Dom Kennedy has been heating up the West Coast with as his music demonstrates knowledge of self, business savvy and an understanding of universal hip-hop. What he has brought to the table through his most recent project, From the Westside with Love, is pure fire, and evidence that he knows what he is talking about.
URB: You’ve become a heavy-hitter in the blogosphere. What’s the fame been like for you?
Dom Kennedy: I wouldn’t describe it as fame. I would call it recognition; deserved recognition, for the things I’ve done from previous [work I’ve done] until now, and people have been catching on to that. I don’t think I’ve gotten too much recognition for things I haven’t done, I just think it’s for the right reasons, and the industry has acknowledged that.
URB: You just came from the Paid Dues Festival, which included artists like Ice Cube, Raekwon and Dilated Peoples. What are the next steps you’ll be taking?
DK: As far as shows, I’ll be getting better with live showcases. This is one of the first shows that I’ve really rehearsed for, so it was a big deal. I’m just trying to get better with live shows. Now that I’m doing shows that thousands of people might come to, I’m trying to be responsible and make sure I don’t mess up and I’m on point, representing right. I’m looking forward to doing shows like Paid Dues and bigger venues which will give me a chance to perform for my fans, and give an audience that doesn’t know about me a chance to learn about me, and become fans of my music.
URB: As a beatsmith, emcee and self-promoter, what else have you been learning as you’ve been perfecting your craft?
DK: The power of being able to say something responsibly while making a good song. The power of getting better with your music, being able to look at yourself as an artist and understand why people like you and what areas you can get better in, and having the courage to acknowledge and take the time to get better at it. It definitely hasn’t been easy for me, but I love the position I’m in, I wouldn’t trade anything for it because it’s taught me a lot about the business, about people’s jobs, who does what, and why you need a [certain] person. A lot of people would love to just show up to the video shoot, but I have to get the shoot to happen. I know how much the cameras cost. We’re paying for them. I know how much time it’s gonna take and how many extras we need, so it’s taught me a lot. Going forward it will enable me to make better decisions and help others in the future because I know the steps and the ways to get somebody out there successfully. I could probably get someone else out there in a shorter amount of time because I did it myself. I know the mistakes artists could make.
URB: You’re quite the politically-savvy performer. What makes you “The Best Kennedy after Bobby”?
DK: There’s just nobody else left. It’s one of those things where I’m picking up where something else left off. Leadership, charisma and telling the truth. Being a public speaker and accepting that responsibility. Do what you feel is right at all costs no matter what it takes. After The 25th Hour, I got my confidence up; I realized that rapping was something I wanted to do and I was gonna put that out there. I wanted to let other people know about me and follow behind me. It was a natural feeling.
URB: You’ve had cosigns from people in the hip hop and fashion industries. What’s that been like for you?
I’ve always been a pretty stylish kid. I also played basketball, baseball and rapped. I had one job working at a clothing store, so my whole life, naturally, I’ve been drawn to fashion. The people I looked up to and my friends had me into our own styles, popular looks, shoes and things like that. So, this is now part of my whole life. It was an easy transition. It wasn’t anything I had to think about, or wanted to talk about. If I’m going to talk about me, I have to include that. That’s a part of me.
URB: What other messages that you want to get through to your listeners?
DK: Positivity, first and foremost. Progress. Nothing comes to you without working hard and going to get it. I’m definitely a prime example of that. People hear progress in each one of my projects. I try to stress that it’s not all fun and games. When I’m working to get better, I want to share that as much as the successful moments. I try to tell both sides of the story. Things haven’t changed but it’s possible. It’s going to take a lot, you’ll have to give a lot of yourself, and spend a lot of time doing it to get better. I hope my career exemplifies that for people, especially kids, no matter what they’re doing.
URB: How do you maintain that balance of being “the cool guy” and “the conscious guy who reaches out to the youth”?
DK: That’s one of the easy parts. I always have something to say. It’s about talking to people that are willing to listen. If they’re older, they’ll feel like they can’t get anything from you. At the most, they’ll be like, “okay, I can relate to this. I feel what he’s saying.” Pretty much, they probably won’t pick up too much that will help me transform or shape their ideas and opinions on things. So it’s pretty easy for me, because kids are willing to listen. The things I say to them now, just like when I was a kid, will affect their outlook on life later, even if they don’t realize it at the time. So I might be saying something to them now and they’ll be thinking “aww, he’s just saying that,” but then it becomes true. Then they’ll say, “damn, he told me that was gonna happen.” Then, not only do they know what I’m saying is real, but they respect me more because it happened in their lives.
URB: On Twitter, you talk about the inspiration you draw from your dad, so do you reach out to your younger fans in that respect?
DK: Yeah, I understand we’re in a business where you have to make great songs and people have to want to buy your music. At the end of the day, if I have to do all of those things, at least let me leave them with something. If I have all these people here to hear me say something, even though I’m going to entertain them, I might as well leave them with something real. And I try to do that in every song, whether it’s something like mentioning a condom. People don’t even think that’s a big deal, but it really matters.
People would love to just show up to video shoots, but I have to get shoots to happen. I know how much the cameras cost. We’re paying for them.
URB: Being from Cali, you had to have been a fan of icons like Ice Cube and Too Short. Were they of any influence to your style?
DK: I think they were as far as things that I liked and listened to, I can’t really say that any part of my style is from that. It’s like a kid watching somebody play basketball when they were younger and grow up and they have a chance. I’m sure a little bit of their game is going to come from that. Their game is built around what they used to see. I think it’s kind of the same thing. I was more happy to be a fan, knowing someone like Ice Cube was talking about beef in my area through his music. I would see or experience it, or my friends would see or experience it, being in Los Angeles. It was just a proud feeling to have somebody talk about the streets or things you could relate to that closely.
URB: If you could work with any artist, living or dead, who would it be?
DK: DJ Quik, live, because he has a studio sound, as well as a live-type sound, where he uses flutes and drums. He uses live DJ scratches, a vocalist and instruments. I’d also like to work with Pharrell. I mean, obviously, he’s a genius. Michael Jackson, being that he’s everyone’s favorite artist. He could change the tempo and the melody, and nobody has done it better since Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. Those are all of the people I’d love to work with.
3comments