Kutt Kalhoun Interview

[D-Nice]

http://www.illuminati2g.com/kuttkalhouninterview.htm

I2G kicked it with Strange Music member, Kutt Kalhoun for a exclusive interview. We discuss his new album, Raw-N-Un-Kutt, in stores now, his thoughts on working with Tech N9Ne, touring and much more so check it out.

Illuminati 2G is here with Kutt Kalhoun how’s it going?

It’s going pretty good man. I am out here in Seattle, Washington right now on the Strange Noize tour, chilling on the tour bus before we leave.

For those unfamiliar with your music, how did you get your start in hip hop and who were some of your musical influences out there coming up?

I got my start around 1991, beating on tables and freestyling at schools. Some of my influences are NWA, Too $hort, DJ Quik, K-Solo, Run DMC and as I got older that grew into Tupac.

He was definitely a mentor to me as far as music is concerned.

You have a new album entitled Raw N Un-Kutt that came out last month. Tell me a little bit about the album.

The new album, it is the best from me thus far. Which I feel like it should be, each and every album should be better than your last album. Raw N Un-Kutt is a concept album, there is a theme to it.

Raw N Un-Kutt goes through the good, the bad and the ugly phases, similar to any drug that you would go through. Raw N Un-Kutt also means there is no cut to it, like pure cocaine without any cut on it.

That is what I would say my music is and what this album is. It is also 150% pure Kutt Kalhoun and there is no watered down or dumb down, mainstream or purposely made mainstream songs.

150% me, leave it or love it. It is just going to be one of those kind of albums and it will take you through the good, the bad and the ugly and that is the concept of it. The music is the drug, Raw N Un-Kutt.

I would have to say my 2 favorite cuts so far on the album is Redemption with Joe Budden and the song Naked that you have with Tech N9Ne and Krizz Kaliko. Tell me a little bit about how those songs came together for you?

Redemption, as you know we were on tour with Slaughterhouse on the K.O.D. tour. I have been a fan of Joe Budden, so to have all of those guys in my presence was a good thing.

Come to find out they were all some cool guys, much love to all of them. Joe Budden was the kind of guy that he was always on his computer ALL DAY. He lived on the internet, blog tv, Joe Budden TV, and he used to play his music for people while he was on tour.

I got to listen to a lot of his music, and he has a very dark and personal tip to him and his songs. He did a lot of storytelling but the content was real dark and so I definitely wanted to get him on the album. I actually wanted to get all those guys from Slaughterhouse on the album.

When I received that beat from Fire, I was still on tour with them. I was listening to it and I thought this would be perfect for Joe. The type of feel that the beat had, I like to choose people that I feel will fit the mood and the tone of the beat and the lyrics. I don’t just put anyone on a beat and this was one of those dark songs.

The beat was perfect and Joe was the first person that came to mind and he said he was down to do it. The tour was shortly over right after I received the beat and once I got home and did my part, came up with the concept and the hook.

Joe told me to send him the track and I did, and he killed it. He laced that track and it turned out to be a beautiful song. It turned out just the way I thought it would happen.

As far as Get Naked, that was one of the last songs that I had. I had like 10 or 15 songs already recorded and done, and I was still getting beats. I believe Fire did that beat as well.

I was just sitting there vibing to it at my house and the first thing the beat told me was something for the club and up tempo. I was trying to come up with a title and all I could think of was the movie Life with the Boom Boom Room.

Laughs.

I was like yeah I am going with that, Get Naked, The Boom Boom Room. I started writing my verses, and I had 3 verses and the song was already a done deal. At this time, Tech and Kaliko were out of town and so by the time he came back home, he was barely in the studio and I had most of these songs done in a month.

I pretty much had the album done and Tech was not on anything yet so we had to get him on a track. Tech being the type of guy that he is, he is known for doing songs for the ladies, and that is the one he chose.

He loved the beat, and I just took my middle verse off. He wrote to it and he did a excellent job and Kaliko came up with the hook. I had my verses done and the melody and Kaliko is real good with coming up with hooks at the spur of the moment.

When I came up with the melody for it, he started working on the hook and he came up with the hook in about 15 minutes and it came out to be a beautiful song.

Do you have any other videos or singles set to drop from the album coming up in the next couple of weeks or towards the end of the year?

Yeah when I get back home I am going to choose a single. Only Knew is one of those songs, which features Bishop Young Don, he has done music with R Kelly, Joe and he has done ghostwriting as well.

He is on there and it is a beautiful song and I am going to try and go with that. Or I might go with By The Bar, but Only Knew I am getting good feedback from the radio DJs back at home. They are loving that song so I think I am going to go with that. To take it from a fast, party club type of environment to a mellow environment.

You also have the song Hey Hey Hey, that is a banger. So for right now I am leaning towards Only Knew but I would love to also do Hey Hey Hey and By The Bar. Once I get home and talk with Liquid 9 and we will make the best decision for what the streets would like to hear.

The streets is what makes the music hot, the streets are the ones who tell the DJs and the radio stations what is hot. A lot of people misjudge their thinking and let the label tell you what to put out there.

It is not really up to what the label thinks, it is up to what the streets is going to like. I am going to give these songs to the radio stations and let them spin it. Give it to these clubs and see what the streets is talking about and I am going to go with it based off of that.

I have interviewed Brotha Lynch Hung, Cognito, and they have all said the same thing about Tech N9Ne. He allows you to be who you are as a artist. Do you feel the same way in being a artist on Strange Music?

Tech N9Ne in the studio is real innovative. I have been with the label since late 1998, 1999, before anyone else was around. There was a guy named Brent Wright that was around before me and that was the only other guy around Tech by the time I met up with him.

Being in the studio with Tech and also working on mastering my craft of rhyming definitely helped my career. Seeing how he works, I learned how to write bars with my music. It opened my mind up into being more creative with how I write my songs.

Hearing and seeing him do harmonies definitely bettered my talents and crafts with doing the same thing. Being around Tech is a motivation, he is a innovator and is definitely a mentor when it comes to the music. Me seeing that allows me to be creative and be diverse with my talent as well.

Take his viewpoint as use it in my music to better myself. Working with Tech is a great thing, I have been with him since 1998 and it has helped me to grow and I am sure we have all took things from each other musically daily to make great music.

You mentioned earlier that you were on the Strange Days tour. Do you have anymore upcoming shows or tour dates?

I have not had a day off yet bro. I have been on tour since May 11th when it started. It ended on June 19th and the next day on the 20th I was driving to Colorado Springs to start the Strange Noize tour. This tour is lasting until August 7th so we have roughly 15 or 16 days left. I got about a month and a week off and then we start another tour September 15th.

You barely have time to settle in, wash your clothes and spend time with the family.

What is your website information?

www.myspace.com/kuttkalhoun. www.kuttkal.com. It is my own personal website that people can hit me up on. www.facebook.com/kuttkalhoun and www.twitter.com/kuttkalhoun. Of course you can go on www.strangemusicinc.com. You can also google me, youtube me, I got a lot of stuff on youtube.

Alright well that is all the questions I have for you, appreciate you getting down for the interview. Is there any last words or shoutouts that you want to get out there to the people?

I want to say much love to all the fans out there that are supporting this underground movement. Support ya boy Kutt Kalhoun and get that Raw N Un-Kutt. If you can’t find it in the stores, you can get it at www.strangemusicinc.net and it can be mailed to you. Or you can buy it on I-Tunes. Just support it, I would rather you support it then download it, but if you download it and you like the music, go out and buy it anyway. You can’t listen to it properly in ya ride with the bass and everything with a burned copy anyway, so keep that one for the house and the other for your ride.

Definitely support the underground artists doing they thing. Strange Music, the #1 independent rap label and it would not be that way for us without having the talent that we do have and putting out that good music that a lot of people are missing and have been wanting to hear. Shout out to all the fans that support us and continue to spread the word out to new fans as well.

Appreciate your time.

Aww man thank you very much for the opportunity bro.

[you gon always be my latin queen bitch]

you know its crazy his albums never live up to what he does on techs albums....3 albums in a row IMO