KAY9INE  (November 2002) | Interview By: Nima

      Dubcnn.com Staff member Nima recently got the chance to speak to LA artist, Kay9ine. In the interview they speak on the westcoast, his past projects, collaborations, his plans for the future and lots more! We have both the text and audio for you to check! You can support Kay9ine by getting the album from CDNow or CDBaby. Send Feedback to: nima@dubcnn.com





Thanks to Kay9ine for taking some time out to do the interview with the site! (Special thanks also, to Ernest Churchill for his help) The interview was conducted on 16th November


Questions Asked By : Nima

Full Interview Audio Download : Here
 

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Nima : First off, I'd like to know what actually made you wanna rap! Why did you take this decision?

Kay9ine : oh ah shit, well I had some problems, I went to jail for some other thangs that I did and uh, I ran into some cats, and later on the line we just started freestyling and stuff, and they was already known artists, and they were actually tellin' me that I should just go and do that, and I had some good skills and stuff so I believed they were just talkin' and we were jut doin' it for uhh fun! And uhh, it just turned into something I wanted to do later on! I just got real serious with it and decided to go on with it all the way!

Nima : Where exactly did you grow up?

Kay9ine : Uhm, San Bernardino and L.A., back and forth.

Nima : Why did you choose to call yourself "Kay9ine"?

Kay9ine : Oh, it was like a thang, we was all homies from the same block, and you know I was from the ninth block, so I just decided to name myself Kay9ine.

Nima : A lot of fans thought you were the "K9" who appeared on Suge Knight's "Too Gangsta For Radio" compilation. Do you actually know this guy, and if yeah is there a conflict or a problem because of your name?

Kay9ine : Uhh, nah I don't think so, cause, really, I got another song that I got coming out that, uhh, I'm not actually talkin' bout K-9 but I'm talkin bout everybody thats just tryin to do something with their name, I wanna see 'em on the mic.

Nima : What projects did you do before "The 9 Cocked Back"?

Kay9ine : Uhh, on other peoples stuff, on uhh my homie 40 Glocc, my cuzzin Moss Majors, I got something on uhh the Oldie Locs, and a couple people that came out before.

Nima : After hearing your album, I understand why so many people call it the westcoast album of the year! You kept it real, are you truly satisfied with the record or do you think it could be better?

Kay9ine : Nah, uh, what it was, was uhh we wanted to put it out a lil early than what it was, you know at the time I was deciding which way and the route to go, and I didn't have many people, that wanna show you the way, goin this way or goin that way, so I figured it out and tried to put our own label together, I had a couple of titles, crews so we just put it together and made it happen, you know! It seemed like it was taking too long but the other people that come around, and say you gone do this and that and that never happens so I just decided to make that move and make it happen on my own.

Nima : You have many big names featured on your album, how did all that happen?

Kay9ine : Oh, I got some people that I knew some songs, or I had already gotten in contact with at the shows, or that I grew up and see around, and they just kept it real and were down with me, such as like Bad Azz he got at me a couple times, we already knew eachother, Kurupt, I knew his brother, I got down with them, and Playa Hamm he was already from the block, so you know.

Nima : In the song "Free my niggaz" you tell us that you were locked up. Did you gangbang?

Kay9ine : Uh, yeah!! Yeah I sure did, and uhm we, uh I flipped that into, turned that into something on a, you know a little bit on the music tip,so you know its better this way.

Nima : "Extra'd Out" with Kurupt is already a masterpiece and for me its defiantly the anthem of the year, how did you like working with Kurupt?

Kay9ine : Oh it was real cool! Everything went alright, with the whole thing! Before and afterwards, and you know I still contact with him!

Nima : Can we hear anything else from you and Kurupt in future?

Kay9ine : Uhh, first of all I gotta, well you know I ain't really talked to him bout, what he got coming up, I think he got something coming out so when he gets everything situated, you know with his label and everything that he's doin', Ill get in touch with him and I'm sure he'll be down no problem!

Nima : Yeah cause you know he's on the Row right now, and theres alotta beef going on. That doesn't concern you right?

Kay9ine : Naah, that's between them, I don't get nobody in nobody's business unless its Frontline Records, unless its got anything to do with Frontline, then we making it happen, we get in till the end.

Nima : I heard you remixed Extra'd Out with E-40! When can we hear that?

Kay9ine : Uhh, we got that coming out soon too, uhm, we already done it but we didn't have it come out yet, so we gone probably release that in about a month, or so.

Nima : J Deezy did a lot of production on your album, how did you two meet and what more can we here from ya'll?

Kay9ine : Ohh, actually when I ran into J Dee, we did a whole album in like a whole week! We and another lil crew did a whole album in a week, we were tryna see, cause we didn't have no deal with Universal Records, and in some kinda way, there was these cats who knew this guy or that guy and messed it all up tryina get into it, but didn't have nothing to do with it, and just pulled it outta its proportions.

Nima : Are there any producers you'd like to hook up with in future?

Kay9ine : Uhh, producers, lemme see uhh, Blaqtoven, hook up with Cat, Battlecat, theres some cats out there, probably some cats on the eastcoast, you know make it happen, mix it all up, just keep workin' with JD, you know Jay Dee can make just anything sound dope! Or really wanna stick with Jay Dee too so its all good.

Nima : What are your favorite tracks on the 9 Cocked Back?

Kay9ine : Uhh, lemme see, what I want to make you really feel is Free My Niggaz, but California that's the song on there man, that one and Free My Niggaz..

Nima : I like Mama Used To Say alot!

Kay9ine : Mama Used To Say exactly! I was gone say that, those ones are really the ones that point the finger at everybody like this and that, and take you to the actual purpose of the song!

Nima : Who is on Frontline records, and in which ways do you wish to expand it?

Kay9ine : Uhh, we tryna take it one step at a time, and I got another lil crew coming out, uhh, next year or something, yea the beginning or sometime next year, Home Invasion, my people, and a couple other cats.

Nima : What's up with your distribution deal? We heard form peeps in Europe it's really hard to get your album (even to import it). Was your album released in the states nationally or just in the underground?

Kay9ine : Nationally.

Nima : How can people from overseas get your album?

Kay9ine : Oh they can get it through uhh, CDbaby, CDnow.com, or they can just call us straight, you know with the area code with the 1-800 number on it, e-mail us however you wanna do it, but it should be in all the Wherehouses and all the uhh records and stuff.

Nima : In the last years, the westcoast hasn't gotten any major airplay on the radio and on TV. A lot of critics say its always the same subjects: Money, Hoes and Cars, without any innovations or deep messages. What's your opinion on that?

Kay9ine : Uhh, it sounds like that was what they were stuck on for a minute, you know that was goin' on at that time, so alotta people really passing that on right now, like Snoop, he coming with different styles right now, and everybody's like "why snoop wont come with this?" but you know what he's doin' is just tryna move it and elevate it to something else!

Nima : When do you think the westcoast could be back on top, like it was in '96?

Kay9ine : Ooh, well uhh there's alotta cats out there right now, who could really make that happen, but they just ain't got the deals right now, that came out right, and there's alotta deals they're workin' on, alotta stuff that ain't comin' out, alotta people thats just sittin' on alotta nice projects!

Nima : And its like alotta Westcoast Legends are goin' on the eastcoast, even Snoop Dogg has worked with alotta Eastcoast producers, but who is still representing' the Westcoast to the fullest?

Kay9ine : Uhh, man I say Snoop and uhh his lil crew, Cube, Mack 10, Dub C, you know wherever he goes wherever he goes he's still representing' the West! Couple other cats doin' it out there, Jayo Felony!

Nima : What are your future projects, when are you gonna bless us with new music?

Kay9ine : Well I got about 5,6 new songs I already got so I gotta put about 6 or 7 more songs on there and then I got around 13 and the next one is coming out. Also working with alotta different artists, some that I didn't already work with, you know, take it on there.

Nima : Now, what advice could you give young rappers tryna get into the game?

Kay9ine : Yeah, uhh, I'd give them something like they need to uhh check out and read up on stuff, like as far as coming with their own label or you know checkin' in with their own stuff, and makin' sure everything is goin' right, because you could just be sittin' there and people, they look at the artist, like you know he's being controlled, like its some video game working him, if they ain't really on top of nuthin, its not gone happen!

Nima : What's your view on Afeni and Deathrow Records releasing a Tupac album, like now Better Dayz is coming on the 26th of November, and alotta people say that's stupid, let the man rest and leave him alone!

Kay9ine : Well, uhh, to me it feels like, when he coming with new songs, its shows that he had so much to say and so much to do, and its cool to release them and whenever they got something they bringin it out! I'll never be gettin' tired of them Tupac songs!

Nima : Yeah but I don't think they should be puttin' people like Trick Daddy, Mya..

Kay9ine : Oh and everybody on there and remix it and have it ready to play, taking his bars off and putting it on their songs, uhh as far as that, I don't really have no opinion on that, I really don't know that, cause they should just bring the songs out fully, with just him on his own tracks, it would be more realistic!

Nima : Yea, cause there was a track with Trick Daddy on his new album which actually it was with Kurupt, and I heard they put a label saying "Trick Daddy" where 2Pac is actually saying Kurupt, and that's just stupid in my opinion.

Kay9ine : Yeah, they makin' it sound like, like it was already recorded but never released, but it was never actually happening, like actually it was just Kurupt and him on there, and now they puttin Trick Daddy or something on there, then it would be unidentifiable.

Nima : And what I wanna know is, how do you think you could still get better, and you know with a new album take a new step. In which ways do you think you could still better yourself?

Kay9ine : Ohh, well shit, just stay in the game, and everything I put down in my music is something that I went through or something I've seen, you know the real deal, but I'm listening' over and over on my own music, and checking like what I'm saying, and a different route that I'ma take, will be different than the next, or a lil better than the next, you know, always working' toward the best.

Nima : Now, who are your personal favorite artists, and who do you look up to most right now?`

Kay9ine : Uh, lemme see, deffinately Quik, you know what im sayin, Mack, lemme see, theres so many of them man, I got some on the eastcoast, like Redman and them, uhh, MC Eiht, even though they don't really put him on the radio too much, I like MC Eiht a lot, and there's a lot I can't really name right now.

Nima : And do you think, like in 5 years you could be up there on MTV or BET all the time, could you even picture that?

Kay9ine : Yeah, I can picture it!!

Nima : Would you go mainstream, or would you prefer to keep it underground, and stay gangsta..

Kay9ine : Like if I was to go mainstream, I wouldn't really wanna change anything, change nothing, keep it all like I'm tryna, you know how they think "Oh all them gangster rappers tryna be something" but there's always something behind, and they end up gettin into it with another label, but we try to keep it between ourselves, and get our own thang rollin, we ain't tryna get into nobody elses thang. And if something happens to our label, then its because or our label, we ain't tryna get into nobody elses, we just wanna bring ours up, and then we take another route and we can cross over into the mainstream or whatever, then thats what we gone do!

Nima : Aight, thats basically it man, thanks a lot for the interview! Are there any people you wanna shoutout, anything else you wanna say, any message?

Kay9ine : Uhh, to all the listeners out there, uhm I'm glad that they went out to check out my album, the project, I appreciate that, and I thank 'em for that, for all the support and everythang! If you ain't got the album yet, you need to go purchase it, it's a good album, check it out!

Nima : Aight, cool, thanks! Peace

Kay9ine : Peace