They were the best kept secret of Buenos Aires’ underground until 2006 when they acquired global notoriety due to a high-profile feature appearance on Gotan Project‘s hit “Mi Confesion.” Koxmoz are, however, a one-of-a-kind hip-hop group; they don’t follow the usual rules of the rap game, they don’t fit the expected aesthetics, and they do things in their own schedule. Soon after “Mi Confesión,” their official debut album, Tarde O Temprano, was released but it was too forward-thinking for the average Latin American orthodox rapero so they only earned status of “cult band.” Eventually they retreated back to the darkest corners of the universe and disappeared from the radar of most.
In 2014 Koxmoz came out from prolonged cryonic suspension to announce they were working on a new album, a triple album, no less, to make up for their multiple years of silence! Even their most loyal fans didn’t take it seriously (after all rapper Chili Parker is well known for his viral pranks), but last Saturday the first single out of the upcoming trilogy (to be titled El 12° Planeta) dropped in the form of a video and sent out cosmic ripples all over the solar system.
“Relikiaz” shows Koxmoz’ three MCs (Apolo Novax, Tigre Blanko & Chili Parker, in order of appearance) at the top of their game, delivering hardcore verbal acrobatics that require multiple consecutive listens to fully be appreciated and understood. The whole song sounds like an impossible tongue-twister that will put your Español classes to the test. Or you can just focus on the trippy beat and allow their perfect flow to carry you to outer space.