Kay L Interview (November 2009) | Interview By: Chad Kiser

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Interview was done in November 2009

Questions Asked By: Chad Kiser
 

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Dubcnn Exclusive – Kay L
By: Chad Kiser
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Dubcnn: For the people who are not familiar with you, tell us about yourself and how you got into doing the music?

I’m 100%, everything you get when you listen to these records. There are records that will be pushed on a commercial level, but as far as me as an artist, I have been doing it since I was nine. I got a big break when my record “Go To Work” started spinning heavily out on the west coast, and that’s how most people are familiar with me. I’ve been doing this for like 10 years now, and it seems like now it’s about to finally pay off.


Dubcnn: Who are some of the influences that have motivated you along the way?

To me, I always say that it’s just life; it’s just the things that I go through personally. But, I definitely have a lot of rappers that I listen to. I grew up listening to people like Jay-Z & 2Pac.  As far as west coast rappers, more so than east coast rappers, so I really have a lot of respect for people like DJ Quik, Snoop, Game, Snoop; a lot of people on the west coast, but it’s more of a personal thing like a lifestyle thing for me. If I go through a certain situation and I feel like it should be written down and people should hear about it, then that’s what I do. Musically, I don’t pattern myself after anybody, but I’m a big, big hip-hop fan.


Dubcnn: What are you working on right now project-wise?

About five months ago I had a mixtape that came out, called Black Rose, that did like 300,000 downloads through spots like datpiff.com, hotnewhiphop.com. Right now, I’m like 15 songs into Black Rose II; I want to say the first one had like 18 songs on it.


Dubcnn: So, will the Black Rose mixtape be backed with Ill Will and Rock Star, again?

Yeah, Black Rose II will be with the same DJ’s.


Dubcnn: Tell me how you connected with DJ Ill Will for the first Black Rose mixtape.

DJ Ill Will just contacted me, like I said, he had the “Go To Work” record and he had called me and through further conversations he was like, “let me get some more records; we have got to put this out”. Being that he has the avenues, I thought it was a great idea and it actually worked the way that I wanted it to work, so it was a win-win for everybody.


Dubcnn: Now you say that you have a deep appreciation for the west coast and all that, but you’re originally from St. Louis correct?

Right.


Dubcnn: Tell me how you came to have that deep appreciation for west coast?

I think it was just like, I don’t know it’s like there are certain cats in the field that feel like east coast rappers are more creative, but I feel like when I see west coast rappers it’s more like a laid-back thing; it’s just like their chillin’ and that’s more of my personality and how I get down. I have nothing bad to say about any of the rappers, or any down south rappers, or east coast rappers. Not to mention my first time in LA I was a 17 year-old kid, with a song on the radio; (shout out to Felli Fel) it’s just like a love I’ve got for LA or West Coast period. I don’t know what it is or where it came from, but for me as a person I’m more laid-back and that’s what you get from west coast music.


Dubcnn: I definitely feel you, you know I’m from Louisville, Kentucky and I grew up on all that west coast music.

Yeah, you know, it’s not like I hate east coast music, I’m a big 50 Cent fan, I’m a big Fabolous fan, I represent St. Louis but I can’t lie, I feel a way about LA. I don’t know why it happened like that, but it does and that’s why I got the song called “Cali Love”.


Dubcnn: I know that you have hooked up with DJ Quik a couple of times; can you tell me how that went down and how you got involved with Quik?

My old manager, who’s name I won’t even mention, prior to Kamid over at Footprint Entertainment, had already had some sort of relationship established with Quik, so my first time in LA I actually met Quik in the studios. They had records that they wanted me to get on, so it was cool; it was never like a big brother/little brother relationship, although I do look up to him with mad respect, but when it comes to knowing who each other was, everything was all good, so I was fortunate enough to be invited to jump on a couple of records.


Dubcnn: Tell me a little bit about the song you did with DJ Quik and Young Berg?

I’m going to be totally honest, the song was done and when I get into the studio everybody’s like we’ve got to get you on this record. The dude who produced the record was Hot Tracks, out of Philly.  I had done another record with his mark on it and I loved his energy and he was like, “if you get on this record, this record’s going to be crazy!” I’m like, “cool let me hear it”. When I heard it, I was like, “Wow!” DJ Quik had really went in on it and Berg had done his thing on it, but Quik had really went in on it. I had to get in on this thing and represent! But it was funny, when I actually put it out on MySpace, the response I got was that I had did my thing next to Quik. That was big for me because I always felt like DJ Quik was one of those guys on the west coast who really went hard every time he went in that booth. So that song was definitely a blessing, if it was any other song or any other rapper that I could get on a song with, he was definitely one of those guys, so that was a great look.


Dubcnn: You also got hooked up with AMG too, right? Tell me a little about that?

Yeah, me and AMG had a different relationship than me and Quik. AMG was like a father-figure when I was in LA; he really took me under his wing. I remember sitting up all night in the studio with that dude and we would just do track, after track, after track; dude is cool. I did a song with him called “Flash Green” and it turned out ridiculous! That’s still one of my favorites. “Flash Green” is the shit. He did the beat in like 15 minutes while I’m sitting in the studio. I was recording with Hot Tracks, who did the record with me and Quik, and AMG made this beat in like 15 minutes; and we went in there and we knocked it out. His energy was amazing!


Dubcnn: Who else, besides Quik and AMG, on the West Coast are you looking forward to working with or have you already worked with that we can look forward to hearing something from it?

That’s it as far as people I have worked with so far. But, I like this new cat they have out: Nipsey Hussle. I’ve been listening to his mixtapes and stuff like that and I’m definitely a fan. So if I could work with someone from out there it would definitely be him, Dre, Snoop or the Game; I’m definitely a fan of the Game also.


Dubcnn: Being that you’re only 19, what are your plans for the future?

I just want people to hear my story, you know? It’s like being in class and everyone has to get up tell their story, except you don’t get to tell your story. I’m like that kid in the back of the class right now that hasn’t been able to stand up and tell his story yet. It can get a little frustrating at times, but I just want everybody to know where I come from and all the things I have been through, and that’s all. If I can get in a comfortable space where things are happening, then the sky is the limit.


Dubcnn: You have had the opportunity to work around people like DJ Quik, Jazzy Pha and some others. What kinds of things have you learned about the music, the industry, or the business from those people?

That it don’t wait on you. You really got to go chase it. These cats are workaholics! I respect that! I would definitely feel like if I was in the studio with somebody and they’re going extra hard, I’d be going super-hard; Wherever I am, I’m trying to jump on everybody’s stuff. But I’m realizing you actually have to go overboard to make it in this industry. By overboard, I mean with work… And I think that some cats just sit back and they think, “oh, I got a couple of hot songs” or “I got a buzz off a certain song”. These cats that you see on TV and that you just named, they worked so hard to get it. So, I’m going 10 times as hard as everybody else right now because I got to be your favorite rapper. I’m not satisfied at all with where I’m at right now. Those cats that you named, successfully set the rap bar, I just feel like I need to keep going super, super hard; not sleeping or taking shortcuts and cats will have to see me on that level.


Dubcnn: Kay L, that’s all questions we got for you this time around.  Thanks for kicking it with us for a few minutes.  Are there any final comments you want to say?

Yeah, I saw you got at Truth Hurts recently & she said she be keeping me in ipod rotation, so big ups to my STL homie, she is the Truth. Shout out to DJ Quik, AMG and Felli Fel at Power 106 for putting me on my 1st time in LA. Also, quick shout out to mom dukes & my manager Kamid Mosby over at Footprint Entertainment. I want everybody to make sure, even if you have to YouTube the record, or go to my MySpace page at myspace.com/kaylmusic, and listen to that “Cali Love” record.  That song is bananas, and I did that for LA, out of the love and respect I got for them on the west coast.  Go grab the mixtape and Black Rose II will be out soon!