Oakland record label Kingmakers Music uplifts the Black community with socially-conscious rap

CBS News

15-02-2025

Rap music has long been a voice for struggle triumph and everyday life, but one Oakland record label is using it to create something deeper.
24-year-old Alonzo Henderson is doing something you don't see from many rappers.
Henderson, who goes by the stage name Zo1, isn't laying down edgy lyrics or hard-hitting beats. He's going for something far less common in the rap world — a love song.
"It's very life affirming music that anyone can enjoy and listen to," he said.
In a world where controversy sells, Zo1 is proving that you don't need explicit lyrics or shock value make an impact.
His latest track, "Feelin' the Luv," is produced by Kingmakers Music, a non-profit record label with a mission to uplift Black men in Oakland through music and mentorship.
"We're not developing musicians. We're developing great human beings," said rapper Jahi, who has been working in music for a quarter century, including collaborations with Chuck D of the groundbreaking political hip-hop group Public Enemy. He is also Kingmakers Music's director.
According to Jahi, the goal is to make socially-conscious music that steers clear of drugs, violence and profanity.
"It's a misnomer to think that the only way you can rap or rhyme is to put derogatory words," he said.
Socially conscious rap isn't new. It's been part of hip hop since the beginning. But labels like Kingmakers are bringing it to the forefront, using music as a tool for change.
"Hip hop is a house of many rooms and we've been in the cussing room a lot. We've been in the shooting room a lot. We've been in the violence room a lot," Jahi explained. "But there's a mediation room. There's a mindfulness room. There's a lyricism room that speaks about love and joy and introspection and family. And I want to invite people to spend some time in those rooms as well."
In addition to their non-profit label, Kingmakers also run academies focused on animation, fashion design and media production.
For zo1, stepping into those rooms didn't just shape his sound it; helped keep him on the right track — both in music and in life.
"I was getting caught up with different people, but I had folks behind me that would just show me different ways to do things and the right way to go," he said.