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9/19/2005 How have you been lately? I've been chilling, just waiting for this album to drop. That's about it. What can you tell everyone who's just getting familiar with Kilogram? I want to tell everybody that I'm no new-comer to this. I've put my grind in, I've been all over the mixtapes. I've got songs with Lil' Flip, Peedi Crack, a video for my single with Peedi Crack. I've been in the Source twice, with no record deal. Basically, I've been on my grind. That Chad West song was something fresh to let people know that I'm still on my grind and there's more to come from Kilogram. How did the Chad Wes track come about? I was telling Peedi I was finishing up my album. I let him listen to a couple of joints. He told me that the only thing the album was missing was a track from Chad. He plugged me, I went to Philly to see Chad Wes. I picked a beat, then went to New York @ Sound on Sound, and recorded it. Richie Lane is singing on it, he is from Trenton as well, I felt he had the perfect voice for this record, and once again he and I made magic. Where do you rep? I rep Trenton, New Jersey all day! Stuyvesant Ave. Shout out to Browns Mills too. There's a lot of talent coming out of Jersey right now… And I'm familiar with all these cats. And they know me. They know me from the grind. They know I've put in a lot of work. Where do you fit in today's crowded rap scene? There's nowhere that I fit in, because I separate myself from everybody. Not only do I rap, but I own my own company, Tippin' Da Scale Entertainment. That's my record company, it's incorporated. I'm a rapper, but I sit in that corporate position as well. What's up with Tippin' Da Scale Entertainment? Tippin' Da Scale is great. We've got a few artists we're working with. After me, there's O.Z. He's fire. We got another guy from Brooklyn named Skeme, and a guy from South Jersey named Lazarus. I'm at the table with a lot of distribution companies. Right now, it's just about getting that album out and seeing where we go from there. You've got the album "Consignment": a loan to the streets, how do you feel about that? The album is crazy. I got production from the Megahertz on there. Chad West did two joints on the album. Journalist came through for a record. I got Heavy Sounds production out of Atlanta on a record. I got an in-house producer named DJ Rashaun that did some work. Of course I got Peedi Crack and Lil' Flip. Yountie from Beat boizz Production did two joints. The album is crazy. It's going to be an independent classic. I'm talking "Reasonable Doubt!" Cats are definitely going to know who Kilogram is. How was it working with Peedi? Working with Peedi is phenomenal. I had an in-house producer whose name is Yountie. He goes by Beat Boys Production. He produced the record. I met Peedie in Atlanta All-Star weekend and it was all love, we exchanged numbers and when we got back up top we hooked up and did the record. I went out to Philly to record the joint with Crakk. Within 30 minutes, he had his verse ready. Then when he got out of jail, he said "Gram, that song is a classic, we need to do a video for this." And we did. Me and Peedi still have a relationship to this day. How was it working with Lil' Flip? That Lil' Flip track was big. A mutual friend of ours was playing my CD for Flip. Flip liked the CD and said "I like this cat. Next time you come back in town, bring him. If the business is right, I want to jump on his project." The next week we go to Houston. We did the song, it's a classic. I gave it to the mixtapes, the radio, and they loved it. Hopefully we'll get a video done for that before the summer ends. Who are you looking at now? Right now I'm shopping it to Koch, Navarre, Sure shot, Asylum, and Warner brothers. All the major labels basically. I'm just looking for distribution. I got a special investor that is very well connected. I'm not going to release that information yet. I'm really to the point where I don't need the labels right now. I just need distribution so we can make our money off the top. You got the mix tape "1st Quarter Grind Season out," can you talk about that? That was hosted by DJ Radio. He just won Rookie of the Year. He reached out to me after I did a freestyle for another DJ. Radio's also from Jersey, and he said he felt I needed that co-sign. We went in the lab did our thing, and he took the tape and ran with it, so a shout out to the Streetsweepers, doing what they do. Kay Slay, Radio, Capone… How important is it to have co-signs in the game today? A lot of rappers don't understand that, it's not just about having the talent and being nice. The game is so political right now; you've got to have those names to break through those barriers because labels only have 30 seconds to hear what you have to say. So if I can say that I've been in the Source, have songs with Lil' Flip and Peedi Crack, a video with Peedi Crack, Chad West, and Megahertz have produced some joints for me…they've got to be interested in what I'm saying. You went to Delaware State (where Stimuli and LG went), what was that experience like for you? I owe all my success to going to college. I advise all kids to go to school and learn from different walks of life. I learned everything about what I'm doing now from college. It was a Black college, it taught me how to take matters into my own hands and be a boss. You can ask Stimuli and LG, We put a lot of work in down there. I opened up for Mobb Deep, Cam'ron, and Busta Rhymes. I left school because everyone at school was telling me rap was my calling. School will always be there. I left and never looked back. I've had some hard times, but definitely success also. Do you want to go back and get your degree? Yeah. I left with 87 Education credits. I wanted to be a teacher. I withdrew, but I have a good grade-point-average. So once I have this rap thing under control, I'm going to go back and get that degree. It's not just because I want to be successful or anything, it's for self-worth. What makes you feel like you can change the game? I feel like I can change the game because I'm bringing that reality back. You're not going to hear "my gun will do this." It's not all about selling drugs. You've got to be ready for the flip-side of that. If you sell drugs, you can go to jail and get killed. These rappers just glorify the beginning of selling drugs, the cars and the women. They don't tell you about when the cops come, you're going to be doing 40 years. We need to be pushing education onto our youth. Get out the hood. There are bigger things going on in the world than the hood. That's what I plan to bring back to Hip Hop. I got emotional joints, party joints, joints talking about mistakes I've made. It's real. What would you say to rappers trying to break into the game right now? Pick up a book and read about this rap game. Know that it's not about rapping on the corner and thinking that you're going to blow. You have to read and know what contracts you could be signing. Study the whole game of Hip Hop. Don't think that someone's just going to give you a contract. You need to educate yourself on this business that you're trying to get in. Why should we check for you? Check for me because Hip Hop needs a breath of fresh air. I feel that I bring that realness to Hip Hop. People have forgotten about what Hip Hop is about. It's about giving the youth something they can listen to and be encouraged by. Right now, Hip Hop is turning our youth into animals. I'm hear to let the youth know that it's alright if you've got a 9-5 and you love your girl and you're not out there cheating. You don't have to be the hustler type. You can be an educated dude. A lot of cats are scared to be themselves because Hip Hop puts a stigma on you that you need to carry a gun, you need to be a hustler, you need to be robbing niggas. They're glorifying the wrong shit. Whoever you are, be yourself. What do you want to say to all your fans out there? I want to say to all my fans, "Consignment" is the name of the album. I'm going to give you jewels and all that shit for free, and you can pay me later for them. Cop that album, check for me. You know your boy's been at it for years. This is due for me. All my fans, I'd say check in early October for the album. Tippin' Da Scale Entertainment for life! Free Miz! Oh yeah, and anyone that wants to talk about my project or anything, hit me, 856.343.8449! Shout out to Black O, M-Geeze, LS, O.Z., Laz, Skeme, Eric, Iz, and Trott.

By Brian Kayser

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