K. Flay needed to be interviewed ASAP because she has stormed the internet and gained major respect of unlikely hip hop peers. As an emcee her flow is flawless and she's got a message that makes you want to put down the pipe, learn how to dance, and hit the books to be cool like her.L and F: So, you've been on the URB Next list a couple times in a row and you're the only female in that genre. How does that feel?
K: It definitely feels good to represent the ladies, and I owe a lot to URB for recognizing and supporting my music. That being said, I do wish there were more x chromosomes in the hip hop mix, especially since misogyny oozes out of mainstream rap and there aren't many female voices to counteract that negativity. Right now I'm just trying to do my own thing and eradicate all forms of lyrical skeet skeet skeeting in the process.
L and F: You go to Stanford, you're white and you are anti-drug and anti-thug. This defies everything we know about why people like rap. What made you jump into it?
K: I actually got started rapping on a whim. One day, at the end of my freshman year in college, my friend and I were lamenting the formulaic nature of popular rap music, and he challenged me to write a song. So, I wrote a parody track (title: blingity blang blang), had waaaay too much fun doing it, penned a couple more parodies, and then started writing my own beats and lyrics the following summer. Over the course of that summer, I figured out that rapping was the perfect way for me to unleash my crazy self, so i kept on spitting the rhymes.
L and F: We're diggin' the beats and we hear you're a wiz with the home studios. Which studio do you use and what's up with you and DJ? Is it all business (if you know what we mean...yes, we're nosy)?
K: I'm not sure I'd call myself a 'wiz', but I certainly do have some fun rocking out on my edirol keyboard. I lay down most of my tracks at Stanford's on-campus studio, although I do have a modest recording rig set up in my apartment. DJ is my sound engineer, good friend, and fellow MC (keep your ears peeled for Team FreshFish, the side project that we're working on), but definitely nothing more. He and I are like brother and sister, and neither of us support incest, if you know what I'm saying.
L and F: We love females that do not take themselves seriously because that is just lame. Do you think there are people in the hip hop community getting bent out of shape because they think you're poking fun?
K: To quote one of my earliest songs, haters be everywhere. Of course some folks are going to act like denatured proteins and dislike my silly ways, but what keeps me going is that lots of people do appreciate my music and my message. For the most part, the response I get from people is very positive, which I think stems from the fact that I'm being true to myself, and not trying to conform to some overplayed stereotype.
L and F: Most of our readers are from the East Coast (NYC, The Dirty South). When can we expect the album and US tour over our way?
K: East coasters can expect some live k.flay action this fall, sometime in october/november. And in terms of the album, right now I'm planning to release it in the winter, so that my hott tracks will melt the bitter cold. haha.
And now for the question we almost always ask:
L and F: When you blow up real big, are you gonna become a media whore, driving around all drunk and showing your privates like some celebrities we know?
K: Well, flashing my nether regions does happen to be a top hobby of mine... but seriously, I am a very chilled out lady, not at all into celebrity, partying, or vaginal exhibitionism. And I think it sucks that many americans know more about Lindsay Lohan's coke habits than U.S. politics. so, don't plan on seeing me in the tabloids, unless you're reading a story about alien abductions.
You can check out K Flay in a few places directly after reading the rest of this week's blog of course at:
K FLay's Myspace
K FLay's Web page
Vote for her on URB!!!!!!
