Right from the beginning, through means of both a poignant interpretation, Kato lets us know what it means to be Chinese.

Kato is Bruce Lee's character in "The Green Hornet." What Bruce Lee is to true, unadulterated cinema, Kato is to raw rap. His music is not initially just about the right notes ---it's about substance and inspiration.

Clearly though, Kato as a classically trained musician proves that he's got what it takes as an underground hip-hop artist through the very fresh first track (Vivaldi's Four Seasons) off his recent album The ABC's. Moreover, what is also soon becomes apparent is his flair for verbal flow. He creates such music where words and music dovetail into a powerful entity. He breathes life into every track. I rarely found myself skipping ahead nor was I bored for even an instant. Instead, tracks with cool poetic flow such as "Stones" or spitfire beats like "Step" captivated me. What I found striking about Kato's "The ABC's" was the fact that I was not a mere listener bopping to some hot tune. I slowly became a participator as he explained to me through perfectly timed beats and deliberately stirring lyrics about life experiences (check out "Green Tea") and inner turmoil about society and its history (i.e. Arrival).

Overall, Kato's The ABCs helps to further resurrect the hope that hip-hop -at its best-still thrives.