“Ladies and Gentlemen, episode four, here we goooooo!
So it’s been one of those rare quiet story-less weeks in the wonderful world of the music industry. There’s been a couple of new releases announced in this past week though. We have Reported Failure returning with a brand new song called “Hands” which will be taken from their forty-second studio album, they always deliver quality, I’ve always seen them as the Domino’s of the music industry. Mmm BBQ Chicken Pizza, what a delight!
Abie Lena has announced her greatest hits album which will be titled “Best Of Me”. Rejected titles include, “Death, Death, Death, DEAD!”, “I Have Everything I Could Possibly Want And Yet I’m Still Sad”, “A Billion Pills Couldn’t Put A Smile On This Face” and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow ... There’s Sadness And Turmoil And Despair”.
So lets get on with this weeks episode, please welcome our guest ‘Kidd Amaze’!”
Welcome to the show for the very first time. I consider you part of the new breed in the industry right now, do you still consider yourself as a sort of newbie to the industry?It's good to be here, I think this is my second time on a tv show so thanks for having me. I wouldn't really consider myself a new breed but I feel like I'm just getting into my groove in music. So much has happen to me from when I first did my mixtape to now and it has been a rollercoaster that I have been enjoying ever seen I got on. I made some mistakes along the way, it was rough just getting the chance to show what I can do and now I'm still feel like I haven't gotten to the best yet. I'm patient and I know one day people will look back at me and say "That guy was amazing," in every sense of the word.
Your debut album went to number one at a time when many considered the rap/hip-hop genres to be faltering somewhat compared to other genres, did you go into recording the album thinking it would be as popular as it was, just how unexpected was it’s success?When I came into the scene there was a lot of rapper out there on the main stage. I didn't sell drugs, I wasn't in a gang. I wasn't what a lot of people in the mainstream expected rap music could be like. I was always taught that you shouldn't go out to be someone your not, cause people are going to pick up on that and they can tell when you are just doing music for a check and when you are doing music cause you love it, and I loved it. My album was real, all of it, I lived it, and I wanted people to see what I saw and feel what I felt. Did I think it was going to go number #1. Not really but I never go into making music thinking "Oh if I put this in their this will make it sell more." So it was a surprise that it got there and on April Fool Day too I was thinking the world was just trying to get me with a joke, but it really happen and I was so happy.
It was considered a massive success and it’s seen you become one of the main names in the genre quite quickly, are you worried about trying to keep up with it’s success, we’ve seen many artists crumble under pressure?I'm not trying to keep up with pressure. No one can put more pressure on me and I put on myself. I expect to be the greatest musician, the greatest producer,the greatest rapper, the greatest artist every time I go into making music. That my mindset every time people ask me to be feature, or to help with music or in any way I can contribute. That was a lot of pressure when I left home and that is a lot of pressure now, but the more I strive and reach for that the better my music will be. I have written tons of songs and have to redo and start over cause they didn't match my own expectations, so I know if it can make me say it alright they people who hate rap music can listen to it and say it alright.
You left Permanent Reminder and launched Just Record with Carmen Grant, becoming a businessman in the process. Why did you decide to venture out into that side of the industry?I have a lot of respect for Matt Young for this. When we sat down talk about what he wanted for his label what I wanted to do in music, I told from the start, I might not stay I might go and do what you are doing. and to his credit he was like come on. To just sit an learn from someone who is doing what you want to do and not have egos get in the way and say "well maybe you aren't ready yet, maybe you need to stay under me until you know you can handle it." Made me respect him even more. Carmen has been the best partner I could ever ask for. I work so well together and she know a lot more than I could ask for and I learned that smart people are the ones that surround themselves with people that are smarter then themselves. I always wanted to be person in charge of my own career, and I wanted to get to a point when if I stop rapping I won't be done with music.
So what would you say is your main aim with the label?The biggest thing that I wanted to promote about Just Record is that up coming artist have a lot on their mind not just writing and mixing and mastering. Which takes time and money, then you have to promote, and push and market and if you don't know how to do that then you can be the best song writer in the world and no one will know about that. So Carmen and I do that for you. Both of us know what markets tend to do more so her then me and I know how to market and get your push. We take the promotion off your mind so you can go and do what you love to do and now have to worry about getting you song on radio, or having it play in clubs, or promotions. You just go and do what the name says and we will take care of the rest.
It appears like you’re slowly trying to build a solid foundation for the label, are there any new acts that you’re working on bringing to the label?Yes, it a process. and I never knew the politics behind the scenes until you start to recruit artist. So far we are still looking for talent, a lot of good people and right now maybe one or two we are trying to work on bringing here. Other than that you also have to pay attention to your own fans and not be all into the business side that you forget that your job is to make music for the people too.
And what do you think of your competition with the other labels, is it a rivalry or respect?I don't think that we are big enough to talk about rivalry of anything. Right now what we are is like a mom and pop shop just trying to get our own little space in the community. A lot of labels are in better positions than we are, but we are just trying to take it one day at a time and improve everyday to be mention with the likes of Freedom, studio60, and Songs to Live and Die by, and the like.
Sam Thatcher has been the first artist from the label to recently break out with his debut album. So far it seems like you’re onto something good there, how did you find that talent and how would you describe your recruitment process?Our search is one of just patience. Going to different venues getting demo tapes from all kinds of people, I know I couldn't have found Sam without Carmen as she told me to get him, and after listening I couldn't have agreed more. We are always looking for talent. But, I'm not going to take it easy on recruits they have to meet my high standards as well as Carmen's but if you think you have what it takes then we can make sure you will get your best chance to show the world what you can do.
Lets move back to your music. What can we expect from you in 2015, can we see a new album or possibly your own tour?I just recent got done with my first world tour, and I'm in the process of working on a new album right now. I was close to having something by the end of last year but that didn't go as I wanted to and so I went back to the drawing board and I think my next album is going to be twice as good as my first so if you like my first album you really need to keep your ear to the ground for when I release my second.
Okay, time for some quick questions.Who would you say is the worst rap/hip-hop/rnb artist currently in the industry?Uh man you are putting me on the spot. I can't say anyone is bad because I don't know what they go through when writing songs and music. The one person I was disappointed in I would say Tryon mostly because he came up when I was coming up and through it he sort of became a character of himself and that is what drove him away from the music. I was really disappointed in how his life went down.
If you could try your hand at any other genre, what would it be and why?What I wanted to try if I wasn't a rapper, and I could still possibly do it even the chance was be in a rock band. I was always a solo act but I would have liked to have people in with me and we would go through music together party together and just have that band of brothers us against the world mentality.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?I don't like categories, I listen to a lot of music. Not just rap and I feel like if you are black or in a city then you just go in an urban section and if your white and like in a nice neighborhood, you can only talk about pop tunes. Music is music no matter where your from everyone has hardship, everyone know what it is like to love, to feel cheated on, to feel good, to hate, to feel lonely. We might express it and cope with it in different ways but we are just trying to share our emotions to others and let people know that there are people that are going through the same thing.
Rum or Coke?Man, don't you know I'm married. ~laughed~ Love you Airemese.
We’re gonna play our own version of Kiss, Marry, Avoid. So the options are, Save, Kill, Wild Sex. The options are, Lotus, Miami and Liyah. Have fun with that?You are trying to get me in trouble aren't you. Uhhh man, Liyah is like my sister so no kill or wild sex for her so she gets the Save. I haven't met Lotus or Miami, but I'm trying to be the best rapper and Hotel Miami was a great piece of work so for that I sorry Miami I have to Kill you. That leaves Lotus with the wild sex then.
