Kota the Friend, the Brooklyn-based rapper known for his debut album “Foto,” and his excellent “Lyrics-To-Go” series, is returning this Friday with his sophomore album, “Everything.” The record promises a number of exciting features, as well as Kota’s trademark ingenuity.
Recently, we had a chance to chat with Kota about his eclectic style and expansive brand. Read our conversation below for some insight into the mind of this young creative.
**New York seems to have had a big effect on your personal and musical style. How would you describe the music scene there?**
I think the New York music scene is a little bit of everything. In every area, there’s a different culture and a thousand artists are coming out of each area. I remember when I started out there were a ton of young artists and curators renting out venues and throwing house parties where 7 - 13 underground rappers would perform at. It was fun. And I’d like to believe that still exists.
**You seem to pull collaborators from a lot of unexpected places, whether it’s a high school teacher or scouting fresh talent on Twitter. Is it important to you to get the community involved, or to discover new voices?**
I’ll reach out to whoever I feel is going to elevate the music, whether it’s my old teacher or my best friend or someone I’m a fan of. It’s all about the art. As a producer, I focus on the song as a whole and I choose collaborators carefully. Great talent is everywhere and I guess because I know that I look for it everywhere. I like to think outside the box to stay authentic.
**You’ve taken a slightly more diverse path, in terms of the reach of your work. You put on shows, put out clothing, created your “lyrics-to-go” series. How do you manage all the different aspects of your brand?**
I think I’m just an all-around creative at heart. I believe that my purpose in life is to create new things for the world and for people. I have a million ideas and as time progressed I learned how to strategically move on those ideas. I add to the brand little by little in order to keep up with my mind.
**What made you decide to stay an independent artist, as opposed to signing with a label?**
I like to be free. I’ve never been good with people having control over me. My freedom is worth more than any amount of money.
**You pull from a lot of different influences, artists across genres. How do you synthesize these into your own, cohesive sound?**
I think I subconsciously pull from my favorite bands, musicians, and artists when I’m writing and producing. I think my whole style is a mix of everything I’ve ever jammed to. Its all jazzy, melodic, lyrical and soulful. I took everything I learned from what my mother played on Sundays, the Jay Z, Nas, and Biggie records I stole from my brother, what I heard on Hot 97 growing up and the tons of rock music I downloaded from Limewire.
**Your new album, “Everything,” is coming this May. How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since your last project?**
I think I’m just more sure of my sound. I’m more confident in my recordings and with every project I just believe in my abilities more. This time around I made sure to make the production was more robust. I connected with L10 who is one of the best mixing engineers out there. He killed it on “Everything.” I recruited more musicians and added a lot more layers to the production this time around. It’s not a rush job.
**You said you were adding new songs and working on the album since your upcoming shows got canceled. Would you say you’ve finished it off now, or are you still doing some last-minute tinkering?**
It’s definitely finished and sadly I’m always doing last-minute tinkering. I’m a perfectionist and if I hear something weird on the song I have to fix it even if it’s just .1 of a second. But I feel like its done and I gotta move on with life.
**Are there any collaborations on the upcoming album that we can keep an eye out for?**
Everyone…Joey Bada$$, Bas, Superduper KYLE, Lupita Nyong’o, Tobi Lou, Braxton Cook, LaKeith Stanfield, KAIIT Hello O’Shay, Alex Banin, and Drew Alexander Ford.
**What are you most excited about for this new chapter in your career?**
I’m gonna focus on my brand a lot more which is exciting for me. I get to relax my brain a little bit and use my creative mind in a different way.
**What can we expect from you going forward, after the album, in terms of new projects or paths you might explore?**
I just want to step back from being focused on working on an for a while, do some features with talented people, and work on my brand Fltbys.
Also, check out Kota’s video for his song “Volvo” below.
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Photo Credit: Emmanual Robert
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