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Fans of the Mississippi
based critically acclaimed duo known as Crooked Lettaz are familiar with the brash young
man who call himself Kamikaze. He’s the arrogant, flamboyant cat that gets on the mic
and spits raw lyrics wrapped in a tight flow that startles even the best MCs, who think
that the Magnolia
State has little to offer the hip hop nation. But, to those who copped
the Lettaz’ astonishing debut Grey Skys or his partner in rhyme David Banner’s
solo debut The firewater Boys Vol. 1, Kamikaze is one hottest MCs in the South. Sure
he’s a tad bit aloof and sometime can be outright arrogant, but when you spit like
him, it sort of comes with the territory.
After watching their first album go to pot due to bad
management and label ineptitude both Banner of Kamikaze decided to borrow a chapter from
Booker T. Washington and cast their buckets where they were and start their own
independent companies. Mr. Sho Nuff: Firewater Boy No. 2 is Kamikaze’s solo debut on
his own indie label Hour Glass Entertainment. On a sunny day in mid January I sat down
with Kamikaze to talk about Crooked Lettaz and his new solo project. The conversation went
as follows. |
 I guess the obvious question
that’s on all of your fans minds is why are you guys doing solo records?
The reason why we’re doing a solo record is being that we are on hiatus with the
group and the turmoil with our former management and our label situation; and given the
fact that the Market is so fickle that if you’re gone for any amount of time, the
fans that you did have forget about you. We thought that it was real important that we put
something in the market place. And since the legal problems with Tommy Boy or whatever
that was going on with Tommy Boy, we thought that it would be best if we started our own
companies and put out our solo records to keep the name of Crooked Lettaz alive out there.
You mentioned the management turmoil, I remember on the outro of the Grey Skies how you
all talked about shiesty managers and all of that explain exactly what’s went on with
that?
Basically, in short what happened was, we had management and it turn out that the
management was looking out for their best interest and they had other interest and
investments that they had in mind when they were dealing with Crooked Lettaz.
[To make] a long story short we were robbed of thousand and thousands of
dollars…almost six figures. Our relationship with the label got estranged because of
this situation. Our album got pushed back from what would have been its original date
because of what was going on with the management. But we have since resolved that
relationship as we have resolve the relationship with the label so we are now free and
clear to keep making music.
For the benefit of those who may be involved in bad management deal, tell us how you all
found out about your management situation?
Really by asking questions. One of the first signs that you might be in a bad management
situation is when the management wants to include themselves in interviews and include
himself in all of the dealings with group and the musical aspects of the group.
That’s number one. Another thing is our manger constantly stressed to us not to call
the label, not to ask questions and not be inquisitive at all about our career, which is
the second flag that was raised. It had got to a point to where things just weren’t
adding up. My self and Banner sat down saw that our situation wasn’t were we thought
it should be and we started asking questions. As soon as we started asking questions, we
called the label and asked some questions and found out that we were getting taken.
You said that you have resolved your situation with your label; does that mean you
all are still on Tommy Boy?
Naw, our relationship with Tommy Boy is officially resolved. We’ve gotten our
releases and we are no longer on Penalty. Well Penalty, of course, dissolved into Tommy
Boy and we were then moved to Tommy Boy. We were one of the two artists from Penalty that
was picked up by Tommy Boy. The other one being Capone & Noreaga. But we are now no
longer on Penalty or Tommy Boy nor any of their shared labels.
Okay, now that you are no longer on any major label, why not get a deal with
someone else?
Because we learned in the interim that we would make a whole lot of money out here in
these streets doing a project independent if you put the right amount of work and effort
into it. We encountered a lot of independent artist while we were doing shows on the road
who were independent artists that ended up get bigger deals with majors for millions of
dollars. We ran into a lot of independent artists who were making money just within their
town or just within their region –I mean these guys were making a lot more money than
we would have even if we were to go gold or platinum or even double-platinum on Tommy Boy.
So our eyes kinda got open to aspect.
Now your partner David Banner put out his own solo album called them Firewater
Boys Vol. 1 on his independent label called Bigface Entertainment. Are you one that label?
No. I am not on Bigface. I have my own label called Hour Glass Entertainment. It’s a
business venture between myself and a duo I like to called the Unseen Twins. It’s a
partnership and it’s also an independent label. I am an artist on that label and I am
also head of A & R.
Why didn’t
the two of you just form one label?
Well, we thought that if we diversified a little bit it would be more profitable in the
end by starting two companies as opposed tone. If we both have our own companies we
thought that it [would] look a lot more tantalizing to these major companies if and when
we decide to decide to go that route in the future.
So it was a business decision?
It was a business decision.
So for the record is Crooked Lettaz split up?
No. Crooked Lettaz has not split up as a group. Now that this, quote/unquote, label
situation is now finished and done, you can be looking for something new from us real
soon. The reason why we hadn’t been scene was because we couldn’t be on the
scene was because of legal entrapments and entanglements as it were.
So there will be another Crooked Lettaz album?
There will be another Crooked Lettaz album.
Have you all been recording?
I’d say that we’ve done about two complete songs for the next album, but, the
catch of it is with both of our schedules being the way they are; with banner being out on
the road promoting his album, which is now nationwide and me promoting my album, which has
been out for a month within this region, our schedules are on two different planes right
now. It’s kinda a situation now where if we’re in the same city at the same
time, we get together and do something, but it’s going to have to a situation where
both of these things kinda die down where we can sit down and get started on this project
for it to get done.
 Tell me a little bit about
your project, Mr. Sho Nuff AKA Firewater Boy No. 2?
I worked real hard on this project. It took me about a year and a half to finish.
I started out recording songs really, really fast. And then, after listening to what I had
and not being pleased with I heard, I decided to slow down and take my time and do things
more slowly and be more sure of myself. The album is probably a departure of what people
are somewhat used to hearing or what people have heard on the Crooked Lettaz record. Of
course you know Crooked Lettaz voiced a lot more social opinions and was more socially
conscious as a group. But on our solo record we kinda venture forth into other dimensions
and other characters. This record is a lot more street and a lot more urban. I’m
talking about a lot of things that you won’t hear on a Crooked Lettaz record.
Are you afraid that this record might alienate some of your fans who were into the
Grey Skies album?
Not really because [there’s] something on the album for the Crooked Lettaz fan.
It’s definitely something on there for them. David Banner is on the album. But also
what we’ve found when dealing with the major label, especially the ones that we were
with [is] they had no connections with the streets whatsoever. And we lacked a foundation
in the streets that we would’ve had if we would’ve started out independent the
first time. So now with these independent records and having to go out here on these
streets….having to go out there block-to-block, hood-to-hood we’re finding out
now that we’re starting to build a foundation in the streets now, which is going t
help us ten-fold when we finally get out here with this next Crooked Lettaz records.
It’s going to make that much better.
Will it change the way the group will approach recording the next record?
I think that it’s going to be a little different than the [last] Crooked Lettaz
record. It’s going to be a little different because of our maturing and the different
experiences that we had out there on the road and this shady music business that
we’re in.
We’re still going to try to keep the concept of Crooked Lettaz and what crooked
Lettaz is supposed to be. Crooked Lettaz is more than just a group, it’s like a
movement, it’s like a vision. We’re going to try to stay on point with that. But
basically you’re going to hear some different things on this next album. It’s
not like we’re trying to change our style or anything like that, it’s just
basically because of the different experiences that we’ve gone through. We’ve
matured as men, we’ve matured as businessmen so it’s going to new situations
that you’re probably going to hear us addressing on the next Crooked Lettaz album,
but it’s going to stay true to form. |
