Q&A: With “Great Hooks, Catchy Verses and Sticky Moments,” Kid Culture is Just Getting Started
GIANT WOMEN, A MOUTHFUL OF CIGARETTES, AND UNFURLING SWEATERS — so strange and wonderful is the visual landscape for Kid Culture’s debut solo single, “Keep It.” The song is a patchwork in and of itself, knitting together breezy modern synths and high-pitched vocals with old-school samples and flow. It’s snappy and infectious, something which Kid Culture is no stranger to.
Kid Culture is experienced, to say the least. At six years old he had already made his first beat. At 1, he was learning about sampling and compression. By 18, he was Grammy nominated. He has a long, impressive list of artistic collaborations that likely features some of your (and your parents’) favorite artists. His most referenced collaborators and teachers, though, are his father and “the village that raised [him].”
Through his dad’s teachings, listening to Late Registration by Kanye West and running through church pews, Kid Culture gained musical knowledge and a clear, calm, and cool sense of self that drives his desire to define his solo career by innovation and authenticity.
That is, in part, what makes his singles “Persistence of Memory” and “GOODSEX” so appealing. Though sonically different, they have the same echo of an artist who is detail-oriented and confident, with a zeal for originality and the know-how to pull it all together.
Read below to learn more about Kid Culture’s recently released singles and his upcoming album.
LUNA: You got into music very early on — I know your dad made music and it’s always been in your house; you were making beats as early as six years old. Who were some of your favorite artists to listen to growing up?
KID CULTURE: Definitely Kanye [West] and Rick Ross. I have super vivid memories of being in the back of my dad’s car just listening to Late Registration and a bunch of Rick Ross and a bunch of jazz and a bunch of gospel music.
LUNA: Who in jazz and gospel, if you had to give me some names?
KID CULTURE: Jazz, definitely like Herbie [Hancock]. Gospel, everything: Jay Moss, Donnie McClurkin, The Winans. Clark Sisters. Yeah, everything.
LUNA: I went to school in New Orleans, so I loved going to listen to jazz live — it was a great place to be.
KID CULTURE: I still haven’t been out there.
LUNA: Really? If you like jazz music, you definitely should go! What was the music scene that was around Seattle growing up? I’m curious what that was like compared to the music playing in your home.
KID CULTURE: Really, the music scene I experienced was just my dad and his friends who did music or played instruments. He would take me to the studio all the time. Then he would go out to LA and bring me to LA, and around 12 is when I was in a real studio for the first time.
But the music scene in Seattle, when I was young… I didn’t have any know of like, “Oh, this is a music scene.” All I knew was what I heard my dad do in his room every day and I was like, “I want to do that too.” So it just turned into that and every day I would come home and do that shit. Never did my homework — still passed the class, though!
LUNA: I guess in part thanks to your dad plugging you in so early, you are starting your solo career at a very accomplished place. You’re already Grammy nominated; you went platinum at 17 years old. So, other than accolades, what's a goal you have for yourself in your solo career?
KID CULTURE: It’s always a personal goal to find a new way to get to “the feeling,” and “the feeling” is something that I just know and feel inside. Once I have “the feeling,” no matter what type of genre of song is, I’m like, “Alright everybody else is gonna feel like this” because making music from such a young age, I was blessed to have a gauge of so many reactions from so many different people, different races, different types of rooms, to know this kick pattern will do this and make you move like this. Things like that.
LUNA: When you’re in these rooms with these people gauging their reactions and then you go on to produce for yourself and write only for yourself, how does that change your creative process, or how does it stay the same? Maybe you’re more gauging your own feelings?
KID CULTURE: Yeah, that's the thing. When I was producing, I always had this extra layer of opinion. Even though I respect everyone’s opinions I’m like, “Do it like this because I said so.” And, not to come off like that, but trust me, it’s going to be better.
LUNA: Yeah, I get what you’re saying. I saw you previously talk about beatmakers versus producers, and I guess that’s where [that extra layer of opinion] comes in.
KID CULTURE: Yes, it’s like there’s a lot of beatmakers [who] are shimmied in with the title of producer, but that’s a whole other conversation. It’s about perspective, and I feel like I have one of the most enlightened perspectives as a creator, honestly. So it’s just a goal — like I said — to keep it new and keep it fresh. But yeah, [there’s really no difference between producing for myself and others] because I am always heavily opinionated when it comes to the process. So for myself, it’s really looking in the mirror and being like, “[N-word] that sucks. Do something else.”
LUNA: You said you have one of the most enlightened perspectives as a creator. What do you attribute that to?
KID CULTURE: My upbringing, the village that raised me. I grew up with the purest moral energy. My family had a church, too. I grew up great — I wasn’t doing out-of-character things and so it just molded me into this person. That’s why I feel like people should download someone like me. Because [Kid Culture] is a true reflection of being yourself.
LUNA: Yeah, there’s a lot of opportunity for authenticity when you craft who you are from a young age. It's funny that earlier you brought up when you know a song is right you get a “feeling.” A couple years ago, in a CNN article you said all your songs have feelings. I was curious, if you could assign a feeling or two to the singles you released so far, what they would be?
KID CULTURE: That’s a good question. When I’m saying “feeling” I’m not saying happy or sad. It makes me feel like I’m in church, seven years old running through the pews. I can feel the choir going but it’s my family’s church so I can kinda run through the pews and I’m there but it’s so big, and it's like, “What is this?” The feeling is so big.
But, I can just say [for] “Keep It” the feeling is so warm. It’s warm and [the] song is really like a moving on–type thing. This whole project, this whole album, is about one of my first relationships and the life that I lived going through all the changes of… early on accomplishments and stuff like that. But yeah, that song is just warm and moving on type of feeling for me. If you want a specific tone.
“GOODSEX” is just fun. I just did the hook, “Good sex, conversation, weed,” you know, “little vacation,” flew a girl out. Everything is real — it just is like whatever is happening. And then “Persistence of Memory,” I just see the color orange. Everything is warm. The feeling is warm.
LUNA: Overall theme for the three: warm. I see that. They definitely all have a layer of fun, but I think still a layer of intimacy and vulnerability. They’re all still about relationships. So while you definitely have your own personal experiences wrapped into your songwriting for other people, what does it feel like to be a little vulnerable when your name is the main one attached to the project?
KID CULTURE: I enjoy it. I think that's what sets you apart as an artist. How far are you willing to go to let people inside? Because people have to either want to be like you or just want to fuck with the shit that you’re saying. If you have both those things — which I feel like I do — then [the] sky’s the limit. There’s nothing I don’t feel comfortable talking about. So, more vulnerability on the way.
LUNA: That’s exciting! As you mentioned, your new single, “Keep It,” has that warm feeling, perfect for the summer. Given your track record, it’s no surprise you can make a hit. However, I was really blown away by the visuals. It’s gorgeous, interesting, strange, and yet cohesive. Is there anywhere you tend to look toward for inspiration for visuals?
KID CULTURE: So the visual world, I had been building that out for like years. I’ve been building this deck out. I was adding a bunch of stuff I would see … little things. Pictures I would take like damn the way this building is with the color, with the palette of this whole thing. I would write it down. Then I linked up with Daniel Iglesias, the director. I showed him the deck and I was talking about it. He was like, “What the hell bro? I've never seen an artist show me a deck. Show me, ‘Hey, this is what i want to look like.’” You know what I mean? Just the sureness of self. That’s why I feel like the visuals turned out so … me. There’s nobody doing anything like that, which should be the goal. As far as inspiration you could say, it just came. Every single thing in there is cohesive. Like the colors.
The sweater, it is a Comme De Garçons “Love Is Tender” 2007 sweater that I had found. I tried to buy it from somebody and he had sold it. So I was looking on Depop, on Grailed — all these places trying to find it. Every day I would type it in. Then I was in the studio and I had just recorded “Keep It,” and I was on Grailed and it just popped up and I was like, “Oh my gosh, finally!” and I bought it instantly. That palette is so recognizable.
LUNA: So, why that sweater? What called you about it? The colors, the pattern?
KID CULTURE: It’s just super approachable. Like, how can you not? How can you not? If you think that sweater doesn’t look good there’s something wrong with you. Because you just don’t have taste, and I don’t want to attract people that don’t have taste. So don’t come and be into my world. You know what I am saying?
LUNA: Yeah, that’s funny.
KID CULTURE: So that sweater was kind of like a statement piece. When you see me in this piece you’re gonna be like, “Oh yeah, that’s Kid.” It’s just easy — it has a good palette and just opens up a world. I didn’t come in all black — too cool. I am super; if you fuck with me, you fuck with me. And I fuck with you, if you fuck with me.
LUNA: You’re very intentional about certain choices when it comes to visuals. For example, with the sweater. Can you speak to how some of the scenes in the video — like the scene where you get out of the car and the balloons lift up the back half — speak to the message of the song?
KID CULTURE: That was just me and Daniel, just like, “How do we get people to look at this?” Literally. He was like, “We should have the balloons lift the back of the car and the balloons should all be the same color as the sweater.” And I was like, “Okay, boom.” It’s just like little shit like that, the details. Shit that catches your eye. I wanted a playground there. I knew I wanted the MPC set up. I spray painted the MPC turquoise. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Fantastic Planet?
LUNA: Yeah, the French film?
KID: Yeah… I found that years ago, and we would have that on in the studio on repeat. Just the visuals, no sound, while we were making shit. That’s kind of a big inspiration too.
LUNA: That’s very cool. What about the scene of you pulling the sweater apart, now that I know you looked for it for so long?
KID: We made that sweater on set. There was a bunch of different yarn and I picked the colors I fucked with. [Then] they wrapped me in it for like 30 minutes. Then [the model is] pulling me and there’s the unraveling sweater. Which I feel is another innovative thought nobody is thinking about doing stuff like that.
LUNA: Do you have any more visuals coming?
KID: Yeah, we got more visuals coming. Some crazy visuals are coming.
LUNA: What’s most exciting to you about when you get to start a new video?
KID: The treatment, and the clothes!
LUNA: Where do you get your inspiration for your fashion?
KID: Honestly, I just see shit. I like it. I get it. It looks good on me. I’m like, “Yes.” I don’t have this super insane answer for that question. I love flared pants, so I guess ’70s. I love good fitting shirts, so I guess the ’70s. Small, fitted shirts.
LUNA: Yeah, fitted shirts, warm colors — very ’70s.
KID: Yeah, and the fabrics. Like mohair and knit and stuff like that. Patchwork.
LUNA: You kind of touched on it earlier, but to me “GOODSEX” is most sonically different to "Keep It” and “Persistence of Memory.” I’m wondering if you could speak to the creative process of writing the song.
KID: So the intro of the album and “GOODSEX” I made in my apartment in LA before I moved to New York. It’s just funny how it all happened. I had been talking to my best friend every day for two years, just like, “Bro, I want to make my own album.” That's what I want to do. I do not want to produce for another soul. I don’t want to write for another soul. I just want to make what I want to make. At this point … no Grammy nom, no top 10 song made me feel fulfilled. That just let me know that’s never going to bring me any sort of “I did it!” Like, nah. Never ever. Honestly, I’ll never get to that point. I’m just one of those types of people.
I had been in the crib. Flew this girl out. Great sex, but great sex doesn’t sound as good as good sex. So, “good sex, weed, and simple conversation.” And yeah, I just made the beat and it was just there, that loop. I was in my bathroom and the speakers were playing loud as fuck and I was just like, “Good sex, weed, simple conversation, little vaction,” and it just came out. And I thought, “Let me just record that.” I don’t know what made me say “Let me record that,” but I did, and I thought, “Let me put the other verses on it.”
I thought the verses had to be different so I did all those little chops, and I was like, “This is fire. This is definitely some shit I fuck with,” so I started playing it for people and they were like, “Oh, this is cold” so I was like okay, damn, I got something. So that was just a simple — you know, when people say “I made this song in five minutes.” Well, I genuinely made that beat in five to 10 minutes. It’s a simple beat — it’s, like, two sounds. So it felt good. Like I said, I got that feeling … [and] the song just happened like that — what's in the song just happened.
LUNA: You’ve mentioned before that it is so important to have rapport between the producer and the artist they are working with, and you can tell when someone doesn’t have that. Now that you’re producing for yourself, when you get that feeling, who’s your go-to?
KID: It’s Genius. He hears everything. He’s one of my best friends, Genius Level. I play everything for him and he’ll be like, “Mmm” or, “That's fire, keep going with that.” Even if I’m making an idea I'll call him and be like, “Yo, what do you think of this?” But yeah, the reason why I feel like I wanted to do my own thing is because that's how I started, that's how I got so good so fast. [Just being] young making full songs. Writing full hooks. Full verses. With the full understanding of song structure but not even realizing that I got it very young. So now it's just an exercise of those [things.]
LUNA: I’m curious, did you train classically at all? Or did you learn just from your dad?
KID: It was the village that raised me, like God just put the right people in my side at every single moment. My dad’s friends that just made music for fun and are so knowledgeable. Why was I so drawn to them at a young age to be like, “I’m mature enough”? I know I'm seven but show me that again, you know what I mean?
So, yeah. I just had people always show me stuff. My dad’s oldest brother showed me about compression and my dad's friend showed me how to sample. I was, like, 11. So I [was] sampling for 10 years before I put my own shit out. So that’s what I'm saying the levels are insane. So even when you hear the album you’ll be like, “What?” I already know people are like, “This is going to be a bunch of soul, rap” — like, no. I'm really touching a lot of different levels of music. It’s real artistry, I’m hitting every single thing that I love on this album, and it's just a good way for people to digest me and I can hear what people like to hear moving forward.
LUNA: How do “Keep it,” “Persistence of Memory,” and “GOODSEX” set us up for what's to come?
KID: The variety, the concepts, and song structure. You always know you’re gonna get a great hook, catchy verses, sticky moments that make you realize that you listen to the song three or five times and you're like, “Damn, I really love this song,” and that'll be it — just every single time, there’ll always be that.
LUNA: I can feel your excitement about releasing the album — we’re excited to hear it. What's most exciting to you about releasing the album?
KID: For people to hear me. Because people know [I’m] very gifted, but for people to really know and [to have] people to hear me and how I feel and think music should be.
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