Let me introduce you to Kid Quo coming out of Takoma Park, Maryland. Currently a student at the University of Wisconsin this 18 year old has a lot to say. I linked up with him a bit ago to ask him a couple questions.....
s0za-First I have to know where did the name Kid QUO come from?
Kid Quo-Yea that’s a good question, So first off man thanks for reaching out for the interview.... Well see my name is Olu wa tobi meaning ‘God is Great’ in the Yoruba language, but I have acquired the stage names Kid QUO Q.U.O.= QualitativeUrbanOperative & 1DuCe.
s0za- That's whats up man....I listened to the the EP....very dope what inspired you to make an EP and not a mixtape?
Kid Quo-On the real I don’t even know? At first I was just making songs song by song I wasn’t really thinking about concepts or projects. It really was just me writing verses in school taking the best ones and hitting the studio to record with Chook once or twice a week, a real young grind a familiarization with the microphone really. Gradually the song bank started to build and over the course of my senior year school year I recorded some 11 songs which amounted to my “Pretty Flacco Tape” I dropped it online in September of 08 when I turned 18. It was like the training round I proved to myself that it could be done,which made me more focused and driven in terms of my craft. Also Chooky man Chook is a beast in terms of production and I feel that doing mixtape shit over album quality beats is pointless. I want to make the most out of the beats and that calls for dope beats, dope lyrics, dope songs, and concepts all of which are key componenents in an album. The album is challenging especially since its my first one and I am not using any songs from the EP. But I like to challenge myself and think big it almost keeps me out of trouble.
s0za-For sure DJ Chooky is the root of it all and i know he did some tracks on the EP....Do you have any other producers lined up for the album?
Kid Quo-The album is 11 tracks long right now 10 of those tracks are Chooky along with one cut from that dude Klassik out of Milwaukee another talented cat I’ve met in the Midwest. But yea Chooky’s that dude he’s holding me down with the beats basically I gotta do the album.
s0za-Feel that....With hip-hop being so open minded now a days you got people like kid cudi, asher roth and DMVs own Wale on the come up...what do you see yourself doing for hip-hop?
Kid Quo-Yea man Hip-Hop is definitely changing and honestly I don’t think its for the worse. I feel like were going to be like our parents and the older generation who watched jazz phase out and morph into Hip-Hop because likewise Hip-Hop is changing and I’m excited to be here and witness what it Hip-Hop becomes and how it grows and evolves into. Sometimes I wish it would become 1990 all over again the year I was born so I could have came up a decade earlier and been closer to the pioneer and the ones who passed before their time. Im really in like the Jay-Z Nas era it would have been dope to be on the scene during the Pac, B.I.G, Pun, Sublime, & Nirvana era. But I keep avoiding the question I think I bring a serious sense of individuality and a serious individual personal sound. Aside from that I am blessed to be part of a crazy program the only one of its kind in the country. I gets down with a Hip Hop Theatre ensemble based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by the name of First Wave. I am blessed to work with some of the dopest spoken word artist, emcees, singers and songwriters, breakers, poppers, and visual artists. I am also blessed to be able to work with my world renowned creative directors writer and Russell Simmons HBO Def Poet Rafael Casal as well as movement educator Chris Walker.
s0za-Last but not least....Any words to the fans and ofcourse to the haters?
Kid Quo-To the fans thanks for downloading my shit and helping me spread my music, I really appreciate all the love, I will most definitely hold you down on eQUOnomy word to my mother. Also shout out to my god brothers all my homies in TP and SS and all over Maryland and DC....Hater Statement-When dudes hate on me it lets me know that I have done my job. If people don’t like my music they should just bump some ILLMATIC or some shit and then forward my music to their friends. But haters don’t really phase me. My haters will eventually fall off or become believers you won’t knock the hustle.....my haters will eventually fall or start hating someone else or maybe even become believers but they won't knock the hustle...because basically they don't have the power.
Thanks for the interview and make sure to download
eQUOnomy and SeniorWRITE
For more info on Kid Quo be sure to check out his Myspace by clicking here
Enjoy!
s0za- That's whats up man....I listened to the the EP....very dope what inspired you to make an EP and not a mixtape?
Kid Quo-On the real I don’t even know? At first I was just making songs song by song I wasn’t really thinking about concepts or projects. It really was just me writing verses in school taking the best ones and hitting the studio to record with Chook once or twice a week, a real young grind a familiarization with the microphone really. Gradually the song bank started to build and over the course of my senior year school year I recorded some 11 songs which amounted to my “Pretty Flacco Tape” I dropped it online in September of 08 when I turned 18. It was like the training round I proved to myself that it could be done,which made me more focused and driven in terms of my craft. Also Chooky man Chook is a beast in terms of production and I feel that doing mixtape shit over album quality beats is pointless. I want to make the most out of the beats and that calls for dope beats, dope lyrics, dope songs, and concepts all of which are key componenents in an album. The album is challenging especially since its my first one and I am not using any songs from the EP. But I like to challenge myself and think big it almost keeps me out of trouble.
s0za-For sure DJ Chooky is the root of it all and i know he did some tracks on the EP....Do you have any other producers lined up for the album?
Kid Quo-The album is 11 tracks long right now 10 of those tracks are Chooky along with one cut from that dude Klassik out of Milwaukee another talented cat I’ve met in the Midwest. But yea Chooky’s that dude he’s holding me down with the beats basically I gotta do the album.
s0za-Feel that....With hip-hop being so open minded now a days you got people like kid cudi, asher roth and DMVs own Wale on the come up...what do you see yourself doing for hip-hop?
Kid Quo-Yea man Hip-Hop is definitely changing and honestly I don’t think its for the worse. I feel like were going to be like our parents and the older generation who watched jazz phase out and morph into Hip-Hop because likewise Hip-Hop is changing and I’m excited to be here and witness what it Hip-Hop becomes and how it grows and evolves into. Sometimes I wish it would become 1990 all over again the year I was born so I could have came up a decade earlier and been closer to the pioneer and the ones who passed before their time. Im really in like the Jay-Z Nas era it would have been dope to be on the scene during the Pac, B.I.G, Pun, Sublime, & Nirvana era. But I keep avoiding the question I think I bring a serious sense of individuality and a serious individual personal sound. Aside from that I am blessed to be part of a crazy program the only one of its kind in the country. I gets down with a Hip Hop Theatre ensemble based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by the name of First Wave. I am blessed to work with some of the dopest spoken word artist, emcees, singers and songwriters, breakers, poppers, and visual artists. I am also blessed to be able to work with my world renowned creative directors writer and Russell Simmons HBO Def Poet Rafael Casal as well as movement educator Chris Walker.
s0za-Last but not least....Any words to the fans and ofcourse to the haters?
Kid Quo-To the fans thanks for downloading my shit and helping me spread my music, I really appreciate all the love, I will most definitely hold you down on eQUOnomy word to my mother. Also shout out to my god brothers all my homies in TP and SS and all over Maryland and DC....Hater Statement-When dudes hate on me it lets me know that I have done my job. If people don’t like my music they should just bump some ILLMATIC or some shit and then forward my music to their friends. But haters don’t really phase me. My haters will eventually fall off or become believers you won’t knock the hustle.....my haters will eventually fall or start hating someone else or maybe even become believers but they won't knock the hustle...because basically they don't have the power.
Thanks for the interview and make sure to download
eQUOnomy and SeniorWRITE
For more info on Kid Quo be sure to check out his Myspace by clicking here
Enjoy!
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