’s 20th-anniversary tour of their classic record 3 Feet High and Rising. He also toured with RJD2 in 2010, who later produced his song “Opportunity Knocks.” The resume doesn’t stop there - he ripped SXSW in 2011 with Kurupt, Snoop Dogg, and Warren G in conjunction with Vibe’s “Respect The West” Show.
In the years since Bell has continued to perform live and record and release a steady stream of singles and EPs, including The Greater Good EP trilogy in 2018. He has also branched out into DJing. His guest sets include several impressive performances on The Rodriguez Show. I love his balanced approach to showcasing skills and letting songs breathe. He also adds a lot of live looping and doubling up to his set, which I’m always a fan of. Here’s a nice set from this past November.
Kenan and I have followed each other on Twitter for a while and check in from time to time about music and life. He’s always very supportive and will reach out with feedback on playlists I put together. He was especially into the Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist (Spotify / YouTube) and we chopped it up about a number of the tracks and the general concept.
He eventually floated the idea of performing on a live video mix where he would only use songs from Less Than 1,000 Spins. I loved the concept and thought it would be a great way to get more people to engage with the playlist and the artists and songs featured. I knew it would also give a very creative and talented person a chance to put his own spin on the collection.
When he shared the final edit with me I was very impressed. He neatly fit 15 songs into a 20-minute mix with the perfect blend of song selection and skills. There’s no doubt this excellent mix will introduce these songs to new listeners, which is the ultimate goal of the playlist. I’m very grateful to Kenan Bell and all the thought and care he put into this mix. I hope you’ll take some time to check it out. Make sure to drop a comment and let us know what you think.
You can follow Kenan Bell on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Kenanbell.com.