THE BRAND...
“The Music lays the Foundation & the BRAND leads the Movement. This my Calling “ - Kao
Love and Music are the tools used when our Hero, Raphel ‘Kao Wonder ‘ Faison, engages with the world to conquer hearts and inspire hope whenever he touches a stage. Hailing from the rough but authentic rough parts of Brooklyn , New York City, Käo got the calling at a very young age following under his Mother and Father’s shadow. He would hear his Mom sing beautiful tunes choring around the house, and Dad was an instrumentalist (playing tuba ) and DJ/MC for local but notarized Hip Hop Group Oddessy Disco“. Finding his natural dance grooves by watching music videos of iconic Michael and Janet Jackson, Aaliyah, Prince , and Chris Brown , Käo also had a fascination with his radio , jamming and singing alongside it as if he himself was singing mostly during the afternoon and even in the late nights. He began to take the next steps of Showmanship in middle school, majoring in Performing Arts.
THE BRAND...
Kao took the lessons from school and applied it on his personal quest for stardom, dancing in local neighborhood talent shows and taking vocal lessons on the side so he can be like the “Hero’s “ he saw on on Tv. In high school , he became known as the “go to” guy for dance competitions, as he at gravitated more towards the art and conquering it, training himself in Street Jazz, Modern, and more importantly Hip Hop.After graduating , Käo moved to Atlanta, Ga to pursue his passion of dance, and it would be here his life would forever changed.
In Atlanta , Kao received his alias name from the word “Chaotic “ (he spelled it Kayohtiq) , which described the dynamic energy and unspoken demand for attention on the stage whenever he would perform a step. Throwing himself into the dance scene , he quickly drew the attention of some of Atl’s finest choreographers and dance agencies and eventually signed with DDO (one of the top three Dancing has now become a profitable source of income for Käo, but deep down , he knew he wanted to be more than just that. He had a book filled with original lyrics and song/melody ideas , and pretty soon the urge to inspire musically took over. With the idea of infusing both dance and songs , he along with three others young men who had the same passion of song and dance , decided to form a male BoyBand called Illicit Vice which served as a ‘prohibited corruption ‘ to the current Pop bands in the music world and lay a new trend of group identity.
Because Pop music wasn’t a popular trend in the south at that time , the boys decided to pick up their vision and head to Los Angeles, CA to continue their path. Shortly after the move , Illicit Vice decided to break up for inconceivable differences. As heartbroken and frustrated as he was, Kao still continued to pursue this vision as a Solo Artist instead. Today , he continues to execute this vision, singing tunes of Self Awareness , Love , and Empowerment of the individual. His core element being still inspired by Dance and Electronic music, Kao hopes to bridge the past world with the present , using retro inspired ingredients as a foundation but layering it with personal edge , style , and attitude. Calling his fans his “Highs&Lows” ,which represents the people who are naturally energetic or a bit hopeless on life , Kao plans to lead a nation of warriors , whose goals are not to only enjoy the music and show experience he provides , but increase or a develop a strong sense of pride and ownership to themselves in the process.