Haastattelussa legendaarisesta Street Military -räppiryhmästä tuttu Houston-räppäri KB Da Kidnappa.
- What’s up, KB? How are you today?
What up, JP? I’m doing okay, homie. I can’t complain. I’m blessed and highly favored. Thank you for asking, homie.
- Firstly, how old were you when you decided to start writing your own songs? And when did you write and perform your first song?
My first time actually hearing rap was through my cousin Willie Jr. in Port Arthur, TX. I was 8 years old at the time, and I was hypnotized and really interested in exploring this new craft of wordplay that I heard. But I didn’t start writing my own songs until I was about 12 years old. Before that, I would just rap the songs I heard and memorize them. Whenever I was around friends or at family gatherings, I would rap songs that weren’t mine just for entertainment.
When I saw the positive reaction from friends and family, that made me want to dive deeper into music and writing my own material. So around 12 years old, I wrote my first song called “I’m Getting Down for Mine,” which basically detailed my will to become successful and make an impact in the rap music industry. As far as performances for this song, it didn’t go any further than family, friends, and the local street corners, where I would gather with other rappers for rap cyphers.
- How would you describe yourself as an artist? Has your style changed much over the years?
I am the type of artist that wants to be as original as I can be. I don’t want to sound like any other artist. I believe in writing my own material. I’m very passionate when it comes to my music, and you can hear it through my expression. The best feeling ever is sitting back, smoking a fat blunt of some killer weed, and creating from scratch, following it through to a finished product. I love that!
As far as my style goes, I have experienced growth and maturity in my delivery. The way I execute in the booth now is different from my earlier years. My booth performances can now be really aggressive and, at times, really melodic. I have that aggressive, in-your-face hardcore delivery style, and at the same time, a melodic, harmonizing, smooth style. Over the years, I just became more seasoned and disciplined in the way I approach a song and decide which style from my arsenal I’m going to use to slaughter a track.
I am an artist who wants nothing more than to be remembered as original and authentic, and whose style got better with time.
- What particular artists were on heavy rotation during your teens? Who really got you into music seriously?
Awe man! There were so many artists in my rotation while I was growing up. I don’t think we have enough time to name all of them with explanations of why they were in my heavy rotation, but I think I’ll name a few. Public Enemy was one of my favorite groups growing up. As a Black man, Public Enemy made me feel like I could overcome oppression and fight back against the system or the powers that be. They inspired me to pay attention to what was going on in the world concerning my people and all people.
So they were in heavy rotation, and the fact that later in life I hooked up with Flavor Flav blew my mind. Flav hung out with me all day, and I even took him to the hood where I grew up, the same place where I used to bang Public Enemy. For me, that story will always stay with me, and I appreciate the knowledge and wisdom he shared with me.
Another group of artists that were in my heavy rotation was Whodini. That song “Friends” was one of my favorite songs to jam because, at that time in my life, I saw a lot of fakes. People would tell you they were your friends and talk like they could be trusted, but behind your back, their actions said the opposite. Hearing a song like that immediately resonated with me, and I had the experience of hanging out with DJ Grandmaster Dee later in life.
The last group I’ll mention was the number one rap group in my heavy rotation, and this group really made me get serious about music. They made me feel like no matter how ghetto and poverty-stricken I was, I too had the opportunity to make it out of those conditions. That group was the Geto Boys. I was 16 years old, staying with my adopted mother, Ms. Margie Johnson, when I first saw the video for “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” I stayed in the back room and slept in the top part of a bunk bed. I was watching Yo!! MTV Raps. When that video came on, I don’t even know how I got to the floor from the top bunk. I was that excited to see a group from Houston make it to mainstream television. I had goosebumps from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head. I believed from that day forward that I could be like the Geto Boys.
So I’m thankful for the vision of J Prince and the Geto Boys for inspiring me and giving me hope through the music and grind they displayed to the whole world.
- Tell us about your and Lil’ Flea’s new full-length album “Black Royalty.”
“Black Royalty” is an experience that will forever live in the hearts of all our fans. The album displays the growth and maturity of two original members of the legendary group Street Military. It’s a full-length album full of heart, gangsta vibes, and controversial subject matter.
- Can you run me through the making of ‘Black Royalty’? What were the studio vibes like?
Basically, the album consists of the partnership between me and Lil’ Flea to create an album that involves some of our best work. We got production from Trakksounds, Mr. Lee, and the legendary Suave House Records producer T-Mixx. We worked together on our ideas for each song and agreed on the best approach for each track.
Me and Flea are like a two-headed monster. I don’t think Flea and I have ever had one argument in our whole career. Whenever we get together on anything musical, we take care of business. We don’t mess around with petty differences. We look for solutions to a problem and solve it appropriately.
So as far as vibes go, it has been a very positive experience for us when we go into the studio to get the work done. It’s not easy because we both have families and other things going on in our lives, but we never neglect the importance of creating a great album that the fans will enjoy. For that to happen, we have to be on the same page.
The vibes were incredible, and the making of “Black Royalty” is an experience that I will never forget. I’m proud of the work we put in to create this album.
- What inspired you guys for this album, and what topics are approached on it? Is this a concept album?
To tell you the truth, before I even hooked back up with Flea to collaborate on anything musical, I was just focusing on family life. I was in a dark place regarding anything music-related. I don’t want to say I gave up on it, because truly I think I’ll be messing around with music for the rest of my life. I think my priorities just changed over time, and I was spending more time with family and less time going into the studio and working on my music.
One day, I got a call from Flea, saying he was over at Z-Ro’s house working on some music and that I needed to come through. So I did, and I’m glad I did because that day changed the course of my direction from where I was going to ending up back in the studio and working. That day, we knocked out two songs with Z-Ro. Flea and Z-Ro inspired me and re-energized my spirit. If I could explain it through an analogy, it would be similar to a car battery with low voltage preventing the car from starting. Then you find some jumper cables and get help from someone with a fully charged battery to boost your battery and help start the car.
That’s what Flea and Z-Ro did for me that day. They used spiritual jumper cables and their energy to give me a boost, and I was good after that. During that studio session, Flea said, “KB, we need to do another album. We need to give our fans another KB and Lil Flea album.” My head lit up like a lightbulb, and my response was, “Hell yeah! Let’s do it. Our fans would love to hear one more KB and Lil Flea album.”
So we were really inspired by the idea that our solid fan base would enjoy hearing new material that would display our growth and experience in a way they had never heard before. There are all kinds of topics throughout the album. For example, we have a song called “Momma,” featuring Bun B of UGK, that details the harsh realities of a mother raising children as a single parent. We detail the experiences of what this looked like in our own personal lives with our mothers while also expressing how we appreciate our mothers and all the sacrifices they made. I’m proud of that song. Although my mother and I had a bumpy ride throughout our lives, I still love her, and when she hears my verse, I know she’s going to cry.
That’s just one of the many topics on this album. The concept of “Black Royalty” doesn’t focus on a single central narrative or theme, but rather it’s an expression of different collections of thoughts and ideas from the hearts of two Black men from the ghetto with a lot to say. However, we do have topics on the album that touch on Black unity, Black economics, and the struggles of police harassment, as well as the typical Street Military gangsta style topics. We always called our style as a group “heartcore.” We believe in good subject matter to help your material stand the test of time. The albums we made years ago are still in rotation, in my opinion, because of the content. We always talked about what was going on in the streets, and people resonated with us because they were living through the same things we were experiencing. Ultimately, we were the voice of the streets.
- Tell us about the music video for ‘Tears Came With Making This Dream.’ How was it to shoot the music video?
Well, I was very excited because this was our first video. Growing up, I always dreamed of doing music videos, and that day came with “Tears Came.” In my mind, we had made it to the big leagues. I come from poverty, man! I didn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out before I joined Street Military. The video was shot in Houston, in Trinity Gardens, a neighborhood where I was raised for most of my life. My original hometown is Port Arthur, TX, but I was adopted by Ms. Margie Johnson at 14. She lived in Trinity Gardens, so I was back and forth between Houston and Port Arthur. But that’s a story for a whole separate interview (laughs).
Back to the topic of the “Tears Came With Making This Dream” video shoot. Originally, we wanted to shoot the video for a song called “Don’t Give a Damn,” but the label we were signed to, Wild Pitch Records, wanted to shoot the video for “Tears Came With Making This Dream.” So we went along with it, feeling like they knew better. At that time in our lives, all we cared about was money, fame, women, and drugs. After shooting that video, our buzz got bigger and bigger, along with all the temptations that followed.
But to be honest, I feel like Wild Pitch Records wasn’t the right fit for us, and “Tears Came” was not our original choice. If we had done the video for “Don’t Give a Damn,” we could have made a greater impact in the streets, in my opinion. But I appreciated the opportunities because, like I said, I came from nothing.
- Your last solo album was ‘Black Mamba’ back in 2013. Can we expect a new solo album soon?
Right now, I’m focused on the KB and Lil Flea album. We are at the finishing stages of “Black Royalty.” As soon as everything is done and the paperwork is finished, I will complete the final stages of my new solo album called “The Serpent King.” There is no drop date yet for these albums, but I will update you guys on it when it becomes available.
- What music are you listening to these days?
I mainly listen to rap. I also listen to a little R&B. I have various artists that I listen to, from the Dirty South to the West Coast to the East Coast. I also take time out to listen to a lot of new rap artists trying to get their opportunity in this music industry. A lot of new artists don’t have any direction, but I’m here like a big brother to help guide them along their way without taking advantage of them. Soon, I’ll have my website back in operation, and I’m thinking about adding a new artist page to give new artists that I come in contact with a platform to display their talents. But you’re going to have to go hard to make that new artist page. That means you’ll have to be KB approved.
To be specific about what’s in my CD changer right now, I’ve been jamming Street Military, Z-Ro, KB and Lil Flea, UGK, K-Rino, Fakkulty, DMX, Ice Water Slaughter, Brother Lynch Hung, and Scarface.
- What’s next for you?
Family life and music are what’s next for me. I just had a beautiful daughter last year. Six months after that, my wife got pregnant again with my son, who will enter the world in November of this year. I’m very happy about that. I’m building a new studio in the crib so I can have easy access to record and still have time for my children. So that is what’s next for me, the family and music edition of my career. I’m still going to be a beast coming hard with the vocals. When you have access to your own studio, nobody can knock the hustle (laughs). “The Serpent King” is the last album I’ll be recording at other studios. All new material after that will be done at my own personal studio, Spitting Venom Recording Studio.
- Any last words to our readers?
To all your readers, I want to say thank you for taking the time out of your day to read through the interview. I appreciate it, and I mean that from the heart. If you are reading this and you are in the music industry as an up-and-coming rapper, I want to inspire you to always be great and do the best you can with the abilities the Creator blessed you with. When it comes to the music business, always be aware and ready to protect your music from all angles. Never sign anything. I repeat, never sign anything without fully understanding what you are getting yourself into. Additionally, always have your own personal entertainment lawyer that has your best interests in mind.
Before I go, I want to thank KAH for reaching out to me and giving me the opportunity to connect with my fans in Finland and worldwide.
Haastattelu: J-P / Fileerausveitsi
