I can tell you
just like you already know; theres plenty of talent in the area;
but only a few with “it”. You know that “It” thing will get you
where you need to be; whether it’s on tour or on a major label.
In my travels to many an open mic and showcases I seen a few
people with “it”...Kaye M is one of them.
If you never heard his music I can only describe it as a return
to some real shyt.
Not the usual weak watered down radio stuff you’re use to
hearing.
CRED MAG: Before I ask you anything about your music I want to
know who you listening to in your deck right now(besides your
own)
Kaye M: That’s a funny question because people always assume
that I listen to 2Pac all day every day. I’m actually an R&B
type of dude. I have the homie J Holiday’s first album in heavy
rotation right now though.
CRED MAG: Most artists don’t realize its 10% talent & 90 percent
Business; tell me has it been a challenge for you to get the
business side of the music game together? If so how did you get
through to accomplishing your goals?
Kaye M: Yea, I come across a bunch of young artist like myself
that haven’t been in the mix as long as I have and they all seem
to think that their musical ability is going to automatically
get them a multi mullion dollar record contract... Talent means
NOTHING if your business isn’t where it needs to be. You can
have the best songs ever made sitting in your Pro Tools and work
at Giant for the rest of your life. The music is what everything
revolves around, but the business will be the core of your
success.
I’m just recently getting to where I need to be as far as my
business is concerned. I was blessed to be around a majority of
the heavy hitters from the DC area and build relationships to
where I could sit back and be observant of what they were doing.
I learned a lot of what to do and what not to do from other
peoples personal experience. So it wasn’t so much of it being a
“challenge” to get the business straight, it was more of a
learning process that took a while. The best thing anyone
could’ve told me was to “start your own company and treat it
like Russell treated Def Jam in the beginning and you CANNOT
lose” (Antonio Reid, LA Reid JR). That’s what I am doing and
that is what’s going to take my career to the next level.
CRED MAG: You been gone from the DMV for a quick minute; last I
heard you was in ATL. Did you leave to further your music
opportunities?
Kaye M: Yea, I felt it was time to rub elbows with the people
that have been successful in the business that I am in. I’ve
always wanted to be seen in the likes of the Diddy’s, Master
P’s, and Jay-Z’s. The Music Moguls. So I figured I might want to
get with the up in coming moguls. And I did. I didn’t go to ATL
to get a record deal like most aspiring artists. I went to see
how Polow got 40 million from Interscope and how Jeezy got his
label imprint at Def Jam. Things of that nature. I can build
with the Chink Santanas and Rich Harrisons of the industry but
at the time they were just great producers, not CEO’s, although
Rich has Rich Girl out on Richcraft now, it wasn’t like that
when I left. I consider myself a student of the Music Industry
and that class was required for graduation.
CRED MAG: I know although you dipped from the DMV for a minute
you were up on what was going on here. Right now a lot of the
people you were rappin’ with at open mics and politicing with on
other levels are making their way into the mainstream spotlight.
Tell me how you feel about the whole DMV music situation:
Kaye M: Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the DMV music
scene right now. I’m happy that artists are getting the
spotlight for which they’ve been working. But at the same time,
I feel the majority of the artists here are just looking for
fame. I was gone for over a year, came back, and the people that
I knew weren’t the people that I knew, if that makes any sense.
I see folks switching up their style of music, the way they
walk, their haircuts, all to fit in with what’s going on “on the
TV screen”. It’s crazy to me because a few years ago, a DC nigga
was a distinctive nigga ANYWHERE in the country. Now most folks
just blend in with rest of the world because they just fell in
line.
Artists hold the power to start trends just by being ourselves,
so why just do what other artists do?
We have the option to flaunt our own style, that DEFINITELY
exists, get successful, get on TV, and have the whole world
wanting to be from DC. Or, we can do, say, and wear whatever the
people that are on TV are doing, saying and wearing, get on TV,
and just be another one of “them”. I see way too many people
doing the second option and I ain’t with that. We used to be our
own people, had our own music, our own clothing companies, we
even got our own sauce for our chicken. The new generation is
letting that die. It blows me just talking about it...
CRED MAG: I first heard about you being with Chink Santana and
the super group Black Flag Clique. I know that you have a few
verses on that situation. What’s the story behind that?
Kaye M: The Black Flag Clique situation
was a classic case of dreams being sold at a price nobody can
afford to pay.
Long story short, Chink is a multi platinum, Grammy winning,
producer from South East DC and he came back to form a rap
group. The group consisted of me and a host of other DMV artist.
A couple albums worth of material was recorded and there was a
lot of talk about record deals, label deals, and publishing
deals that never materialized. After a trip to LA turned
terrible because of problems within the group, I never heard
from Chink again. Not long after, I see Jim Jones picked Chink
up as a part of his group called ByrgGang and they had a song
called “Byrd Gangs the Gizzang” which had the exact same hook as
a song we had called “Black Flags the Gizzang”. Obviously I
wasn’t feeling that at all. He (Chink) takes it like “it is my
group, it’s my song, and I can do what I want with it”. I take
it like I grinded my ass off in these streets so folks would
listen to that shit. I was the only artist out the group that
was out daily putting up flyers’ n posters and having my whole
phonebook calling the radio stations requesting Black Flag shit.
I put in all this leg work for the nigga to turn his back on us
AND sell songs we did and co wrote to some niggas that are
already on? That ain’t “real nigga” shit to me and I spoke on
it. Everything comes full circle because he came up short. Byrd
Gang sold 5 copies worldwide and he lost a GANG of loyal niggas
from his home town. He got to sleep and wake up with that every
day, not me.
CRED MAG: Getting back on track with your music; I downloaded
the All In mix-tape and you got some bangaz on there. Tell me
what was the thought process behind All-In and are there any big
collabos on there.
Kaye M: All In is actually the album that im working on now.
That was just a preview of what may or may not be on the actual
record. I named it “All In” because i feel im pulling out all
the stops. Im putting together all my resources and putting them
on 1 album like a poker game. This is me sliding all my chips
that I’ve earned in this game into the pot. If you break down
feature and production costs, the “All In” album is worth about
$300,000 right now. I didn’t pay $300,000 to put it together, I
grinded it out and made the contacts to make it happen though.
The record features production from Rich Harrison, Drumma Boy
and Ensayne from the Drum Squad, Chink Santana, X-Quiz the
Hitman (DMV producer of the year 09) and a host of other up and
coming producers from the area and ATL. TPain, Steve O, Kingpin
Slim and Wale are featured on the project as well.
CRED MAG: You started a group and an Entertainment company?
Kaye M: Living the Dream is the group and they were actually a
squad of individual artist that were already doing music
together. I just came and put together a group album with them
and made it make more sense. They have a great chemistry because
they have been around each other for ever and you can hear it in
their music. The group consists of 6 artists, EY, Justice, B
Jack, Solo, Papa & Prew. Their music will be coming soon.
The Entertainment Company is Proper Shot Entertainment which is
a record label I started with NBA stars Delonte West and Kevin
Durant. We will be the premier label out of the DMV in the next
2 years. It came about us starting a company by us all having a
love for real music and that’s what we are going to do... make
REAL music! I can’t give u the whole breakdown yet though, that
might have to wait till next issue.
CRED MAG: What’s the next step for Kaye M; is the goal a major
deal or is indie the road you choose to stay on?
Kaye M: I’m looking to shoot the official video for my first
single “Screamer” next month then going straight for
distribution. I’m keeping it indie until somebody shows me
something better. I feel I will be able to do things on a major
scale but at the same time still be my own boss. That’s my goal,
to stay my own boss.
CRED MAG: What advice would you give to others trying to make it
into the music game?
Kaye M: Make up a company name, make it LLC, draw up the paper
work, sign yourself to yourself and make your money. Don’t
settle for being on TV because 90% of that is not real. And if
you don’t do anything else, BE YOURSELF!
CREDMAG: Where can people find you (listen to music and keep up
with you?)
