In the “mumble rap era” it’s a commonly held belief that lyrics are no longer important to younger artists and fans. While it’s fair to say that some of today’s stars are not going line-for-line with 90’s greats like Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas, it’s hard to argue that nobody cares about lyrics when Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Pusha-T are household names.
How the 2010’s holds up against previous decades is a conversation for another day, but what can absolutely not be debated is that there is a crop of rising artists that were raised on “Golden Era Hip-Hop” that are carrying the torch for wordplay, similes, metaphors and flat-out bars. New Jersey’s K-Prez is one of these up-and-coming MC’s that combines a modern sensibility with a classic approach to verses and hooks.
NJ Next’s Angelo Gingerelli recently caught up with K-Prez to discuss his most recent project, a summer of touring and how he’s been influenced by the odd combination of Big L and Tim Duncan.
When does Hip-Hop enter your life? When do you decide to go from fan to artist?
Hip-Hop entered my life at a young age, Momma Prez actually introduced me to the classics early on, which I’m forever thankful for. Some of the artists she would play around the house were Slick Rick, The Fat Boys, KRS One etc.
However, I didn’t fall in love with Hip-Hop until I heard Jay Z ‘s The Blueprint, that one album made me a fan instantly.
When I was 13, Momma Prez would always buy me crossword puzzles and I enjoyed doing them. I guess I got used to putting words together because of that and somehow that turned into writing rap lines.
It wasn’t until I heard J. Cole’s The Warm Up mixtape that made me want to take rap serious. That was back in 2009 , I never heard anything like it at the time, that one tape made me go back and study every classic rap album there is. I told myself if he could rap like this, then why can’t I?
You rep Jersey, how has the Garden State shaped your vision as an artist?
Everywhere I go, I gotta rep Jersey! I’ve traveled to a lot of places, but Jersey always inspires me. Look at what Redman has done for the state, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill etc., all of them give me motivation to keep putting on for Jersey. That’s how hard I’m going because we still get overlooked.
You clearly place a premium on “bars” or lyrics, who are your biggest influences and how do they inspire you?
I like to make to make every bar count, sort of how Big L did. So I would say Big L is definitely one of my influences, the way he landed his words was unmatched. Nas is also one of my biggest influences too, I went back and studied Illmatic front to back, that album showed me how to work on my flow, delivery and cadence.
“Tim Duncan” is one of your most popular tracks. Why is that song named after the NBA legend and how did the whole song come about?
Yeah, Tim Duncan is my favorite basketball player of all time, he didn’t have to be flashy to get a W, I loved that.
Most of the time when I write my bars, I’m usually on the go, so you could say I’m writing in the “Spur” of the moment. I put two and two together and I flipped it. It made sense because Tim Duncan played for the Spurs, that’s one of my hardest hooks I wrote thus far, in my opinion!
What do you think about the current state of Hip-Hop in New Jersey?
There’s a lot of talent out here, the state is looking great, but like I mentioned before, we still get overlooked as a whole. I feel like that change coming though.
What’s next for K-Prez?
New projects on the way, more blessings on the way, all of that! The love I received from my last project “Back To The Drawing Board” showed me why I have to keep going with this.
Rapid Fire Questions:
Top 5 MC’s Dead or Alive:
- AZ
- Nas
- Jay Z
- Notorious B.I.G
- Big L
Top 4 NBA Players of All Time:
- Tim Duncan
- Larry Bird
- LeBron James
- Manu Ginobili
Top 3 Producers you would work with if money was not an issue:
- Alchemist!
- DJ Premier!
- 9th Wonder !
Top 2 New Jersey Hip-Hop Artists to look out for beside yourself:
Mista Encore, he’s dope all around, a class act! (Check Out NJ Next August 2019 for more on Mista Encore). Also, my brother Munworld, he’s crazy talented. Definitely look out for him.
Top 1 Reason everybody should check out K-Prez:
My music is what Jersey sounds like, PURE!
