From the likes of legends such as; NWA, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac, to newcomers such as; Jay Rock, Nipsey Hussle, and Glasses Malone, Los Angeles has been known to be the birthplace of gangster rap. Even if it was not actually the life they had growing up, many rappers from the West Coast who are looking to make a name often fall in line with that “norm.” They fuel their lyrics with the grit and glamor of the gangster lifestyle of gangbanging, drugs & jail in hopes to be discovered easier. So, when I first heard of Inglewood, CA rapper Kida, needless to say I had certain expectations on what I was about to hear. After hearing Kida’s latest mixtape The Endemic I was pleasantly surprised. Last week I was given the opportunity to talk with Kida as he poises himself to become the next big thing on the West Coast while shedding the label of a gangster rapper that a hometown like Inglewood carries…

WIMH: First off let me say I’m really feelin’ the mixtape. That was the first chance I got to hear any of your material, and it definitely left a dope first impression. Usually when you hear about a rapper from Cali you expect either that classic West Coast Gangsta rap type of sound. It’s rare that you get a true lyricist, so that was a big surprise.

Kida: Appreciate that man… A lot of people expected that same thing. I appreciate that people see it as you see it, that’s exactly the angle we were going for.

WIMH: Staying on that topic, did you feel any added pressure as a new artist from LA because you didn’t necessarily follow in those footsteps?

Kida: Nah, I always wanted to do me no matter what it was man, so it was like; while I went thru some of the same stuff, I chose not to talk about it simply because that’s not where I was going, u know what I’m saying. I was raised by street people, and I was doing certain things that kept me away from that. And I try to speak that thru my music.

WIMH: When did you first get into hip-hop?

Kida: I started really really writing rhymes and taking it seriously in 1996, so about 13 years. I was doing it before that, but not really like hardcore sitting down making songs and all that stuff… So I’d really say like 96’

WIMH: Cool, so you been involved in hip-hop for a long time… Who are a few of the artists that really inspired you to pursue a career in hip-hop? In 96, who was that artist or what was that album that made you feel like, “this is what I wanna do with my life?”

Kida: I would have to say, it was like that milestone album… Reasonable Doubt (Jay-Z). That was hot in 96’ so that’s when I was really like wow, who is this cat, u know, because Jay was just coming out at that time. It really made me think like; this is what I can accomplish as an artist? So I would have to say that one was real influential at that time.

WIMH: Yeah, I can definitely feel you on that, coming up Biggie and Jay-Z were my top 2. Reasonable Doubt, Ready To Die, and Life After Death are still in my top 5 to this day.

Kida: Yeah, being an artist, you can’t even lie and say those albums didn’t inspire you in some sort of way.

WIMH: Like I was saying earlier, The Endemic was the first chance I ever got to hear any of your material; do you have anything earlier than that tape that the people can go get?

Kida: Yeah, we actually have my very first street album, which is called the Pandemic, so you can google that and check that out as well. The Pandemic was my rough introduction. It lyrically showed people where I stood, and made people start checking for me, and dropped that about a year and a half ago. But yeah, we got some positive feedback from it. So it did it’ s job in my opinion.

WIMH: Ok, that’s what’s up. I’ll def be downloading that one… Being from halfway across the country in Chicago, I unfortunately wasn’t put up on you until recently. But hearing the Endemic, I was really impressed with the production quality. From DJ Khalil to 9^th Wonder to Focus, who produced most of the project, it was all-around solid. I have to say, Focus is one of my favorite producers in the game right now. How did you two end up working together?

Kida: That was through my man PhD who is also my manager. I knew PhD for a while, and he heard me rhyme or whatever and was like, “I really gotta introduce you to my brother.” So Focus is actually his brother. He had never taken anyone to him just off the simple fact that everybody raps you know. So I was blessed to have that opportunity to meet Focus, and he was impressed. I was probably more impressed because I already knew who he was, and it was a beautiful thing to have him look at me and say, “I like this guy.” Once we went in and started working together, the things we were coming up with were magical like we had known each other for a long time. We just have this great chemistry.

WIMH: Yeah, it’s definitely a plus when find someone in the industry that you gel with like that. How long have you two been working together?

Kida: Um… It’s actually been about 2 and a half to 3 years

WIMH: Word, so he was still with Aftermath when you met right?

Kida: Yeah, he was still in the Aftermath situation when we linked up.

WIMH: Did you ever used to work with Dr. Dre during that time?

Kida: It wasn’t until recently that I got the opportunity to go in with Dre. Back then, I had just met him, like we would be in the same studio at the same time and stuff like that. But just recently I actually sat down with him to actually focus and work own my music.

WIMH: What’s your status right now, are you signed?

Kida: I’m a free agent right now. I got a lot of offers, and now I’m just trying to find the best possible home for myself, and most importantly me and Focus are def rollin til the wheels fall off. Our business relationship really turned into a friendship so I take his advice very seriously, and our teams are working together trying to find the best home for me.

WIMH: Right, because I was reading up on you and I ran across a situation where Suge Knight reached out and tried to sign you right?

Kida: Yeah man, I actually still have that contract in a frame (Laughs)… That was in 2001. He came to me and wanted to sign me, and the contract was on the table. At that time he really had the bad guy reputation, but I still took the time to go to the studio and meet him. He’s actually a great dude. But at the end of the day I just had to say what’s the best move for myself. I just think that particular deal wasn’t necessarily for me. A lot of people say, “You shoulda just jumped on that,” but I look at it and I wanna be able to make personal moves in the future and not have to answer to somebody.

WIMH: You just dropped The Endemic, and its still gaining a buzz in the streets, what else can your fans expect from Kida in 2010?

Kida: Actually, on Valentine’s Day I’m dropping what I’m calling The Ladies Edition, a small EP with songs just for the ladies. It’s just something to keep my name out there and to show the ladies that I got them as well. After that I’m dropping the Who Is Kida project. It’s just me freestyling over original beats. Maybe an old school mixtape after that going in over other people’s beats, but I’m not sure yet.

WIMH: the LP, The Epidemic, is coming later this year right? What can your fans expect to hear from you as well as from a feature and production standpoint?

Kida: Yeah, if not 4^th quarter of this year then 1^st quarter of 2011. We just wanted to get The Endemic finished to get the ball rolling. As you know, hip-hop is real Internet based right now, and if your internet buzz isn’t strong, then the odds of you coming out strong aren’t too high. It was actually really hard for me to put my heart into that (The Endemic) and give it away for free. But Focus sat me down and explained to me this is what we have to do. So we just stepped back from the album (The Epidemic) to really focus on the mixtape (The Endemic) to get the fanbase up and to get people talking about me in the streets.

WIMH: Man, I can really appreciate that. The quality of the mixtape really makes me anticipate the album more. Between the lyrical ability and the quality of production on The Endemic, I mean you had DJ Khalil, 9^th Wonder, Jake One, & Foucus of course just to name a few, the album is definitely something I’m looking forward to.

Kida: Thank you, thank you… I appreciate that. I guarantee that the album will be of that same caliber and better. We got the usual suspects as far as production goes… DJ Khalil, Focus, and most of the other producers you heard on The Endemic are definitely going to be a part of the album.

WIMH: That’s what’s up. As far as the future goes… who are some other artists would you like to work with?

Kida: First and foremost, I would like to work with anybody making an impact on the game and that’s true to the art form. Top of my list though, would have to be Ludacris. Anybody that knows me knows that I’m a big fan of Luda. I love his versatility and his consistency. Of course I would like to work with Jay-Z. I look up to him as an artist, and a businessman… Pretty much, I want to work with anybody that’s making a mark on the game.

WIMH: To touch on producers again for a moment, I remember on The Endemic you mentioned that Primo (DJ Premier) reached out but that schedule conflicts kept him off the mixtape?

Kida: Yeah, Primo expressed his interest in me. He and 9^th Wonder were chopping it up about me, and he expressed an interest in working with me.  We just had conflicting schedules and I couldn’t make it to NY. But he will definitely be on the album because I’m a huge fan of Primo.

WIMH: Yeah, being from the West Coast, and having a Primo beat on your debut album is definitely a good look.

Kida: Yeah, having him reach out to me and say, “when y’all get out this way, we gotta get it in” was a real big deal for me.

WIMH: What advice do you have for artists trying to pursue a career in hip-hop?

Kida: If you wanna make this your career in life, you gotta love it first. If you’re just in it for the money, you’ll be out of it real fast. You gotta have it in your heart, because that’s what’s gonna give you the energy and motivation to keep going. I could be doing this for free, and I would love it just as much.

WIMH: Since the name of this site is What’s In My Headphones, why don’t you tell us What’s In YOUR Headphones right now, and who are some of the artists in the game right now that you like?

Kida: Hmmmm… What’s In My Headphones?? Well on the ride home, we were listening to that new Jada (The Last Kiss). I’m definitely a Jadakiss fan. Besides my own music, which I listen to a lot, I would have to say Ludacris and Amy Winehouse. Believe it or not, I’m a big Amy Winehouse fan. I’m open, I grew up in a household where I was in the band and played concert, classical and jazz, so you’re likely to find anything in my deck.

WIMH: Word, well once again thanks for the opportunity to interview you and keep doing what you’re doing… You got anything else to say to the people?

Kida: Thank you for the support. Big thank you to Whats In My Headphones. Thank you for caring enough about Kida to even care what I’m saying, and what I’m doing. Thank you for listening… To everybody that’s checking for Kida, I guarantee you there’s more good music coming, and just look for me to be smashing radio, TV, whatever. Look for me to be THAT GUY this year.

For more info on Kida you can check out his Myspace and you can download his mixtape The Endemic here…

This is What’s In My Headphones…

BONUS: You can download the untagged version of Kida’s mixtape The Endemic as well as his first mixtape The Pandemic here…

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