Black Sumo

🚨The wait is over!🚨 First Word Records is proud to announce ‘Clarity’, a new 12-track beat-tape from Black Sumo. Black Sumo is the instrumental-hip hop alias of KRTS aka Kurtis Hairston; an artist raised in Pittsburgh, PA, traversing to Brooklyn, NY, and currently residing in Berlin, Germany. Sonically ‘Clarity’ embodies a conglomerate of 90’s raw and gritty Boom Bap, combined jazzy lo-fi and added flares of dramatic layered melodiesaural textures across it’s 12 tracks; from filtered ethereal ambience, to headnod HipHop. It includes the recent singles ‘Silent Stones’ and ‘Rehearsal’. For all streaming and or purchasing of the beautiful limited cassette find the link below or in the @black.sumo bio. 🎨 @monkeyboxer https://lnk.to/fw368 #NewMusicFriday #instrumentalhiphop #hiphopbeats #neosoul #newmusic

👀 First look at the limited edition cassette of “Clarity” releasing on May 8th on @firstwordrecords 🎶. Pre-order now before it’s sold out! Includes digital pre-order of Clarity. You get 2 tracks now (streaming via the free @bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released. Pre-order link in @black.sumo bio! #cassette #instrumentalhiphop #undergroundhiphop #musicrelease #musicreels 🎨 @monkeyboxer 📸 @swansail ✍️ @jacobsweetman1978

I am announcing a Release Party for my new album “Clarity” dropping on May 8th. We shall listen and party on Saturday, MAY 9TH at @geistimglas Doesn’t have to be all about me, let’s celebrate the release of good music 🖤 #beats #hiphop #producer #releaseparty #beatmaker

Sunday morning/post release party vibe 🖤 I spent this morning reflecting on a wonderful and therapeutic music release of “Clarity”. From the release on Friday, heart warming responses of friends, family, and fans on social media, to all that gathered yesterday evening to share a very intimate release party, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of interest, support, and care. If you haven’t yet checked out “Clarity”, click the link in my bio. 🖤 #clarity #beats #musicrelease #gratitude #sundayvibes

The wait is almost over. “Clarity” drops tomorrow, Friday May 8th on @firstwordrecords 🎶 Sending love to the entire @refugeworldwide family for letting me bring “Silent Stones” to life in their studio space 🙏🏾 Limited cassette available now so, grab yours via the link in bio and hear the full album before everyone else 🎹. #blacksumo #neosoul #instrumentalhiphop #newmusicfriday #cassette

Am 14. Mai feiern wir 1 Jahr G Sessions im Gretchen – ein musikalisches Experiment, in der musikalische Grenzen keine Rolle spielen und Begegnung im Mittelpunkt steht. Bei den G Sessions treffen Artists aus unterschiedlichsten Szenen, in einem 360°-Setup aufeinander – offen, spontan und immer im Moment. Gehostet von den Outernationals, lebt jeder Abend von Improvisation und besonderen Konstellationen auf der Bühne. Zum Geburtstag mit dabei: @mirnabogdanovic , @nayma.duo & @black.sumo . Opening DJ Set : @allynx___ @seansteinfegerofficial . Präsentiert von @hhvrecords Alle Infos und Tickets auf

Nice to see @krts_official and myself ( @black.sumo ) supporting each other. Catch me May, 2nd at 21:00 - 22:00 on @refugeworldwide in the radio booth! #beats #beatmaker #hiphop #rádio

13 or 14 years old. EPS 16 Plus, a Roland Drum machine (ah what model??), a lil mix board, and a dark basement. The best outlet for an ultra depressed kid. #beats #beatmaker #412project #producer #hiphopmemes

OUT NOW! 'Silent Stones' is the second track taken from the forthcoming beat-tape by @black.sumo . Following on from the Bandcamp exclusive of 'Rehearsal' last month, this one is available on all digital platforms. 'Silent Stones' epitomises a conglomerate of aural textures and represents a full flavour of the full forthcoming project 'Clarity'. Ethereal filtered ambience gives way to reveal an infectious dose of headnod hip hop, sharp kicks & snares, and a hook that the more discerning heads will no doubt recognise. The beat-tape 'Clarity' will be on all digital platforms also, May 8th, with a limited edition cassette available from Bandcamp, which is up for pre-order now. lnk.to/silentstones Artwork: @monkeyboxer

Just felt like being loud #beats #breaks #hiphop #beatmaker

'Rehearsal' is the first track from @black.sumo for First Word, available exclusively on Bandcamp now. Black Sumo is the instrumental-hip hop alias of @krts_official , aka Kurtis Hairston; an artist raised in Pittsburgh, USA, traversing to Brooklyn, NYC, and currently residing in Berlin, Germany. This one's from a forthcoming 12-track beat tape entitled ‘Clarity’, scheduled to drop mid-April 2026. Sonically this project began as a homage to the instrumental beat tapes KRTS would make in his dark & musty basement in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. Raw & gritty, they combined jazzy lo-fi boom bap, reminiscent of early 90’s East Coast & Bay Area sounds, with added flares of dramatic layered melodies, and a hint of Shoegaze-esque walls of reverb. ‘Rehearsal’ sets us up appropriately as we mean to proceed, with full ‘Clarity’ to come in late Spring, on digital platforms & limited cassette. For now, head over to Bandcamp to get a first taste. /track/rehearsal 🎨 @monkeyboxer #HipHopBeats #HipHopInstrumentals #BlackSumo #FirstWordRecords

🚨 NEW SIGNING! 🚨 First Word Records are very proud to introduce @black.sumo  and welcome him to the label. Black Sumo is the instrumental-hip hop alias of @krts_official  aka Kurtis Hairston; an artist raised in Pittsburgh, USA, traversing to Brooklyn, NYC, and currently residing in Berlin, Germany. His first single for us entitled ‘Rehearsal’  is available exclusively on Bandcamp NOW. This is the first track taken from a forthcoming 12-track beat tape entitled ‘Clarity’, scheduled to drop mid-April 2026. Sonically this project began as a homage to the instrumental beat tapes KRTS would make in his dark & musty basement in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. Raw & gritty, they combined jazzy lo-fi boom bap, reminiscent of early 90’s East Coast & Bay Area sounds, with added flares of dramatic layered melodies, and a hint of Shoegaze-esque walls of reverb. ‘Rehearsal’ sets us up appropriately as we mean to proceed, with full ‘Clarity’ to come in late Spring, on digital platforms & limited cassette.  For now, head over to Bandcamp to get a first taste. /track/rehearsal 📸 Lisa Swarna Khanna (swansail) #HipHopBeats #HipHopInstrumentals #BlackSumo #FirstWordRecords