Chris Kramer

Chris Kramer is synonymous with “Something Different”; not only his music but also his background and philosophy about life. After collaborating with artists around the world for over 15 years via production and musicianship, he was part of the First ever “Spoken Word Poetry” Grammy victory by J. Ivy in 2023. Today, he has returned to his original passion since age 13, singing, rapping and songwriting while incorporating his since mastered near native fluency in the Japanese language.

Kramer comes from a culturally mixed blue collar eurasian immigrant family, he grew up in low income part of south side chicagoland, that was populated by mostly African Americans. Chris made friends with kids from church & working class families while playing sports and was into hip hip since the Golden Era. Due to having a disabled veteran father, Kramer was able to get grants to go to college where he met his Japanese wife. After having an unplanned child, he dedicated himself to learning Japanese to a near native degree in order to speak to the family in Japan and have a real relationship.

Kramer is a natural Baritenor vocalist, musician & MC. His musical influences range from his parents 60s-70s records, golden era hip hop, then later on World, Soul & Jazz music as an adult digging in the crates. Chris taught himself to play bass and piano in order to get the music in his mind on wax, and was heavily inspired by collaborating with friends who were more advanced and trained since a young age which is is very grateful for the experiences.

Kramer’s message is all about making the world a better place, a day at a time. Due to his diverse background and immersion in Japanese traditional culture, he has an alternative perspective on how to improve many areas of society including race / international relations, technology safety, & climate change among other topics. His goal is to bring a fun vibe where everyone is welcome while sharing life experiences and presenting new ideas.