“Yeah, it could be dangerous, but I’m quite sure that Nike and different people are working on gas tanks and stuff for sneakers. It depends on how – you know, you may take a little pin with gas and inject it and it probably let off – you know, every walk is like, the air pressure. I’m quite sure they’re making new stuff with gauges you stick your hand in your pocket. I think they’ve already invented, I mean, Nike and a lot of sneaker places are so far ahead of time, they are there basically, they got the plans, but they don’t know how to release them to the United States.”

KoolKeith: So did you like the show today?

Yeah. What’s the Warped Tour been like for you?

KK: It’s been cool. I’ve been, uh, penetrating through the market. Penetrating the Warped Tour doesn’t mean I’m punk and all that. I go against the grain, I come up here, it’s no big thing to me.

Do you hang out with any of the punk guys?

KK: Oh yeah, I seen ‘em, we talk all the time, make fun, have jokes, it’s just we have different kinds of music, but I don’t think the Warped Tour has ever put me in a place where I feel out of place. When I first was on it I felt kinda different, and like “Wow, is this gonna work?” Then I started doing a few gigs and the first couple of shows were just so different and then, I don’t know, I had my audience there and I’d see my fans across the country and it really changed. I do have my audience out there.

It’s been said that you are ahead of your time. Would you rather be recognized for doing the futuristic sounds, like sounds of 2006, today? Or for others just sort of finding out about the CD in 2006 when that sound has come? Do you like being ahead of the curve?

KK: I would love to be – I would love to get the credit for what I’ve created. I don’t want the industry to feed off me like some type of ameba type of thing, like which they are doing right now. I don’t want them to feed off me like a uhm, like a leech or an ameba because they’re gonna take the elements of “Black Elvis” and “Spankmaster” and you know, people will set up – the Billboard Awards will have the “Most Distinctive Beat Maker”, the “Most Creative Sound Guy” for 19 – for 2000. It won’t be me, it’ll be someone else. I feel like of course I’m getting’ beat!

What happened to the Ultra Magnetic reunion that you guys were going to have?

KK: Uh, we started on the album before, we made 4 distinctive tracks. We were supposedly ready to finish, but we are still waiting. It’s in the works, we want to, but you know we gotta get everybody mentally involved into the album. We can’t focus on what’s out right now, what’s on TV, what’s the trendiest stuff, we can’t go make a record about Dom P. and Cristal, we can’t go make a record about “We Gangstas” we can’t go make a record about “We in love with all the girls” – we have to really focus on some type of Ultra Magnetic type of feelings that we have and that was the limited way of making records. So we, uhm, are going through thought right now, we’re not just gonna put out a record that’s not gonna sound good, I mean, I took a lot of responsibility in the last few albums that I made. A lot of people didn’t know that. I didn’t go just hire a bunch of different producers, I really made custom made beats for the last 3 albums, since “Dr. Doom” and stuff.

What kind of stuff is on this bus?

KK: Uhm, TVs, a lot of my air fresheners, car-fresheners.

Do you have a private porn collection in here?

KK: I have a few books, but not like I used to. I mean, I can’t get to any stores, we’ve been always in the desert area.

Did you stock up, now that you’re in the metro area?

KK: I stocked up now that I’m in New York, I hit 42nd Street and Times Square. I bought four movies because it was a poor weekend in releases.

What movies?

KK: Umm…I bought some ah good strip movies, I bought “Darkside,” I bought uhm…a Joey Severance move and I bought two, uhm…I bought two different movies that were like a compilation.

Do you ever, uhm…do you ever share porn with the other guys on the tour?

KK: Oh no I’m not watching my movies alone. I got my girl, me and my girl watch the movies.

Oh you’ve got a girlfriend?

KK: Yeah.

Long term thing?

KK: Oh, different times, different times, on, different times – I got to go to strip clubs a lot.

Speaking of Times Square, I was there the other day, and saw an advertisement for Bob Marley shoes, this picture of Bob giving the peace symbol. Now what do you think about that first of all? And in the future, are your family members, are they going release like, Kool Keith sneaks or underwear?

KK: I’m workin’ on some sneakers. I want a pair of sneakers, I wanna design a pair of sneakers. Not too clumsy, not too any type of corny look, I’m – that’s my main goal.

What do you think about Bob Marley shoes? Do you think Bob would have approved?

KK: Bob Marley shoes? Bob Marley shoes…I dunno Bob Marley shoes are so…Well, maybe the new uh, reggae type of sneaker that’s bouncy, I mean, it depends, I mean, they need new shoes, they need a shoe maybe that you could put gasoline inside — something different that they’ve never made. Sneakers are different they’re making them different every month. But they gotta make something different. Maybe they’ll make lights or somethin’.

They have sneakers with lights.

KK: Not the lights that the little kids have. They’re gonna make you know, something new with lights you know, maybe on the front–

Like maybe ones that make piggy noises when you step on them?

KK: Well you know they can probably makes ones that burn gas like, you walk, and everytime you walk they got like more of exhaust pipe stuff like, it depends like…

They’re probably going to want to stay away from that though because there’s the oil shortage –

KK: Flammable…

Yeah, and it would be expensive –

KK: Yeah, it could be dangerous, but I’m quite sure that Nike and different people are working on gas tanks and stuff for sneakers. It depends on how – you know, you may take a little pin with gas and inject it and it probably let off – you know, every walk is like, the air pressure. I’m quite sure they’re making new stuff with gauges you stick your hand in your pocket. I think they’ve already invented, I mean, Nike and a lot of sneaker places are so far ahead of time, they are there basically, they got the plans, but they don’t know how to release them to the United States.

Did you work on a track with Beck?

KK: I worked with Beck on a song but we never put it out and you know I’m waiting to maybe see what he does with that. But I don’t feel sell out point reason, I just feel like there are certain types of exposure that you can get that can help. Because there are underground groups that are big underground like, that you can say they are big.

Is that phone call on “Sex Style” a real phone call?

KK: That was a real phone call.

What other stuff have you done in New York besides getting the porn?

KK: Hmm…I play baseball. I mean, I take walks, I ride bikes…

Are you still living in New York?

KK: Yeah, I stay out here sometimes, I stay out down in uh, different parts of California.

Do you like it better out here or out there?

KK: I like both but I make more records when I’m out West because the creativity is more, uhm…expansive. I can’t make a record in New York because people might think I should go make a record, like a regular hip-hop record, or people will feel I maybe should get funky. New York has a lot of boundaries.

We’re running a contest.

KK: All right.

If you were in the studio and you had to write something down but couldn’t find a pencil, what would you use instead: would you use A) A piece of dirt from the crack in your sneaker, B) a toothpick dipped in mustard from your club sandwich or C) would you scratch the words in magnetic Ampex Tape?

KK: B

Toothpick dipped in mustard?

KK: Yeah.

Two other things. What is your Utopian vision of the future?

KK: I’d like to see everybody riding around in like, Cadillacs in space, like on air no support, no wheels. Just ridin’ down 42nd Street, changing lanes real smooth, and just rely on the air pressure to float.

Sort of like “Back to the Future”?

KK: Yeah

Like “Back to the Future” had those hover boards?

KK: Yeah, but more like a car without wheels that could just stay up in the air.

Do you dream about that?

KK: Yeah, I do. Because we’re there.

How long do you think you’re going to be doing music for?

KK: For a long time. I want to make music, I make music everyday. Always. I’m gonna do a lot of production.

Who is that tattooed on your right arm?

KK: That’s my daughter right there. She’s like my mentor. I’ll take a look at this and it gives me great energy.

Is that you tattooed on your left arm?

KK: Yeah, these are the two that are most meaningful. Me and my daughter. This is me and my uhm, ambitions back when I was looking into…looking into the music industry. It’s my ambition that I had in my days as a kid growing up in the ghetto, looking forward to seeing something better. The sorrow, and days that I just, maybe didn’t have a lot of things. So that’s me in the picture, and you see my eyes, they’re like squinting into the sun.

Do you feel that you’re well respected by fellow MC’s everywhere?

KK: Well, I think a lot of MC’s, they’ haven’t lived a great life, I mean, I’ve been to Europe, I’ve been to France, I’ve met a lot of different people, I’ve experienced travel, I’ve experienced touring throughout the country. A lot of guys are trying to be somebody they’re not or trying to be gangstas trying to be hardcore – that comes with more consequences. Stuff like, people have different ways of doing things. I think myself, some rappers can’t go out to the mall, shop, have a good time, walk around with their family. I think myself, I don’t have to walk around everyday scared that someone’s gonna beat me down.

So you like having that sort of anonymity?

KK: Just the whole thing that I have like, different types. I’m not like “I’m a notorious killer, I’m a gangsta, I’m a big drug dealer, I’m notorious around the world, I’m crazy, everybody should be scared of me.” I’m glad that, you know, in rap I have some type of freedom, you know? Comfortability. I don’t want to walk around with 18 guys around me everyday. I feel that’s unnecessary.

Do you have any daily rituals right now on the tour?

KK: My daily rituals on the tour are basically, going to the water to take a walk and get away from the tour, come back and like rock a good show. I don’t wanna sit around and worry about charts and times and watching the MTV, BET Video, none of that. I just go out, play and enjoy my life.

By Hal Horowitz in Interviews |

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