January 2004

KAOS

by Kable Reid

This, right here, is a little glimpse into a place where artists are hungry and the drive is so intense that you can hear it in the air! This is what happens when you become so influenced by the Hiphop Kulture that you lose yourself to what others view as Kaos. Here is a look into the Kaos!

Skini: Where did you get the name Kaos?
Kaos: I came up with the name Kaos… well it started back when I was into bangin. As Kaos, I was just like a rowdy, loud one, always kept up a lot of sh!t ya know. So my homies just started callin me Kaos and I liked the name so it stuck.. I kinda thought of the name myself and I presented it to them and then they just stuck with it and kept callin me that so it evolved from Kaos all the way to Mr. K.

Skini: At what age did people realize you were known as Kaos.
Kaos: I had to be like about 15 years old, maybe 16.

Skini: At what age did you first start your journey into the Hiphop Kulture?
Kaos: I started into the Hiphop Kulture at about 9 or 10 years old.

Skini: What influenced you about Hiphop at that age?
Kaos: Run DMC. Ya know growin up when I did, we had a lot of 80's music. There wasn't too much Rap around so when Rap exploded on the scene of course millions of people just bit into it and I happened to be one of them and it was a strong influence over the years.

Skini: So where were you living at that time?
Kaos: In a place called Danville, IL about two hours outside of Chicago.

Skini: What was the Hiphop scene like for you living there at that time?
Kaos: At that time, man, it was real watery because like I said we were just getting introduced to it. It was cool but it was just watery because I was just getting into it and I didn't know all of the elements of it, but I knew enough.

Skini: What or who has influenced you the most in your journey to the Hiphop Kulture?
Kaos: My biggest influence has got to be Dr. Dre. He is a real big influence to me because of the triumphs that he has had. His career has been up, down, up, down, to become on top! When, what he was really sayin is, it's the talent. I got the talent, so I'm really influenced by that!

Skini: When was the first time you heard of Dr. Dre?
Kaos: He was doin "Straight Out Of Compton" with N.W.A. and that was like the first joint that I saw on this channel called -The Box. You could call up and order the video and of course they showed it like a million times a day.

Skini: So how do your family members feel about you being a part of the Hiphop culture?
Kaos: Well my brother Goodfella is real influenced by what I do ya know, he's feeling what I'm doin' and he's lovin' what I'm doin'. Its kinda like we are on the same limb. I believe my mom, she gets down with it and she seems to be feelin it. But she's an older head ya know so she's more in to the 70's thang but she's feelin' what I'm doin' and she's pleased with it.

Skini: Where do you think you get your musical talent?
Kaos: I think I got it at a real young age. It had to be before I was even born and I was still in my mom's womb and just listening to the music. Then as I came out she was still playing music. For as long as I can remember my mom was playing music so I have a natural love for it!

Skini: How do you come up with some of your ideas?
Kaos: A lot of my ideas are feelings. What I might be going through at the time or just what I'm feeling at the time. A lot of it is from the heart.

Skini: Is most of it through personal experience or your view of some other experience?
Kaos: It's about 50/50. It's like 50% is my experience and then 50% might be watching my friend go through something and it makes me want to write about it. Or seeing other people go through things might make me want to write about it. Whatever I'm seeing or whatever I'm going through at the time is what I make my music off of.

Skini: Is there any special format that you use to make a song?
Kaos: I don't know cause I'm a person that likes to write a lot of my songs and compare them with the beats. But sometimes it can depend on whatever the mood is, what ever the flava is. Sometimes I can already have the song written and just match it to a beat or sometimes I get a beat and then write to it. It just depends on what's going on at the time.

Skini: What is it that you like to do the most when you are making music?
Kaos: All of it! I think that being in the studio and being able to create it and being able to say that I did it is the part that I love the most and to watch peoples reactions like "You did that" or "Your capable of doing that". Its one thing to say you can do it but it's another to actually have something down to show for it.

Skini: So what do you think that your specialty is?
Kaos: I think my rhythms and the way that I flow, my songs are what stands out a lot with my voice.

Skini: Everyone has had one of those jobs in the past to get by. What types of jobs have you had in your past?
Kaos: One time I worked at Cub Foods in the deli department, KFC but I think that everybody's done did that, McDonalds, ins and outs jobs, mowing lawns yah know what ever, hustlin' what ever it was.

Skini: Is your music career supporting you now?
Kaos: No, its not. It's more for the love of it now. I'm talented enough and I think I'm good enough and I do good enough things for it to support itself. It's just that I haven't actually gotten the right avenues that I deserve for it. So it has been a slower process for it to pay for itself versus me having to still do for myself. Yah, I still do for myself, it keeps it real!

Skini: What is it like trying to make your music career support you?
Kaos: It's hard… it's hard. But then it's good at the same time because of the doubters that don't believe that you can do it. When you do it, it's important, because of all the people that said it wasn't going to pay off or who were worried about some money at the time when I was telling them it was going to pay off. I just want to see the faces on them when it does pay off and its paying for itself and then they start askin' me for some of the money that its payin, ya know.

Skini: What do you think it's like being a Hiphoppa in Minnesota?
Kaos: In my honest opinion, I love Minnesota man, ‘cause I have been here but I aint really souped on the Hiphop in Minnesota because everybody is playin that rat race. You got the East, West, and South… you could see so many people on a video together from whole different clicks getting their money together and I just don't understand no unity here. Its like everybody is worried about being the first biggest MC to blow up when, if their was a lot of us, and we were all tight and could come together, we could kind of exploit it, but we don't know a plan or a pattern to come together to be able to do that. So as far as the Hiphop here, me and my lable mates and the people I deal with is the tightest!

Skini: When did you first get down with your current label?
Kaos: I got down with 2 The Top Records about three years ago. I was in something with other associates at the time. I had a lot of problems with them and then I was released from the deal that I was in and I was free to be with 2 The Top. I have been off and on with them for the last three years really but I have been with them a strong two years now.

Skini: So when can people expect your next project?
Kaos: Some time late spring-early summer.

Skini: Are there going to be any shows or appearances in the near future?
Kaos: Everywhere! Just look for me everywhere ‘cause everywhere you turn your head I plan to be there. Everywhere you here music, I plan to be played. Everywhere you can dance, I plan to see you dancin to me!

Skini: What other projects have you already completed or started?
Kaos: I did my first project ever called "And It Don't Stop", a single that blew up on KMOJ when it was the only black radio station. After that, I did a project called "The Hustler Convention" which was my first full length LP. After that was "Multiplicity" but that didn't get released right so it was only released for the underground.

Skini: What do you like to do when you're not being one of the local Hiphop hippies?
Kaos: Spending time with my kids!

Skini: What would you like to see come out of your efforts here in Minnesota?
Kaos: Just to be able to reach the goals that I wanted to reach and do the things that I wanted to do as far as my music and people respecting me for what I do, that's my main thing.

Skini: Is there any other things that you would like to say or touch base on before we do shout outs?
Kaos: Yah, one thing I want to say and stress to people doing their thang here in Minnesota. If there is any way you could look in your heart for us to come together and do our thang as one big nation and we can represent like everybody else. That's when we will accomplish and conquer all of our goals, not just as one but as a whole unit. So to anybody that might read this and know of me, Mr. Kaos, y'all know how I get down. I just want y'all to reach the same goals and the same level ‘cause we all do the same thing and that's the most I can say! Oh ya, to all them DJs from the radios and everywhere else stop haten and play peoples stuff! If you like it and it's tight play it, don't hate it, play it! Because when it gets on and that person makes it, your gonna want to be friends with ‘em and cool with them. So just respect the game! It's all a game and everybody plays a game so just respect the game!

Skini: So as we wrap up this interview is there any shout outs that you would like to give?
Kaos: Ya, I'm going to give a shout out to my boss playas click, my cousin Zilla in Atlanta, my kids Kinte', Kiana, Briana, and little Mike, my brothers, my mom, my labelmate Zink, 2 The Top Records and Top Tone, and everybody doin' their thang ya know I'll just shout y'all out! I'm out Kaos!

...Now That's Theskini!::permalink


» send this article to a friend!

Email this entry to:

Your email address:

Message (optional):