King Con Prod. by BoznianDawgz - GetSome/WhosNext
Ottawa, ON - A “king†has been defined as a male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure, and usually by hereditary right, the chief authority over a country and people.Overcoming pitfalls while building experience and stamina has been the secret recipe behind this artist’s growth. Sometimes starving makes a person preeminent in their class and that’s what the KingCon embodies.Whether you heard him on tracks with members of the Boot Camp Clik, spitting on a busy street corner, or live on stage in front of a large audience, he stood out as a unique sound with an ear for hip-hop. He’s been dubbed the “cap-city electric motor mouth†[try saying that three times fast] due to his complex tongue twisters and “uzi-esque†deliverance.As a member of the award winning Bridge hip-hop group ("Best Group of the Year" at the 2005 Ottawa Hip-Hop Awards) KingCon has had the opportunity to open for big acts like Masta Ace, BCC, and The Liks. Putting in work with his crewmates has paved the way for The Con to hone in on his own specialties and hit the market with his solo debut, Hungry.HipHopCanada had the chance to meet with KingCon to discuss his race to the throne and his growth within the international scene. Find out how he has taken his game to new level and what is in store for his country and people. While there always seems to be something to get past, Con has persevered and continues to establish himself as one of the artists to keep an eye on. He’s unpredictable, in a sense, and that’s partly what made the interview so intriguing to conduct. Here’s what he had to say:HHC: Peace KingCon, welcome to the HipHopCanada Community. Good to finally get you in the hot seat. Let's start with some history –did you get your start in hip-hop in Ottawa? How did that come about? Well, I'm glad to be in the hot seat, that's where I feel most comfortable. And yes, I started rapping in Ottawa. Music is in my family; my dad is the lead singer of a local band called GAMUT so music is in my blood. When my parents separated, I, mom dukes, and my sister moved to a housing project called Caldwell... when I was 9 years old. When I was about 11 or 12 years old, my sister hung out with a rap group called Nextra [Nextratterestials]. I would come home and there would be a large group of peeps flowing in my living room... freestyling on my karaoke machine... blazing big heads. Boz faramone, Matt Kedro (Mr. I/O), Deral Wand, Abraham Bangora, Chris Doucette, the twins Addi and Cary, etc. They were all huge influences in my early years. Growing up on welfare and not having much when I was young made me want to rebel against the system... and hip-hop became my tool for my rebellion. When I was 16, I started performing in the scene. My sister would have a bunch of us in her living room, as young teens, freestyling, writing to beets... it was kind of a little rap school. Duece-Duece was there... Gutter Kid etc. At that time we all lived in the same area... we are child hood friends and we all fucked around together before we made our moves. Anyways, I think that should cover how and where I started rapping.HHC: Whom or what would you consider your biggest musical influence? I would have to say my father because I don't have many memories as a young child but I remember very vividly, and in detail, that I loved watching my pop dukes on his guitar. It made me realize, even at that young fragile time, what I wanted to be. But, I have three main musical influences: my blood, Nextra and the system... and of course, B.I.G. and Pac, but that's on a different level.HHC: Family support is important and meaningful. Rumor has it your mom is one of your wildest fans. Does your mom go to your shows and is that important to you? Hell yeah! Me and my moms are real tight. She is a poet and an OG. She's a major influence on my writing. This woman has been to hell and back and is still standing strong. I’ll be on stage knowing nothing of her coming. I’ll catch her in the front row rocking out... and a couple of time peeps would come up to me in the club and be like, "yo, your moms just freestyle battled me in the parking lot and shut me down. I’ll never be the same." [Laughing] I love that woman so yes, it’s very important too me.HHC: Let's talk about The Bridge, formerly known to fans as Broken Bridge. There were rumors going around that you were no longer affiliated with the group. Can you speak on that? Sure, I can elaborate on that... I’ll be the Bridge until I die; that’s my family. I’ve been in the group since I was 18 and I’ve been rocking with them for much longer. We just had to do us for a while and I’m very consistent… so I have my own shit popping right now but when the Bridge calls, I’m there. Me, Kaydub and Sam LP and all the affiliates such as Dillin Whytes, Kanswer, etc. We’re family; everything I do will always be Bridge affiliated and we’ve got plans to do big things together in the future. People see me doing my own thing and rumors circulate. It doesn’t surprise me but that’s why I have HHC, the fam! To set the record straight… and thank you for that!HHC: Ok, so can you tell us about future Bridge projects we should look out for? Well you can definitely keep your ear to the streets. I can’t say much but a lot is on the go… could it be a Bridge album? Big collabos on the go? Well, these are definite possibilities but you will have to wait and see. We want to shock everyone with what’s in the works so it’s kind of on the hush-hush... but good question! Let’s just say there’s a lot to come.HHC: No doubt. How did you originally link with the crew? Well I was locked away for a while and I always talked to Kaydub for many years; Sam was like a brother to me. While I was locked, they would play beats for me and I would freestyle over the phone… Kaydub was producing back then, too. I was about 18 and eventually, with all the support Dub was given me back then when I was locked down, it kind of just happened. He asked me and I said hell yeah! With me in solitary for 38 days straight, after a major riot during my first bid, I needed all the support I could get. That was a big help for me so we’ve been family ever since then. Dynamic became a big affiliate shortly after that and then the Broken EP was born. And so on… I didn’t go back to the bing, so hip-hop saved my ass.HHC: Good to hear. When did you decide that rapping wasn't your only calling? When did producing come to be part of your repertoire of talents? Well watching Kaydub produce for a couple of years helped and I can play the shit out of a keyboard. So, with the influence of my boy and my surroundings, it happened. I love making beats but I work with many producers from all over the world. I like to switch it up and work as a team. For my production… in my eyes they are all part of KingCon Productions.HHC: What kind of equipment do you use to produce? Motif and Acid Pro... that’s all I can say on that subject.HHC: How would you define your sound? Diverse sickness; not your average recipe.HHC: Aside from? Boznian Dawgs are the main other producers I work with .I also work with C-Rius from Ottawa; hails in Scarborough. Also, Chris Elms of Red-Light Records, Kaydub, Kaiser, Red Pig… they are the main producers I deal with. There are many more in the works but you’ll have too see for yourself. That’s basically the production side. I work with many artists including Dynamic, Samurai (Germany), S.T.A.Y., Boz Faramone, Jugga, Hoodmoney, Dillin Whytes, Rightous, Dialekt, Jesse James, Aspects, Sleepy, Mista Mean, Highneken, Billz, I.R.A, Sam LP, Kaydub, Dutchy Bonez, Hussein Fatal (Outlawz), Buckshot and Sean Price. I’ve performed with a lot of American artists too: Alkaholiks, Masta Ace, Royce de 5’9â€, Boot Camp, and so on.... and lot of Canadians too: Empire, Butta Babies, Bless etc. I've opened for and worked with many artists, it has been amazing.HHC: Has drug use influenced your music in any way? If so how? Well, being who I am, I always had to experience everything so... I did. I was a big partier for a longtime but music pulled me out of that stuff. Once I got serious, it all changed. But yes, it did influence my music in a lot of ways but that was just a part of my life. Everything in life is a musical influence, when you are a natural artist, but if you’re talking about the weed... weed is for meditation. I wouldn’t call it a drug, but if you’re referring to it, yes, it’s a big influence on my music. It saves me everyday. I’m a hyper guy; they tried putting me on Ritalin as a kid it had a reverse affect because I was so hyper. Weed was the only thing that mad me concentrate... I love weed.HHC: What made you rap the way you do, with so much aggression and energy? I’m naturally like that even when I’m not rapping. I’m jumping off the walls; always energetic. The aggression comes from my temper problem. I’ve always had a problem with my temper but you won’t catch me in therapy. That’s what the stage is for and you can tell I’m releasing a lot of anger when you see me live. I can’t help it... I just feel so good that way but I can tone it down for the odd slow track as well [Laughing].HHC: What do you think of the state of the scene in Ottawa right now? What's excelling? What's hurting? I think Ottawa has stepped up when it comes to its grind. Everybody is out to get theirs and that’s good. We just need more sponsors and more exposure… more money, that’s all we are lacking. If we get that and work as a team, I think we can make quite a mark. I think we are on our way.HHC: How about the Canadian scene in general? Canada has come a long way. More American artists are collaborating with Canadians and European countries are really starting too open their eyes to the Canadian market. We are expanding everyday but people from Canada should be getting out there more and supporting their artists more. I mean, the scene could be so much better if people would just pack the events more. Support from our home cities is the main key for improvement, in my opinion. HHC: Where can people catch a KingCon performance in the near future? In Ottawa, check for any hip-hop jams. I’m booked a lot at Babylon, Capital City, Glue Pot Bu, Mavericks, Cafe Dekcuf, Le Bistro ( Hull)… You all see the posters and flyers around town so come and support any Roundtable or Kapacity event! Kapacity has taken care of the artists in Ottawa like no one else. So, if you see a Kapacity event, hit that shit up… and anything with my name on it! [Laughing].....TO READ MORE OF HIPHOP CANADA'S UP & COMING ARTIST INTERVIEW WITH THE CON http://www.hiphopcanada.com/_site/entertainment/interviews/e nt_int405.php