Working as Second Hand King, the locally based Joe Stanziola is a self-described “doo-wop rap” artist.
He wears his heart on his sleeve, combining contemporary hip-hop with elements of vintage popular music including doo-wop and rat pack-era saloon singing (Hannah Copeland reviewed his album Before the Bomb Drops for KCUR in 2015). As a result of those styles, his music more closely resembles the score of the musical Hamilton than the contemporary hits of rappers like Kendrick Lamar.
In honor of Second Hand King's featured status this week, here's the delightful video for "Go So Wrong." Filmed on Kansas City's West Side, it's a playful song about the challenges associated with maintaining a lasting romantic relationship:
Second Hand King, 8 p.m. on Friday, March 31 at RecordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri, 64108; 816-753-5207. Lovergurl, the Kid Nikki Halt, Rachel Mallin & the Wild Type and Chris Flow open.
Bill Brownlee’s writing appears weekly in The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine. He blogs about Kansas City’s jazz scene at Plastic Sax.
