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KarenCivil.com Exclusive Interview: Kid Ink – Flying High

Posted on June 14th, 2012
by
Karen


 

It was a movement not too many saw coming. Kid Ink, the tatted up, Cali-born rapper repping Tha Alumni alongside mentor DJ Ill Will, has been making heavy strides over the past few years, starting off with the release of his first mixtape in 2010, entitled Crash Landing. Who knew this would be the starting point of the trilogy of “take-off” mixtapes (Daydreamer, Wheels Up), which reached its climax on June 12 when Kid Ink dropped his independent debut album Up And Away (sold digitally on iTunes). The 12-track release, headlined by the infectious radio hit single “Time of Your Life,” now features a list of newer records, which shows the growth and past struggles of Ink, evident by another potential single, the inspirational, emotional-bound “Hell and Back.” After completing the album in a two-month time span, Ink is about to embark on a European tour later this summer while still working on new material in the studio, and who knows, maybe “Ink” a new deal with a major label? KarenCivil.com caught up with the Bat Gang head honcho while he was in Cali doing promos and meet & greets for a quick chat in which he spoke about the album-making process, selling his album digitally vs. in-store, sequencing, his international fans, and much more.

Interview + words by Michael Nguyen

Describe how the past 24 hours have been. I know it must have been crazy for you
[Laughs] It definitely has been crazy. Its definitely been a lot of hit-ups from family and friends congratulating me on everything and of course some hit-ups from label heads who we’ve been trying to duck. I’ve been trying to soak it all up and promote the album. I still have a week before I see how the numbers do. It feels so good to have an independent album out. I always feel good when releasing something, whether it be a mixtape, video or song.

Were you nervous in the days leading up to your album release?
Definitely not as much nervous as I was anxious to see which record the fans gravitated towards the most. I just wanted to see which one they liked. I felt 100% confident with the project and I felt like the fans would like it, but I wanted to see which specific songs stood out.

In your opinion, what songs stood out to you?
Right now, from the fan’s response, it has to be the top three records that stand out the most. “Drippin’” is number one. Its been on the radio last night, the radio loves it, the fans love it, it’s almost in the Top 10 in the hip-hop charts on iTunes. It’s definitely the number one record. Second is the intro, which we just dropped a video for “No One Left” the other day and the third is “Hell and Back,” which is a real strong, inspirational record.

How long have you’ve been working on Up and Away?
I worked on Up and Away for two months tops. I had the first single and we worked on pushing that and crafting it and making sure it got the radio support. From there, I had an idea of which direction to go with the album a month later. I just stayed in the studio for a straight month in between touring. I finished the whole album in about 3-4 weeks. I definitely put 100% and had 24-hour days where we were just working.

What’s the story behind the name of the album?
We came up with the name right after we got the single and we just felt like it complimented the mixtape series I had. It was about taking it to the next level and being in the air and flying along with my habit of smoking. Up and Away is just about taking it to the next level and taking off and doing all you can do as an independent brand.

Would you say this has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far?
I can say this has definitely been one of the major turning points. I know that it’s only up from here if we work and grind.

What about the lowest point of your career?
[Laughs] I can’t really say that I’ve had a lowest point. We started this whole Alumni, Kid Ink, Bat Gang movement and its just been up from here. We’ve met all the expectations we set so I feel like it’s all deserved.

But when you did start out, you must have gone through some struggles. So does “Hell and Back” sort of pay tribute or confront those times?
That’s definitely what the record is suppose to represent. I feel like I wanted the record to hit those people who wanted to fight and grind for something. Sometimes you just have to work harder than other people but you’ll see it pay off later on. Some people come and go and the hard workers who stay through it all and stay humble are the ones who usually make it to the top.

Do you think it’s fitting a track like that would be placed last on the album? Did that mean something?
Definitely, yeah. It was a great way to close the album. It wasn’t just by chance that it was thrown at the end. We definitely wanted it to be that bigger record and it means so much more. It’s a real important record to us and I feel like it’s a real, strong third single that could take over and send it to movies, and all kinds of stuff.

The album’s been selling worldwide on iTunes. Did you know you had fans all the way out in places like France, UK, Germany, Canada, and places like that?
Because of social networking, yeah. They all hit me up and it’s still crazy to see it. People hit me up from different countries and say things in different languages and I’ll translate it on the translator. It’s nuts. I’ve had shows in places like France and Germany and there would be thousands of people saying the lyrics to my song even though they can’t speak English after the show. It’s crazy.

Do you think selling the album online gives you an advantage over selling it in stores?
I don’t feel like it gives me an advantage, more so my market and my fans are all over the Internet and computers more than they are on their phones and stores wanting to buy CD’s. At the same time, we did press up a minimum amount of copies to sell in certain stores.

What makes this album different from his past mixtapes in terms of storyline and sound? Was it sort of like your evolution from one mixtape to the other leading up to Up And Away?
Yeah, I felt like it was a growth. It’s definitely better quality. This was an in-studio project. It wasn’t something I put together at home because usually, I record and mix all my projects by myself in the house with a built-in mic and everything. I was actually in the studio booking hours, having a deadline –it’s a different process. You can definitely see the growth when you listen to the music and see how I took the projects I did and blended them together to reach different fans. I didn’t keep it repetitive.

What about DJ Ill Will. What type of role did he have in your album?
He played a major role. He was producing, A&R-ing, setting me up with producers, and setting me up with ideas. It’s something we’ve been through together in the Alumni as a whole. When we have conversations, I take his and my experiences and try to blend them together and make bigger music.

You led off the album with “No One Left.” Why that track?
It was a good way to start off the album. The meaning of the record is that people get lost in the entertainment world. “No One Left” is me talking to myself and trying to keep myself humble through all the situations, successes and downfalls. That record was a great way to open it off and let people know where I’m at with everything and then give them the entertainment later on.

On another track, “Neva Gave A Fuck.” You rapped, “Signing titties all night, still I won’t sign a deal.” Does that mean we won’t see Kid Ink sign with no major label any time soon?
[Laughs] Nope. Still independent. We’re just riding it out. If the right deal comes, then it comes. I can’t pass up something so good and perfect. At the same time, I’m independent and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I just have to keep working and grindin’ it out.

Have major labels reached out to you, though?
Definitely. They always reach out, now even more since the album is number one in the country. They’ve been knocking on the doors over the past couple months but I don’t see anything the labels can do for me now that I haven’t already done for myself. At the same time, it proves that we got to work harder when we do make a deal and we can make it explode.

And last question, I know it’s super early to ask, but besides promoting the album, what’s next for Kid Ink?
Next, man….I never stop working in the studio so I’m already back there making music. That’s just my life. I probably plan on doing more writing, submitting hooks, features, stuff like that. I also plan on getting back on my production game, but more so just touring. I got the European tour coming up in August and September. I’ll be super busy on the road.

Follow Kid Ink on Twitter
Buy Up And Away on iTunes

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