K-Rino Q & A Session

In my opinion, K-Rino is one of the most, if not the most, talented artist to ever grace a mic. Need some proof? Listen to any of these tracks: Valley of Decision Imagination Grand Deception The Sorceror's Den

The first time I would hear a verse from K, was on Willie D's Goin Out Like a Soldier album from 1992. The next few times I came across his verses were on Ganksta Nip's F**K You and on Klondike Kat's The Lyrical Lion EP from 1994 on the SPC posse track Murder Script.

He is the founding member of the South Park Coalition (SPC). K-Rino has been making music long before many of the current generation of hip hop music fans were even born. I cannot stress enough how talented K-Rino is when it comes to writing rhymes. His masterful word play, sense of humor, and most impressively, his level of vocabulary is quite frankly second to none!

When I reached out to him, not only was he humble enough to accept my request, he sent back a very detailed response in one day. Needless to say, I was very excited to hear what he had to say.

This was conducted 12/2013

DPG = Me
K-R = K-Rino

Enjoy!

DP: K-Rino, I first heard you on Willie-D’s album Goin Out like a Soldier from back in 1992. How did you end up on his album?

K-R: Well of course Willie D is from Houston and he's a pioneer in our city. When my SPC homies Ganksta Nip and Dope-E signed with Rap-a-Lot records back in the early 90's they did a few collabs with Willie D. Dope-E was producing some songs for him and he needed someone to do some reggae. I used to do alot of reggae back then so they asked if I wanted to jump on the track and I was like cool. I had never worked with will before so I was happy to be on the track.

DP: I believe the next time I heard you again was on Ganksta Nip’s album Psychic Thoughts. You were on the song F—K You. Point Blank said that it was about another PA group claiming to be the Original Point Blank. Did NIP ask you specifically to be a part of the song or was it Point Blank?

K-R: Well back then we had alot of beefs with different rappers (lol). And we usually all would gang up on whoever one of us had beef with (lol). Blank wanted to get at them and since Nip was already doing his album we just dissed them on Nip's album. I produced the beat and we all sat down and wrote our verses.

DP: You were also on the Posse cut Murda Script from Klondike Kat’s album the Lyrical Lion. That was a dope track with the whole SPC. Do you remember how that track came about?

K-R: Murder script was just a song in a long line of posse songs that the SPC would do. We all made sure to have a song like that on all our cds. Blank had Slipped Into a Coma, I had War in South Park, and Kat had Murder Script. I actually wasn't on the song originally but I happened to be at the studio and dropped like 4 bars while I was there.

DP: Can you tell me how the whole SPC was formed?

K-R: I formed the SPc back in 1987 just to bring all the rappers from my neighborhood together. We had so many dope MCs, but we were disunified.

DP: When did you first discover that you were good at writing rhymes? At what point did you decide that being an artist was going to be the way you made a living?

K-R: Well the first time I spit in front of a crowd of people I knew I was pretty good (lol). I was like 14. The crowd went off after I was done and that motivated me to wanna keep writing and get better. I was hearing cats on the radio that I knew I was better than, so that made me think I could do it as a career.

DP: You’re a very humble guy! Do you still stay around the same neighborhood where you grew up?

K-R: Yeah I'm still in my hood everyday. And even if I wasn't, I would still treat people with respect. Especially those who support my music..

DP: Personally, I stopped listening to the radio years ago because it’s all the same stuff over and over again. Do you ever just flip the radio on and say what the heck is this?

K-R: Every now and then I stumble across the radio. If I'm riding with someone and they're listening to it then I'm trapped (lol). But the formula never changes. Just the artists.

DP: I think that the sign of great song is when you have to stop and really think about what you just heard. Time after time, I find myself having to put your songs on repeat to try and catch every clever thing that you come up with.

K-R: Absolutely. As an artist you have to do things to separate yourself from the other million rappers in the game. It's a competition. You have to out-think and out-wit your contemporaries. I want to stand out from the pack. 

DP: Is this something that you strive for when you are creating a song?

K-R: I definitely strive to be different and think outside the realm of normality.

You’ve been in the rap game for so long. How do you stay motivated to keep making such great quality music?

K-R: The challenge of out-doing myself is the thing that keeps me going. And the people who listen to my music expect a certain level of quality from me so I cant let them down.

DP: I am aware the AC Chill passed away a while ago. Can you share how he passed? Did his death really affect you?

K-R: A.C. had an brain aneurysm. Yeah, it was crazy to all of us because we all are like brothers. So it was something that still affects us today.

DP: You have as an impressive catalog as anyone that I know. With lyrics that are very detailed and complex, are you able to remember songs from the past or do you have to go back and listen to them first?

K-R: (LOL) Nah, I have the worst memory ever. I have a hard time remembering my lyrics. And I definitely don't remember old stuff that I hardly listen to. I have songs that I haven't heard in years.

DP: Though you had a few albums before I started to purchase your music, the album Time Traveler is the first one that I added to my collection. On that album I was really impressed with the song Valley of Decision.

DP: At the time, I was blown away by the concept of the song. Do you remember how you came up with that song?

K-R: Yeah, that idea came from watching cartoons. Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny. They would always have the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other when they were contemplating doing something wrong. We all go through that conflict daily. That's the Valley of Decision.

DP: Two more of my favorite songs from that album are Open Thought Surgery and If Words Could Kill. Do you have a favorite from that album?

K-R: Probably 4 Minute Warning is my favorite. Not sure though. I would have to go back and listen to it.I haven't heard that album in a while.

DP: Next up for me was Book Number 7. I remember that the intro always gives me a chuckle with those guys “discovering” your book of rhymes!

DP: To this day, I think the beat from No Let Up is so hard. It’s a track where you just rip the beat. I take it that those are you original books of rhymes on the cover?

K-R: Yep, those are my real rap folders from the beginning to the present at that time. I got like 4 more since that album.

DP: I hate to jump around, but you have so many great songs. The next one I want to touch on is the Sorcerer’s Den from Annihilation of the Evil Machine. Wow!

DP: Anytime I introduce your music to someone, I start with that song. What a great concept. How did you come up with that concept?

K-R: Well my homie DJ Kru sent me that beat and I was in bed one morning and the flow pattern just came to me. I didn't know what the song would be about, but I knew that I was gonna rap it in that flow pattern. Once I determined that it sounded like a story track to me, the concept came to me and i wrote it on the spot in like 30-40 minutes.

DP: As great as that song is, you actually came back with two more parts. The first being Return of the Sorcerer on The Day of the Storm and finally Planet Exile from Deeper Elevation. Did you find it difficult to continue the trilogy?

K-R: Well the only part that was hard to do was the final part Planet Exile. I put myself in the grease on Identity Theft when i said i would continue the story on the next album (lol). So I knew I had to write something crazy to try to live up to the expectation and anticipation. People were asking me everyday how the story was gonna end and I didn't know myself (lol). But it worked out, I guess.

DP: It’s almost like you’re writing a movie, but in rhyme form. Is that the way you approached this series of songs?

K-R: Not intentionally. I had no idea that the sorcerer thing would be a series at first. It just became that over time. I'd love to see it made into a movie form or even video (preferably animated).

DP: This leads me to my next set of questions. You’re a very intelligent person and it comes across in your lyrics. Your vocabulary is second to none. Do you do a lot of reading? Did you attend any college at all?

K-R: Nah, no college. Only high school. I read and study different bodies of knowledge, but I'm not an avid reader. I just have an understanding of the language and I'm blessed to know how to put words and thoughts together pretty well.

DP: How do you usually come up with the concepts to your music? Once you’ve settled on a concept, how long would you say that it takes for you to actually write the song?

K-R: .The concept is the hardest thing to come up with. Once I know what I wanna talk about, the words come easy.

DP: Do you base your concept of a song off the beat first? Where do you usually write your music? Do you ever consider the order of your tracks on an album to create fluidity throughout the album?

K-R: It can go either way. Sometimes the beat tells you the concept and sometimes the concept comes first and I go find a beat to fit what I already wrote. As for the order of the songs, yeah I take alot of time making sure the order of the tracklist feels right and is diverse.

DP" I think you’ve produced some songs as well as a majority by Dope E. How do you choose the producers for your albums?

K-R: Back in the days I did alot of producing, but now I get people sending me tracks from all over the world. If it fits my style I use it.

DP: Have you ever tried to reach out to a bigger named producer? If so, did they want to charge you some ridiculous amount of money?

K-R: No, I don't ever reach out to any artists or producers that I don't personally know already.

DP: This leads into to the next thing I want to talk about. You've always collaborated with the SPC family and the SUC family.

DP: Is there a reason that you haven’t really collaborated with more industry artists or people outside of the South? Has anybody ever reached out to you for collaboration and you wouldn't do it for any reason?

K-R: I've had a few "big name" artists hit me up over the years, but alot of them are so fake that they either just wanna run their mouth or steal my ideas and styles so THEY can use then. The only 2 big name artists to really give me a good look were Scarface and Canibus. That's why I got love for both of those cats forever. And oh yeah, DJ Premier keeps me in rotation on his radio show. He's another one of the real cats out there.

DP: On that note, have you ever reached out to an artist for a verse and they wanted to charge you way too much?

K-R: Like I said, I don't reach out to anybody for features unless I know them.

DP: Is there an artist or producer past or present that you would like to have worked with?

K-R: Yeah, there's a few. Not many rappers though. It would be some singers like Prince, Stevie Wonder, Lalah Hathaway, and Toni Scruggs. And mostly old school rappers. But if anyone reaches out to me I don't have a problem working with them.

DP: I was really happy to see you on a Scarface album. You were on the song Who are They with Slim Thug. How did that collaboration come about?

K-R: Well me and Face go back to the 80s. We always been cool so when he called me, I stopped what I was doing and went to the lab that night.

DP: How much longer do you think you want to continue making music?

K-R: I'm not gonna ever stop. Music is eternal. There's no expiration date on it.

DP: When you do hang up the mic, what do you want people to remember most about you as an artist and about your music?

K-R: I don't plan on hanging it up. So people can listen to me past, present, and future.

DP: Is there anything else you’d like to say or promote before we end this?

K-R: I just wanna thank ALLAH(GOD) for the blessing he has given me and give him the credit for all that people see in me.  

DP: It has truly been an honor to speak with you. Your music is timeless and the epitome of creativity! As I told you in past, I hope to one day meet you in person!

K-R: Thanks for the love homie. Peace!

DP: Thank You!

Follow K-Rino on Twitter @therealkrino

You can grab all of K-Rino's music on Itunes or at the SPC website. 

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More Q & A sessions to come!
Thanks for reading!

dpgmarine