Q&A with Kool Keith for the Canberra Times (Australia) Kool Keith November 26, 2003 1) If I may start off by asking if Kool Keith is present and if he could pass on his thoughts on touring Australia for the first time? Looking forward to the geography 2) There have been a lot of Kool Keith fans around dating back to your work with the Ultramagentic MC's and being one of rap's most original and prolific artists must make it hard when traveling to a country you've not toured before. What might we expect as far as a set goes, considering there is such a wealth of interesting characters and material for you to choose from? People should expect the unexpected 3) Part of the appeal of each new Keith release is getting to meeting the new eclectic characters. From Dr's to aliens to half shark alligator men to evangelist/boxing promoters - Does having so many talents to choose from explain how you manage to release album after album of hip hop of a truly original standard? I just try to make something new, never back trackin 4) Most of your shout outs on records are dedicated to the oldest and scared schools of hip hop like Afrika Bambatta. Your subjects are more varied and often surreal, yet you manage to be more "real" on a record like "Matthew", "Black Elvis/Lost In Space" or "Dr Dooom" than 99% of hip hop artist who claim to be "real". Is there any modern hip hop that inspires Kool Keith? no one really. everything now adys is so hapy and fluffy very pop. 5) Speaking of shout outs, you seem to have a healthy knowledge of metal bands such as Autopsy and Slayer, not to mention you've appeared on Spazz records.Listening to your patented "horror core" style - Do you draw any influence from/listen too heavier music? My music is hard. I have a natural rock orientation heavy riffs and texture. 6) Your production skills have been flexed over the fabled 24 track Neve desk that you spoke about in the liner notes of "Spankmaster". While Automator and Kurt Mailtin often get credited for your productions, but this is not the case, you have a very dense style oozing with booming sub bass notes and interplaying with a funked out layer of other sounds - Do you prefer the role of producing records and creating the sound scapes for your raps or the actual raps themselves (not to mention all your work running a label!)? You can't have one with out the other. If I don't do my beats they don't fit. I prefer to do my own beats. 99% of the world has beats for me. No one can capture my essence, it doesn't ever fit. 7) Your delivery is second to none, what sort of musical background do you have? I ask because your delivery is a lot more musical than a lot of rappers, inflecting with just the right cadence for the occasion. I grew up with the tramps, The Commodores, Brass, Confuntion, Daz, Mandrel, Zap, Troutman, Undisputed, Chocolate Funk, Average White Band I bought and grew up listening to these groups. NY was never a funked out city. James Brown! The industry got rid of everyone that is funky. I never changed essence used a different funk mean bass lines. No one is funky anymore. Everyone is making happy comfortable pop caramel radio records no one can get funky even to save themselves, very stiff. I didn't conform with working with producers and they didn't know. I am making records for this era a new funk that no one else can come with. I credit my pops George Clinton, James brown it was passed to me. All those bands that's what my albums are. Voodoo, new funk for a new generation. I am the last funky person on earth. Fuck this soft pop cross over shit. The industry is jealous they can't get funky. Cameo comes to mind. They don't want it that way. All these B.S. hip-hop beats too light. Producers nowadays don't listen to the context. The coat has to match the pants. The coordination is off. It's not their fault they don't have soul. I cant turn funky, I am funky they cant they don't have the formula, no school they use their suburban classical backgrounds there is no funk. They are in a different zone like Broadway shit real suburban. NYC is the toughest city to live in. Hard beats city struggles you got people rapping bout there father dying, being an orphan, living on the streets over happy cartoon beats this does not reflect story right 8) Did you do anything on record before your Ultramagnetic MC's material? Yea, I think so, not sure. 9) You produced Princess Superstar and have collaborated with a lot of artists in your career, do you see a future in a producers chair away from the mike at any time? Yes, getting ready to put some MC's on funky beats. Lots of rappers have not evolved To many producers are putting sad stories on fluffy beats to many good stories but the beats don't match soft behind hard lyrics i think it is funny real comical to me. 10) Your "sex style" has been much imitated almost as much as your "horror core" style - Do you find it frustrating as an artist to be the on who continually creates and innovates such great ideas, only to have others cash in and make money off of your ideas and concepts? No one is creative anymore, they only make records for budgets they have no direction no base. I never copied, i didn't dye my hair purple like George Clinton or have perm like Morris Day. I am myself drawing from inspirations listed above. No carbon Copy I didn't come with custom Isley Brothers suits cuz they were hot then disrespect them on the television saying I created this. Some rappers/groups are real bold say they created something new that's been done before. real funny uncle tom niggaz 11) You have been working on a number of new albums, including an album entitled "The Return of Dr Octagon". The album is being worked on by a couple of guys from my town here in Australia and I was wondering if you could talk about this record or any other work you will be releasing in the near future? Oh yea? Here is all I know I did a deal with CMH I had the album real funky. I don't know what it sounds like now. That's the problem I have with international world. Producers orgasm just to do a beat for me. I am like a test Wow if I can make a beat for keith they feel they can represent me better than I can myself. Look at prodigy they stuck to what they do I liked working with them they didn't try to mold me to what they were thinking, they respected me and my style so much that they incorporated it. When I rapped with Automator it was just a job. It was not my life, my world I wasn't on some call me dr. octagon shit it was just a part of my life. I have done so much since then. Look at Kurt people get locked into one thing, no experimenting with something new. People should enjoy me while I am here. More people are enjoying tupac than ever before cuz he aint here. Its like you give people an apple and that's not good enough they want to add some cinnamon, or sugar, dip it in chocolate people are just never satisfied just confined. This will be my last tour i am taking everything onto the internet people can see me cooking, hanging out, and doing live performance from my living room a lot will copy watch. To many groups sold out and went to Alaska to do a show for $200 and a van. There are no more real promoter it used to be limos cordless mic's nice plush venues, champagne Cash in a brown paper bag before the show. Drug dealers spared no expense just want you to have fun and remember there city. Big Ads radio spots, girls, Moet hotel with a pool first class tickets good seating the works it used to make me feel good to come out and perform but they stopped that now a days you have college kids trying to skimp on everything. People want to bring legendary star to their small town and do cheap shit across the board. I have a lot of respect for the guy hustling in the streets they have more heart. Executives took the craft so many people work and make a living off of rap. 12) You have had several websites over the years, one of them was for managing/promoting porn starlets - You must have as many roles in life as characters from your album, outside the music industry, are there any other business interests for Kool Keith? Kool Keith Jeans beautiful more simplified, I am not gonna have some 60ft K across the back, no patches and shit hanging no numbers. All that shit makes clothes look clownish. The industry needs to make shit for mature people. I want to step up the game. I don't want my name everywhere. Jeans are to heavy I am walking around in 800lb jeans shits hot and tiring. 13) With your first tour of Australia, does this usher in the new era of touring for you? I know you did the Vans Warped tour in the states and have done large shows this year including shows with Public Enemy - You also talk on record about rap artists with no stage show - Is playing live for fans your major release or do you prefer to be in the studio? The studio! I plan to only make records and conduct all my business online, online shows, online distribution. I will never stop making records I don't make them for a label or necessarily to be released. It is just how I express myself. I am not a Michael Jordan not gonna quit and come back again. I have so many records. I don't need a budget to go to the studio it is not about the money when you do it naturally. You got people nowadays doing 10-15 minutes sets saying thanks we love you and waving good bye peace. I give an hour set, KRS gives a good show others come out do one or two records jump around and bounce out. 14) You remain one of rap music's true innovators and leaders. Your lyrics are at times so out there that you manage to place every listener on the same level - At your mercy - Yet you seamlessly combine descriptions of the hip hop scene today with (most recently) tales of Reverends getting Uncle Fester to read 1st Corinthians Chapter 7. Does the fact that you have created an entire universe and characters to populate the universe allow you to reach more fans than say a rapper who only talks about gang banging, bitches and 40's? I think so, rap is stuck right now materialistic shoot, cut your dog, gangster shit but no-one is in jail these guys kill me all living a fantasy. rappers these days are suburb gangsters, Beverly Hills gangsters, Indoor Gangsters they got people delivering food everyday they cant go to the mall cuz someone is going to slap'em they cant walk 40ft to get a hotdog sega playing gangsters they don't live what they rap about. You got kids running around believing this shit. Rappers are covering there heads scared to mingle with the crowd scared to go outside. Michael Jackson has to stay inside cuz people want to pet him and photograph him he is shy. Rappers claiming all this are not living the truth they are living clean lives playing Xbox. Few people you see outside. I am on the streets every day at the news stand getting some chicken at the mall getting some jerseys whatever. 15) Finally, a question for Reverend Tom - The Undertakerz record introduces another new Character, evangelist and boxing promoter Reverend Tom - Being a huge boxing fan and as you formerly managed my favourite fighter of all time, Marvellous Marvin Hagler, do you feel as strongly as I do that Marvin was totally ripped off against Sugar Ray Leonard? And a subsidiary question, who do you like in Bernard Hopkins Vs William Joppy on December 13th? I'm thinking Hopkins by KO in the 9th. Marvin is good probably was short changed. I have been watching Hopkins for years I like when he came to Madison Square Gardens to fight Trinidad and people where fuckin with him for wearing daredevil mask being real gimmicky people were goofing on him end of the night he fucked that kid up. I give the fight to Hopkins! Thank you very much for your time. No Problem! Home