Hip-Hop Supergroup Fly Gypsy Debuts With Summertime Single "You"

Jamaican emcee Kowboy Kom and Russian producer Alexei Jendayi launch today their much-anticipated joint project, a hip-hop group Fly Gypsy. The duo's first single "You," featuring Brazilian songstress Tattiana Aqeel-de Oliveira, will be released in July 2009. It is currently available on the group's website, www.FlyGypsy.com. The video for the single will be shot in Jamaica by Ras Kassa, a video director critically acclaimed for his work with Damian Marley, Sean Paul, and Willie Nelson.

Alexei and Kowboy Kom formed Fly Gypsy after successfully collaborating on an election-time single, "The Ruler," in the fall of 2008. The single and the video became a viral success, scoring high rankings on YouTube and earning praise from hip-hop bloggers. After "The Ruler" and several other tracks recorded in the same period received overwhelmingly positive response from both fans and industry insiders, Alexei and Kowboy Kom decided to continue as a group.

"My production is quite varied, ranging from soulful 70s sounds to club bangers, from afro-beat to guitar-heavy rock anthems," says Alexei. "What especially impressed me about Kom at the outset was his ability to flow over just about any type of music and do it incredibly well."

"The diversity of the Fly Gypsy sound is what I enjoy the most about what we do," says Kowboy Kom. "I grew up listening to a lot of different music, from Rakim to Coltrane, from Buju Banton to Kenny Rogers, and Alexei's production style allows me to dip into all those influences and keep my flow musically rich."

In addition to the diverse musical influences, Kowboy Kom and Alexei share an immigrant background. Kom was born in Jamaica and came to the United States at the age of ten. Growing up in New York during the golden era of Hip-Hop, Kom was inspired by fellow artists of West Indian descent, including Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, and Notorious B.I.G. Alexei was born and raised in Russia, performing music and dancing much of his life. He first came to the United States at the invitation of the U.S. government and later returned to attend college and law school. Alexei spent four years practicing international law at one of the world's top law firms before deciding to leave and pursue a music career full-time.