Potholes In My Blog is proud to welcome 14KT to Open Mic Presents… His solo album The Golden Hour Soundtrack is out and has been receiving rave reviews (4.5 Potholes). The Golden Hour Soundtrack is not only a collection of beats, but a showcase of 14KT’s creativity and ability to make dope music. A 2008 Red Bull Big Tune finalist, and coming from a very prestigious background of musical groups (Athletic Mic League & The Lab Techs,) 14KT is a producer/rapper to watch out for in the time to come.

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Hit the skip for the full interview…

Reyn: What’s good 14KT?
KT: Life is great man! I’m thoroughly enjoying life right now.

Reyn: Big ups on making the Red Bull Big Tune Finals; tell me a little bit about the competition.
KT: The Finals went down in NYC. I had a lot of fun there. It was packed. At first the crowd was kinda chill, but then they started really rocking with the producers. The competition was pretty steep because everyone was talented and everyone had there own style of music so it was all about the crowd and what they wanted to hear that night.

Reyn: What was your first experience with Hip-Hop?
KT: My first experience with Hip-hop was actually in the form of break dancing. When i was young, I would always try and break dance on a cement floor in my basement. I would be spinning on my head and everything. So after I busted my head on the ground a couple times and got stitches over my eye, my mom wouldn’t really let me do that so I started really getting into the music more. (laughs) and here I am…

Reyn: When did you decide to make music full-time as a career?
KT: I’ve been making music for 14 years, but I didn’t decide to actually do music full-time until I graduated from college December of 2006. Ever since then, I’ve been going pretty HARD at producing and I also started DJing a lot around then.

Reyn: Michigan has been a hotbed for Hip-Hop these days, how does that music scene help you as an artist?
KT: Iron sharpens Irons. There are so many talented artists in Michigan that you have no choice, but to strive to be one of the best as well. Imagine being around artists such as Black Milk, Mr. Porter,Guilty Simpson, Zo!, Monica Blaire, Invincible, Waajeed, Now On, Athletic Mic League, Nick Speed, Slum Village, and Finale not to mention all the Motown records and artists that came before us. It would be impossible not too develop into a exceptional artist because everyone keeps each other on their toes with this music.

Reyn: J Dilla is stated as one of your biggest influences and favorite producers. How much of a role did he play in the sound that you create?
KT: J Dilla played a huge role in my sound for many reasons. He was what I considered the “Detroit Sound” for my generation. I started really listening to his music heavy around 1998. The things he accomplished with records and the sound he created was unique and unbelievable. It inspired me to want to be a part of the sound that represented Michigan to me. I studied his music so much that a lot of his techniques definitely became embedded into my style. However, I was also finding my own sound through my group, Athletic Mic League at the time. You can truly hear Dilla in my music, but in no way could I ever be compared to the music that he makes. He’s a genius.

Reyn: You are a member of The Lab Techs; how do you guys work together? Four producers in a studio sounds crazy!
KT: Ha! We actually all work individually. There’s only been a few times that we’ve all been in the same room sharing ideas on production. Most of the time, we all work in our own labs and then come together afterward. I love how things work out with us because that keeps our sound fresh. We all bring our own individual styles and worlds to the table. You never hear the same record twice.

Reyn: Buff1, a fellow Athletic Mic League member, went solo a few years ago; when did you decide that you wanted to do the same?
KT: The more I started to work on music full-time, the more music I was creating. I’ve actually been working on solo projects since 2003. It was just a matter of time when things would open up more individually for me. I finally decided to step out more when working on Buff1’s Pure album in 2006, when I graduated. That was when I had to make the decision of either going 150% in effort with this music or just find a regular boring job and wasting my life away. Of course I chose the first option!

Reyn: The Golden Hour Soundtrack is dope! The concept behind that album is very interesting. Can you expand on what the message for that album was?
KT: Thanks man! The concept behind the album was a metaphor for what I was going through in life at the time. Every song is a scene to the soundtrack of my life. The Golden Hour is a medical theory that states that when I patient goes through a major trauma, it is believed that the patient receiving definitive care within the first 60 minutes of the trauma is vital in the survival of the patient. I felt like i was gonna quit music because of the emotional roller coaster it had taken me through for 14+ years. So this project reflects a lot of the emotions I went through and it serves as the “definitive care” I need in order to survive with my career as an artist. I felt like this concept would relate to many people because everyone has their own “Golden Hour” stories in life, where they were at a crossroad and didn’t know if they were gonna survive or die in a sense.

Reyn: The album has been out for a few months now, are you happy with the way the people have responded thus far?
KT: The response has been a blessing. I really didn’t expect to get as much love as I have been, but its been great. Its opened me up to more opportunities to work with other artists and every review written on The Golden Hour has been excellent. The best part is that people are listening to the project the way that its supposed to be heard, which is the best thing that an artist can ask for.

Reyn: I like how you added the word “Soundtrack” to the title of the album. It is very appropriate to add that since the album real does seem to fit the script of a movie. Talk about some of the themes you wanted to portray through your instrumentals on the album.
KT: The more you listen to the project, it will sound more like a soundtrack. Plus, I wanted to add that word because I didn’t want people to listen to it like its just a beat cd or something. It is NOT a beat cd. There are alot of themes in the project. The project sonically sounds how the human brain normally thinks. Usually the brain jumps from one thought to another every minute and that’s how the tracks flow. They are in no particular order and they can flow from a sad feeling to a happy feeling, then back to a sad feeling because that’s how we think as humans. That’s also how emotions functions. They change all the time. Especially when you’re gonna through a trauma, you go through a roller coaster of emotions and that’s what you will hear. I just articulated my emotions through instrumentals.

Reyn: “ICU Smile” was one of my favorite tracks. It had a real deep poem by Christian D. Larson spoken over it by Karla Crawford. Give us a little back-story for that track, why did you choose that poem?
KT: The poem actually chose me. I started that track about 3 years ago. It kept calling me because everytime I listened to it, it reminded me of a picture I had of my mother smiling. That poem is actually posted up next to my computer in my studio. It was a poem my grandmother(R.I.P) had up in her house for years and i took it and put it next to my computer. One day, my friend Karla was in the lab with me and started reading it when I was working on the music and it fit perfectly  with the emotion of the track so I incorporated the poem. It took the track to a whole different level. It’s amazing how God works man!

Reyn: That was one of the softer tracks, but you also have some real bangers on the album. Discuss how you varied your sounds on the album.
KT: The sounds ended up varying by themselves because of the different emotions on the project. Plus, since I had been producing alot during the making of this project, I was trying different styles of making music and you will hear all of them on this project. Bangers, sexy music, all that (laughs).

Reyn: What made this album so much better, was that it served as a kind of showcase of your production skills. Have you gotten any calls from this album asking for some 14KT beats?
KT:  I’ve got a few calls & messages. Artists that I have been wanting to work with for a long time have reached out like Oddisee, Danny Brown and Jay Electronica. The album has only been out for 3 months, so hopefully I’ll get more in the future!

Reyn: The joint “Swagger Jackson’s Revenge” was really cool. How did you link up with Jay Electronica and can we expect some more work with him in the future?
KT: Yeeah! Shout out to Jay Electronica. I never met JayElect in person, but I met him via Myspace/AIM back in 06′. He had heard some of my work via Denaun Porter. Shouts to Mr. Porter! Ever since then I would send him batches of beats. I sent him some candy and he finally laced one up for me! I hope I can work with him in the future.

Reyn: Let’s discuss the equipment that you use in your production.
KT: Adobe Audition, Turntables, a Motif Keyboard, Bass, My mouth, Records, apple chips, and tons of peach with peaches Jello cups.

Reyn: Talk about how you go about finding a sample and then utilizing it in one of your beats.
KT: Two good examples of this on the album are the tracks : NNE Mode and The Night. On NNE Mode, I actually chopped the sample in my head and recorded it with me beat boxing what i heard. Then I recreated my beat box and vocal chop using the sample to replace it. So, instead of me utilizing the sample to make a beat, I actually made the beat and made the sample fit with what I heard in my head. On the Night, I wanted to make “night” music because i’m a night person. So I incorporated every theme of the night into one beat as i could. I used movie clips and a sample of a song that usually gets played at night for romantic reasons (laughs) it’s all about trying to relay how you feel into beats.

Reyn: Name some artists that you would love to work with in the future.
KT: Jay Electronica, Waajeed, Monica Blaire, Nas, Outkast, and D’Angelo.

Reyn: Now that your solo career has taken off a little, who can we expect to see you working with as your career moves on?
KT: Expect to see me continuing to work with artists from Michigan, especially my crew Athletic Mic League, Now On, Othello, my man Ab, and my sister Invincible. Besides my family, expect surprises because im always evolving with music so you never know who I will end up working with!

Reyn: Any other projects 14KT is working on?
KT: Definitely! New Athletic Mic League album is in the works! Working on a project with Othello, AB (Check out AB&Daru “A Work In Progress’ Soon!!), another 14KT solo, and im putting together a beat tape with my mans DJ Rhettmatic strictly for the beat heads. GOD is great !’m glad im still being able to work. Happy 09′ ya’ll.

Reyn: Thanks again 14KT, any words for the people before you leave us?
KT: Thank you for taking time out to interview me! I also want to thank A-Side & AML and everyone who supported my music in any way. Even if you downloaded the album and didn’t pay for it, but you thought it was dope and spread the word about me anyways! Ask 10 people for a dollar and please pick up my album, if you can. I appreciate it. Remember God is ALWAYS good, even when you don’t think so, peace.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 11:20 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.