Kadesh Flow – Q&A Interview

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?

I’m from Spanish Fort, AL, basically the Mobile, AL area, and I went to the University of Alabama for my Interdisciplinary Media Production undergrad and my Masters in Business Administration. I’ve been doing hip hop since 2000. I actually started rapping and playing trombone within two weeks of one another. I started performing at a church youth group talent show in Georgia in 2003. I guess I kept it going from there, but I didn’t start taking rap seriously until my second year of grad school, a year and a half or so ago.

What influences you in making Hip Hop?

I’m influenced by the greats, like anyone else, so I’ll focus on current influences and non-hip hop influences. I’ve been into Lupe and Yasin Bey (Mos Def) for a while, as well as Talib. Obviously there’s Kendrick, there’s Cole, K.R.I.T., etc. I’m pretty heavily influenced by jazz as well. J.J. Johnson, Michael Brecker, Andy Martin. I could go for days. I listen to everything.

Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?

My music is a blend of conscious, nerdy, inspirational, and just life speak. Stylistically, I like to be versatile. I like to move between double time and straightforward. I think my sound, versatility, and content separate me from most emcees pretty easily. There aren’t many people switching between rapping about anime and rapping about life, nor or there many that blend those areas. There are a few, but not many. I think there’s a lot of hunger in my music, and people can definitely feel it when they listen.

Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?

The biggest collaboration I’ve had from a hip hop standpoint is with Mega Ran. There are a few others. Richie Branson, who has more of an industry name as a producer but is an avid nerdy/cult favorite emcee, and I work together a good bit. I’ve had Steve Blum (voice of T.O.M. from Toonami, renowned voice actor) on a track with Richie and myself.

I’d like to work with Shizzy VI, Logic, Quest, and Jon Bellion, off the top of my head. There are plenty of others, but there’s a lot across the Visionary roster that I relate to and that resonates with me to a strong degree. Shizzy VI is just a sick emcee who is also quite real and comes from similar standpoints lyrically as myself.

Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

It’s anything that isn’t backed by a Major. That simple for me. I think a lot of people take sub-genres and dismiss them from the greater Underground Hip Hop genre, and I disagree with that entirely.

Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production?  And who would you like to work with?

I’m influenced by 40 and Pharrell. But I could name plenty. Generally, hip hop production has a lot to pull from. 6ix is another guy I study a good bit. He’s an absolute monster. Huffington Post recently called him a “sawed off shotgun,” and I think that’s accurate.
I do most of my own production, though I’ve worked with Richie Branson, Killing Spree, Atlas, and a few other guys. I’d like to work with Hitt Boy, Boi 1da, and 6ix, definitely. There are plenty of others, again.

Any current or future projects you are promoting?

I’m promoting “Gateways” which I just dropped a few weeks ago. It is free and can be accessed through my website, Bandcamp, and Soundcloud. “Gateways” is my first full project since taking music seriously, and I don’t plan on slowing down or disappearing anytime soon. There’s already plenty in the works. My next project will be called “The Last Excuse” and will be the first installment in my “NK Life” series. Date is currently indefinite.

Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of “Gateways”? Also/ tell us a little bit about the concept and idea behind your Album Cover Art.

“Gateways” included a pretty ridiculous process. I had just graduated grad school, moved across the country, and started a full time job. I no longer had UA’s awesome equipment and programs and had to save up and buy gear, and basically I was struggling to figure out my creative process as a non student. There was a lot of pressure to make something solid in-spite of what I lacked in gear. Writing wasn’t difficult at all. I just wrote where I was. Each song is like a time capsule of a specific moment I was in at the time. Every song on the project was written between October 2013 and June 2014, with the exception of one, “She’s Leaving.” I started writing that one right before I graduate. My girlfriend at the time had taken a fellowship in another country, and we were obviously breaking up. Part of the second verse was written last fall when she and I were conversing about her possibly moving to Kansas City when she returned to the States and captures my frustrations with her thoughts. Production is on the same level. I really struggled with some of the instrumentals. Ironically, the ones I struggled with the most are the only ones I think are solid or good. I’m relatively frustrated with the rest of them, but I’m still happy with the project overall.

As far as cover art goes, I wanted to use something that represented my life struggle lyrical content but also highlighted the nerd. I knew I would either use the Master Sword from Zelda or Cloud’s Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII. I owned both. I felt like having a pic of me with a sword from some classic video game title, wearing smart casual clothing that represented the Corporate America grind, and standing in a kind of dark urban setting covered all the bases: nerdy, bars wielding rapper who has a corporate business job. I have a mild graphic design background from school, so I went back to that and did some photo manipulation to get the final result that is the cover. I think it represents the feel in the project pretty well. I’m carrying all these identities visually and trying to escape the prison that is myself, but my way out is wrought with fire and more trials. That’s about how I feel about life right now (in a positive way, of course).

Where can we find your music and info?

Start with Youtube or Soundcloud Both are /KadeshFlow. All of my music is available for download via kadeshflow.bandcamp.com.

Any shout outs?

If you want a laundry list, I can give you that, but I’ll chill for now, for the most part. I would like to show some love to those who contributed to “Gateways”. Verses: A2Z, JFKratez, Mister Wilson. Please check ALL of them out.
Production: Aaron “Atlas” Neal, Richie Branson, Killing Spree.