NEW YORK, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--Jul 20, 2006 -- KOCH Records is thrilled to announce the release of "The Death of Willie Lynch," the debut album by renowned poet Black Ice. The album hits streets on September 5th, 2006 and features artists Musiq Soulchild, Natalie Stewart of Floetry, Vee and Chyna Black.

Black Ice earned his respect as one of the premiere wordsmiths on Russell Simmons' "Def Poetry Jam." Known across the nation as one of the most gifted poets of his generation, Ice has moved crowds to the depths of their deepest emotion with his special brand of spoken word. This fall, KOCH Records and world famous DJ Jazzy Jeff are proud to present Black Ice in a light you have never seen him in before. "The Death of Willie Lynch" showcases his skills with wordplay over 12 tracks. In an unusual move in today's multi-producer projects, Black Ice opted to create "The Death Of Willie Lynch" with one producer, Eric Greene Jr., a phenomenal young producer who has been blazing a trail of his own. A drummer at heart, Eric has kept a steady tempo of rising notoriety, touring with multi-platinum recording artists Jill Scott, Floetry, and Pharrell. In a very organic manner, Black Ice and Eric have combined to revive the notion of the Hip-Hop concept album. "The Death of Willie Lynch" is as thoroughly entertaining as it is socially relevant.

At the personal request of superstar singer Mary J. Blige, Black Ice joins her for The Breakthrough Tour scheduled for more than 30 venues nationwide this summer.

Black Ice has lent his genius to the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, and has made feature TV appearances on BET ("Live 8 Concert Special," "Rap City The Basement" and "106th & Park") and NBC ("Showtime at the Apollo"), in addition to starring in five consecutive seasons of HBO's "Def Poetry Jam." The New York Post has rated his live performance "diamond brilliant". He was cast as a lead member in Def Poetry on Broadway, which went on to win the 2003 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event. Black Ice's talents are also showcased on releases by Pete Rock, Method Man and Fabolous.

In addition to releasing his album, "The Death of Willie Lynch," Black Ice has just completed the "Hoodwatch Movement Mixtape Volume I." He also plans on releasing a book of his prayers, entitled "Me & God," a five year chronicle of Black Ice's journal writings.

The tracklisting for "The Death of Willie Lynch" is:

1.  The Path                    7.  Nice2MeetU feat. Vee
2.  The Ugly Show               8.  Hoodwatch!!
3.  A Dream Transferred         9.  Front Page
4.  Find My Way Home           10.  Rain, Hail, Sleet or Snow feat. H. Hill
5.  Lone Soldier               11.  The Real
     feat. Chyna Black         12.  SHINE feat. Natalie Stewart of Floetry
6.  takeyatime feat. Musiq

About KOCH Records

KOCH Records is a division of KOCH Entertainment, the fastest-growing music company and the market leader among independents in North America. The KOCH Entertainment corporate umbrella encompasses the KOCH Records label, KOCH Vision home video, KOCH Music Publishing and KOCH Entertainment Distribution with operations in both the U.S. and Canada. KOCH Records proudly claims the largest number of Billboard charting albums among independents for each of the last five years (2001-2005). For additional info on the KOCH Records label and its roster of artists, please visit www.kochrecords.com

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