FSD: You guys were marketed as scholarly gentlemen. Did you feel like that accurately depicted who you were, or were you typecast?
Double-O: Of course, but it wasn’t everything we were. We met at an Ivy League school, so there was no way around that. At the same time it’s college and Naledge is in a frat. We partied extremely hard. We were doing donuts in luxury rental cars on the Quad. I had a house off campus with my homies and that was the defacto party house for three years. I met Naledge while he was visiting Penn because of those parties.
As far as the scholar label, everything needs to fit in a box — especially for the general public. So that was ours.
Naledge: I think people at that point still had limited views on what Blackness could look like in hip-hop. For us to work, people wanted us to be Gang Starr or Kid ‘n Play, but we had elements of both of those vibes. We are both very educated and socially aware, but we were also both party boys who liked women and night clubs. With social media, it’s much easier to convey who you are without a label intervening. However, the Rawkus name alone made us typecast as backpack rappers. Ironically, Rawkus was more interested in me making something commercially viable and that actually held up the project.
FSD: How has your career changed over the past decade. And are you two still pursuing music?
Naledge: I create music all the time for music licensing purposes. We (Kidz) have actually done very well with placements in both television and theatrical releases. Most recently, we did music for a CNN docu-series called United Shades of America. I have a studio where I work with my latest protégé Saint the Good Boy out in West Chatham. That studio is also where my nonprofit, The Brainiac Project was born.
The biggest change in my life is that I’m back in school. I’m getting a Ph.D. at Northwestern in the Media, Technology and Society program. We got some new shit we’re sitting on though. An amazing album.
Double-O: For me it hasn’t evolved THAT much. Still pretty much the same way I came in as a DJ/producer and thats where I still am. What has happened for me is that my experience in the indie space has allowed me to adapt faster with how quickly the industry is changing. When we were signed there was a definitive line between major act and indie artist. Now there isn’t. Most of the indie ideas are commonplace across the board. So putting out five albums with Kidz In The Hall has primed me for this new game. I just released a single with Tabi Bonney and Wiz Khalifa and I am on the road with Lupe Fiasco as his tour DJ. I am also co-executive producing a project with Nikki Jean.
FSD: How has the industry changed since you left?
Naledge: The internet isn’t a secret and being DIY is now a necessity for all artists. Music sales are virtually non-existent so the revenue models with streaming now make it really important to tour and have presence on social media. Now you can do your own promo from your hip pocket. That ability was something artists couldn’t leverage like they do now.
FSD: Is a Kidz In The Hall reunion is in the works?
Double-O: I think we are finally pretty confident in songs we have for the new project. The biggest thing for me always is to put something out that A.) I love and B.) be dope enough that people won’t “meh” at it. They still might because of external factors, but I think we have always come to the table with solid music.
The funniest thing about our career has been that School Was My Hustle was a mixtape. It was never meant to be an album, per se, but it was taken as such. For our first two albums it was always the same “Let’s make this quick Kidz project before we release the Naledge solo.” But when “Driving Down The Block” took off it was kinda like “Ok, well this is what the vehicle is, so let’s run with it.” So I’d say The Land Of Make Believe was our first actual Kidz album with a statement and purpose of being an album.
Naledge: We’ll definitely release some new music in the near future. I’m unsure whether we will go back on tour for it but I imagine we will do some one-off shows and see where it goes. At this point, the internet allows you to really curate whatever you want to do with low overhead. If something catches, you can just roll with it.
FSD: What do you think your influence is on this new generation?
Double-O: I think the biggest thing our generation did was break the idea of indie vs. major. When you saw us on MTV with a $400.00 video, it was up against Amy Winehouse and Lupe and Britney. We were the beginning of the internet/hipster era rapper and that influence is pretty apparent now. I think young Chicago also saw us and The Cool Kids break through from a city that didn’t have a music industry, so it let them know there was a path. I’ve had the most random rappers come up to me and say they were fans so it’s always good to know cats were listening.
Naledge: Our influence is twofold: direct and indirect. We directly helped certain artists like Vic Mensa, Nez and Rio, King Chip, Donnis, Skyzoo, Mickey Factz, Pac Div and Rockie Fresh at early points in their careers by sharing opportunities.
Indirectly, every major rapper that I’ve bumped into has told me that what we did influenced them that going to college and getting in the rap game was made cool by us. I was told that by everyone from people like J Cole, Currensy and Jay Electronica to younger artists like Mac Miller and IamSu. We were the original blog rappers to get on MTV and BET and that will always be apart of our legacy. I am fine with where we stand musically because the stuff still stands up to the best work.
Groups like us and the Cool Kids also were among the first indie rap groups to leverage corporate sponsorship to release music. I’d like to think we were the pre-cursor to guys like Mac Miller and Chance the Rapper.
Why did you decide to rerelease the School Was My Hustle album?
Double-O: Not only has it been 10 years but the album was not available for streaming in this era. I’ve had an idea for a few years now to drop a deluxe edition with all the songs that were from that era. Essentially the Naledge ‘solo’ project songs and originals on SWMH. It is a better snapshot of the period and the music we were making and some of the joints no one has ever heard.