K.B. Da Kidnappa

K.B. The Kidnappa ist in Sachen Houston-Rap nicht mehr und nicht weniger als eine Legende. Als Mitglied von Street Military und Killa Klan konnte sich der Schreihals, seit 1991 im Geschäft, einen angesehenen Namen machen. Nach einer etwas längeren Pause geht K.B. jetzt zum zum Angriff in Sachen Solokarriere über – für uns nahm er sich in einer für ihn sehr hektischen Phase die Zeit, über Vergangenheit, Ist-Zustand und Zukunft zu sprechen.

Let’s start from the beginning: if I got it right you used to live in Germany as a kid. What are your memories about that time?

Yeah, I used to live in Germany as a kid, I started school in Germany at the age of five. I stayed in Butzbach, not that far from Frankfurt.

Can you still say some words in German?

Well, I think the only that I remember is “Scheißkopf”, like shithead, is that right? *laughs* You know, it’s been so long ago…

Right now you’re livin’ in the City Of Houston – how’s life over there?

It’s crazy man. Since I’ve been living in Houston that’s where everything happened at for me. Joining the Street Military, being able to go into studios, get my career started in the clubs.

How did Street Military come together as a group?

Well, it was a club out here on the northside, where I’m from. It was some rap contests that was going on. And before I was with the group they used to come and win all the rap contests and people in the neighborhood started telling me. So I started going and I started winning. And we had met up there at club and from then on we were clicked together and came together as a group. That was back in 1991. Soon after that we dropped the first single called “The Episode” on a record label called …. Records, that was before Beat Box.

Which Street Military album do you consider as the best one in retrospect?

All of ‘em – because dealing with entertainment, I’m yet to go through a growing process and we only got better. So I don’t show no favourite to none of our projects, I just look at all of them as the best work that we were able to do during that time.

The death of Nutt was a tragic occurence to the group – how did you work up the pain?

Ah man, it was hard. The only way we could really express it is through songs. I think we’ll find out who had killed him and we will gettin’ ready to go out there and get our hands dirty. The police gotta hold to the dude. It was real pain for me because Nutt was a big part of the group.

Pharoah is incarcerated right now – what happened?

I don’t really want to get in all the details why he is in jail but, you know, we all make mistakes and we ain’t perfect. He done something that was a violation to the law. He got a 50 year bid. That’s gonna be a while. But we’re in the process of trying to get him to record on the album from the prison. We gon’ make it possible. People will still gon’ be able to hear him on the album.

So you got another Street Military album coming up?

Yeah, it’s in the works now. It ain’t finished and nothing but we’re gettin ready to start on it.

Let’s talk about your solo career – you recently left the Hit Squad – how come?

Well, I recently left the Hit Squad because I just don’t fit in the Hit Squad. If you listen to the music that I’ve been a part of for a years, you’ll know that the type of stuff that was with the Hit Squad wasn’t me. The most of the gutter songs that was on the Hit Squad came from me. I layed the foundation for the album. I just didn’t feel the group as a whole and I didn’t feel “Money Black”. The reason why I joined was because at that time I wasn’t recording nothing with the SPC, I was going through phases and I had to stay conditioned. So I was going back and forth over there to the studio where they were and one thing led to another. They were feeling my energy and end up trying to ride out for my energy.

Do you think you suffered a loss of your original qualities – power and aggression – while working with them?

I feel like I wasn’t able to express me like I wanted to. Right now I’m the boss on Spittin’ Venom, I started my own label. That’s really what I was trying to lean to, I didn’t want to be an artist up under a record label no more. I want to have full control so I can express myself like I wanted to.

Your first solo album “An Army Of One” is set to be released real soon – what can expect from that record?

Oh man, it’s alot of crazy stuff going on on this album. It’s gonna be some new sounds on there, I was trying to experiment a little bit but it’s gonna be that same Kidnappa style that got us over the top. I’m working with different producers, I’m trying to get Icey Hott on there, I’m working with some guys out of California, Messiaz, and a couple of local producers. The album is not finished, so I’m still working with guys and giving guys the opportunity to see if they get some production on it. Wherever you be, from Germany, Sweden, Canada, wherever you from – whoever is listening to this interview! But I don’t have a street date for the record yet.

How do you rate the promotion you get in your hometown?

Our promotion is pretty good, we don’t get alot of radio play right now but so far as in the streets, we’re ghetto celebrities. We didn’t make our name on the radio, we made our name through the streets. I can sell a million out the trunk. *laughs* I sell like probably 40 or 50 cds a day.

I think your album with Lil Flea is really worth mentioning – do you aim at a second release with him?

Yeah, we’ve been talking about that. We’re getting ready to go in the studio and start recording. I was such good records and people liked it, so we sat down and talked about doing another one. That’s in the works, too.

What’s goin in with the Killa Klan lately – could you just give us a brief description of the current situation?

I’m getting ready to start the Killa Klan thing back up. We gotta get all of us together and take us a photo shoot and than go ahead and put that album out because there’s alot of people that’s waiting for that album, too. We’re kinda like all seperated doing our solo stuff, but we’re still together as one. Everybody is just persuing their solo careers, but we’re still into rapping together. I know there’s alot of people out there that want to see us doing a Killa Klan record featuring all of us, like: Fakkulty, Bam, Burton Boys, Point Blank, Klondike, the whole crew.

How does it go down in the studio when you start goin off on the mic? How’s the reaction of the people?

Man, look: like right now how we talking, I’m cool. But when I go in the studio, it’s a different story. I turn into a MONSTER! Give me a little weed, brew me a little Killa, pass me a little Hennessey – and when I go into that studio man, it’s business. I’m serious when I go into that studio. That’s what I want to let everybody know: all games and playtimes is over! I’m trying to hurt the mic! I’m trying to make the mic speak when I get through, that it don’t want no more of me. Let it be known! I’m a different person outside the studio, but I’m a monster in there. And anybody that is doing anything with me in there got to become a monster, too!

We’re already at the end of this interview – do you have any shoutouts?

I wanna shoutout to Germany. I didn’t even know my fan base is that big in Germany, I had no clue until I got on the internet and have seen how big we are, how much the people respect us and show us so much support. Most of all my sales that I be getting on the internet come from Germany. So many people had show me love and support out there, so I have to show love and support back. I want to give a shoutout to Sweden, Australia, Japan because they’re coming from everywhere. Local shoutouts? You already know: SPC, Point Blank, Lyrical Lion Klondike, Street Military – we fit the beat back, baby! K-Rino, I don’t wanna list nobody, the whole clique. Everybody that’s down with us that’s who I send a shoutout.