Kenny Kingpin: All the same person like the holy trinity. [laughs] Kingpin, LQ.
WestCoastRydaz.com: What's the reason for the name change?
Kenny Kingpin: Well, Kenny Kingpin is the name of my new business. Kenny is my government name but that's a name that was given to me by E-40. Me, Bosko and E-40 worked together a few years back. E-40, just observing my swagger, used to always call me that as a joke. Believe it or not it just stuck. So I said you know what, I'm Kenny Kingpin, I'mma roll with it. The persona. I been through alot man, just as a striving artists, as far as striving on the underground and building my name up. By the time I made the evolution to Kenny Kingpin, I just figured I'd represent the change and the development and growth that I went through as an artists.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You got this Escape from Poverty mixtape coming out. Why don't you talk about that project..
Kenny Kingpin: It's called Escape From Poverty: Supersize Your Hustle. That's gonna be like a preliminary into the album I got coming out called Focused, Hungry, and Not Scared. It's gonna be hosted by Dow Jones. He's DJing the mixtape as he did the Regime mixtape, Volume 2. When we hooked up on that one he said he wanted to do my solo. I said let's get it goin. I'mma have Snoop on there, E-40, Jayo Felony, Kurupt. I got the whole Regime and Yukmouth on there. Mad Lion, Ras Kass, it's thick man, It's just showing the network and the connections I've had throughout the years. Some people know me, some people don't. Now I'mma make sure everybody know.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Is this all original production?
Kenny Kingpin: It's all original. I don't know if you heard All Out War Vol.2, we do put alot of original tracks. This ones gonna be majority all original tracks. I'mma have a few things where I rap over a few cats tracks that I like. 80% of the mixtape is gonna be original songs. I did that purposely because I had so much material sittin around and acumilating over the years. I said man, it's time to really let that public know.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You got tracks from Bosko, Hi-Tek...
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah, I got Battlecat, it looks like I'mma have a few from Jellyroll and a new producer I'm really working closely with from the West Coast, his name is Tone Touch. Not Tony Touch back east, but from out here. He's from out the IE. Incredible! I don't know if you heard bigger then that, I got another called Go Hard, he did both of them. The boy is incredible man! Yall really gonna enjoy his production. He's the next one on the west coast. He's working with Dre right now. He's basically taking him under his wing. I been working with him for a long time. Producers that I work with, it's producers I built a relationship with over the years. Such as Bosko, Battlecat, I grew up with Battlecat in the same neighborhood. I been working with Bosko since he came out here from Portland. That's how we did the group together called DBA. So I really have a close knit relationship with the producers I work with. They really know my style and what direction I'm trying to head with.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Yeah Bosko got heat. We actually just did an interview with him a few weeks back.
Kenny Kingpin: Bosko doing his thing man, he really made alot of growth in the past few years. His work ethic is incredible. He got one of the best work ethics than anybody in the business. You see him all over the place.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You got a solo album planned. Is that something you might drop on Rap-A-Lot/Smoke-A-Lot? Or you have your own label?
Kenny Kingpin: Actually I'm one of the founding members of the Regime but I'm not a Smoke-A-Lot artist. I have my own company called Po No Mo Entertainment. That's what we gonna be puttin it out on. I'm in between deals right now. Basically in a bidding war with a few different labels. I don't really wanna anounce or throw anything out there till it's in ink but I do have a few deals on the table. I'm just weighing out my options and that's why in between time I'm putting out the mixtape. Keeping the buzz alive and doing this Regime. We got another volume, 3 that we're working on. As well as The Regime album. Me and Bosko and Cool Nutz are doing another DBA album as well. I got 3 projects I'm juggling right now.
WestCoastRydaz.com: How's the Regime album coming along?
Kenny Kingpin: The album is coming along vicious. We was in the studio last night. I was with Yuk last night, we just built a new studio, we already laid like two cuts last night. [laughs] Like a few hours after the studio was built. The album is gonna be sick! Me, C-Bo, and Yuk just did one last night. It's gonna be sick man. C-Bo home now, he just got home from his vacation. He's in the Regime, so we coming hard man. They gonna have to look out for The Regime this time. We not taking no prisoners this time man, we ain't playing no games at all!
WestCoastRydaz.com: Why don't you talk about your background. Where are you from?
Kenny Kingpin: I was born in St. Louis, Missouri. I was raised in South Central, LA though. I'm from what they call the Crenshaw and Slauson district of South Central, LA. I been rapping for quite some time. I made my first album like in '91 under the name Laquan. I was on Island Records at the time. It was produced by Richard Wolf and Brett Mays of Epic. They did alot of production for like BBD, and MC Lyte at that time. Then I went and did a deal with Rap-A-Lot. I was actually the second west coast artist to sign to Rap-A-Lot after Seagram, Rest in Peace. Seagram was instrumental in convincing James Prince to sign me. At that time Battlecat was signed to Harry O's label Lifestyle, I was working with him cause we just finished Domino's album. I was featured on that. Coming off of that we was naturally working on mine. I was at the studio, Lil J came up there, he heard me and was interested in me. Then I guess he cross refrenced that with Seagram and he let him hear my stuff. Seag was like, we need to sign him! He basically convinced J to sign me, and we did the deal. Unfortunately as soon as we did that, Seag had an untimely passing. He was a real good cat though, we was really vibing together. Didn't get to see the album come out cause he was very instrumental in me putting that deal together.
Through that experience it really opened the doors for me as an artist cause it took me down South. Made alot of connections with Bun B and alot of artists, before they was startin to pick up like they are now. It really strengthened my fanbase down there. Till this day I still go down there and do alot of features and shows. I just keep that networking available. That's what it's about nowadays man. Artists really have to be more then just artists, and be business men at the same time.
WestCoastRydaz.com: How did you end up with Yukmouth and the Regime.
Kenny Kingpin: In that same time period when I completed the album on Rap-A-Lot, I also had got two other groups signed. I got CJ Mac signed, and another group called Menace Clan from outta LA. When we was doing our promotional, Rap-A-Lot at the time had a deal with Virgin. Virgin/Nu-Trybe that's who was distributing all the records. In the process of that happening, The Luniz was coming out through Nu-Trybe at the same time. We ended up doing promotional tours together and being all from California of course we naturally had a vibe. Me and Yuk we just vibed from then, you could say The Regime started right then and there. While we was on tour we started working together, writing, going in the studio and we never looked up. We said, you know what we gonna connect the Bay and LA together and bridge the gap. Try to be instrumental in making that one huge market and lets push it. Thats how The Regime came along. Along the line at that time, Tech N9ne was out here working with QDIII so he was in LA. We respected his talent, he started coming into the studio with us and doing alot of songs. That's when we did Killaz On The Payroll on The Luniz second album. That was the birth of The Regime right there, it's been no looking back ever since.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You have Volume 3 coming out...So that will be pretty much a collection of volumes 1 and 2?
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah, that's correct information. Volume 3 is gonna be a collection of 1 and 2, but the thing is, we decided to add a DVD. You gonna see all the Regime shows we did, up until the point that the mixtape actually comes out. It's gonna show you the making of The Regime album, Regime Life. Alot of inside stuff that people are interested. We gonna give em the visual on that. As well as some raw uncut videos that really won't get a chance to be aired on national TV.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Volume 1 and 2 you guys were really going at people, and you had those funny skits dissing people. Is the focus of the album going to be alot like that?
Kenny Kingpin: The album is just gonna be straight raw songs. To be honest with you, and I'mma be the first Regime member to speak on it, we kind of done with that. Unless someone try to attack us, then of course we gonna defend ourselves. But we done with that, we just gonna make raw albums and display our talent. Make hit records. If cats wanna try to have something to say and diss The Regime, we not accepting none of that. So we will retaliate on anybody trying to make moves against us. But the album we coming with straight bangers. We about bringing the west coast back. That's what the focus is right now. That's why I'm standing up, dropping a Kenny Kingpin mixtape and album as well. I wanna let em know I'm doing my part to help bring this west coast back. Right now we gotta save our market. And not only that, but evolve the market. Help it grow. Cause it's alot of untapped talent here on the west coast. We got some cats right now that's standing up, like Bishop Lamont, Damani, alot of cats. We got Young Dru from The Regime, he's from up North. He's in the Regime now, so I wanna let that be known. He's gonna be stepping up alot too. He raw! He gonna be a problem for alot of cats.
WestCoastRydaz.com: On The Regime album, will all members appear on the majority of the songs, or will there be some on certain tracks, and some on others.
Kenny Kingpin: You gonna hear majority me, C-Bo, Tech N9ne, and Yukmouth when you hear the Regime album. Then you got the other members who defenitely gonn have alot of light as far as E-Black, Menace. Menace really wasn't on volume one but he's on volume two. He was incarcerated but he home now. Menace is actually from the Menace Clan, I don't know if you remember him from the Rap-A-Lot days. He's in The Regime too so you gonna hear him, E-Black, Young Dru... But the main cats you gonna hear is me, Yukmouth, Tech N9ne, C-Bo.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Messy Marv get a chance to spit anything for the album before he got locked up?
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah! Messy Marv did a couple of tracks. We got some stuff on catalog with Messy Marv. You defenitely gonna hear him. Marv is family. He got a chance to knock four or five out. One we did a video for, we gonna put that on All Out War Volume three. The Collectors edition. Then we got cuts that we wanna put on the actual album that we wanna save.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Anything else you wanna speak on before we wrap this up?
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah, I wanna plug up this album Escape From Poverty. You gotta look out for Kenny Kingpin cause I'm not playing no more games. I'm applying full pressure on the rap game, on the west coast. I was incarcerated for a little white, me and Menace was actually crimees. Those who haven't heard from me, that was the reason. I'm home now, I'm with my family The Regime, and I'm pushing the line to the fullest. I'mma let the music speak for itself. You gonna hear hot tracks, hot concepts, hot hooks. You gonna hear me all over the place, K.K.P., Kenny Kingpin baby. I'm coming to smother the game!
I wanna give a last shout out to West Coast Rydaz, World Wide Connected, all the west coast websites cause that's keeping us alive! Every last one of em. You know the struggle it's been for a west coast artist? And all these internet magazines are stepping up and really looking out for us. I just wanna let that be known. I wanna thank West Coast Rydaz personally, and all the affiliates. Even up to AllHipHop.com. But the west coast ones specifically, I wanna shout out right now cause they really been looking out!
WestCoastRydaz.com: What's the reason for the name change?
Kenny Kingpin: Well, Kenny Kingpin is the name of my new business. Kenny is my government name but that's a name that was given to me by E-40. Me, Bosko and E-40 worked together a few years back. E-40, just observing my swagger, used to always call me that as a joke. Believe it or not it just stuck. So I said you know what, I'm Kenny Kingpin, I'mma roll with it. The persona. I been through alot man, just as a striving artists, as far as striving on the underground and building my name up. By the time I made the evolution to Kenny Kingpin, I just figured I'd represent the change and the development and growth that I went through as an artists.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You got this Escape from Poverty mixtape coming out. Why don't you talk about that project..
Kenny Kingpin: It's called Escape From Poverty: Supersize Your Hustle. That's gonna be like a preliminary into the album I got coming out called Focused, Hungry, and Not Scared. It's gonna be hosted by Dow Jones. He's DJing the mixtape as he did the Regime mixtape, Volume 2. When we hooked up on that one he said he wanted to do my solo. I said let's get it goin. I'mma have Snoop on there, E-40, Jayo Felony, Kurupt. I got the whole Regime and Yukmouth on there. Mad Lion, Ras Kass, it's thick man, It's just showing the network and the connections I've had throughout the years. Some people know me, some people don't. Now I'mma make sure everybody know.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Is this all original production?
Kenny Kingpin: It's all original. I don't know if you heard All Out War Vol.2, we do put alot of original tracks. This ones gonna be majority all original tracks. I'mma have a few things where I rap over a few cats tracks that I like. 80% of the mixtape is gonna be original songs. I did that purposely because I had so much material sittin around and acumilating over the years. I said man, it's time to really let that public know.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You got tracks from Bosko, Hi-Tek...
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah, I got Battlecat, it looks like I'mma have a few from Jellyroll and a new producer I'm really working closely with from the West Coast, his name is Tone Touch. Not Tony Touch back east, but from out here. He's from out the IE. Incredible! I don't know if you heard bigger then that, I got another called Go Hard, he did both of them. The boy is incredible man! Yall really gonna enjoy his production. He's the next one on the west coast. He's working with Dre right now. He's basically taking him under his wing. I been working with him for a long time. Producers that I work with, it's producers I built a relationship with over the years. Such as Bosko, Battlecat, I grew up with Battlecat in the same neighborhood. I been working with Bosko since he came out here from Portland. That's how we did the group together called DBA. So I really have a close knit relationship with the producers I work with. They really know my style and what direction I'm trying to head with.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Yeah Bosko got heat. We actually just did an interview with him a few weeks back.
Kenny Kingpin: Bosko doing his thing man, he really made alot of growth in the past few years. His work ethic is incredible. He got one of the best work ethics than anybody in the business. You see him all over the place.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You got a solo album planned. Is that something you might drop on Rap-A-Lot/Smoke-A-Lot? Or you have your own label?
Kenny Kingpin: Actually I'm one of the founding members of the Regime but I'm not a Smoke-A-Lot artist. I have my own company called Po No Mo Entertainment. That's what we gonna be puttin it out on. I'm in between deals right now. Basically in a bidding war with a few different labels. I don't really wanna anounce or throw anything out there till it's in ink but I do have a few deals on the table. I'm just weighing out my options and that's why in between time I'm putting out the mixtape. Keeping the buzz alive and doing this Regime. We got another volume, 3 that we're working on. As well as The Regime album. Me and Bosko and Cool Nutz are doing another DBA album as well. I got 3 projects I'm juggling right now.
WestCoastRydaz.com: How's the Regime album coming along?
Kenny Kingpin: The album is coming along vicious. We was in the studio last night. I was with Yuk last night, we just built a new studio, we already laid like two cuts last night. [laughs] Like a few hours after the studio was built. The album is gonna be sick! Me, C-Bo, and Yuk just did one last night. It's gonna be sick man. C-Bo home now, he just got home from his vacation. He's in the Regime, so we coming hard man. They gonna have to look out for The Regime this time. We not taking no prisoners this time man, we ain't playing no games at all!
WestCoastRydaz.com: Why don't you talk about your background. Where are you from?
Kenny Kingpin: I was born in St. Louis, Missouri. I was raised in South Central, LA though. I'm from what they call the Crenshaw and Slauson district of South Central, LA. I been rapping for quite some time. I made my first album like in '91 under the name Laquan. I was on Island Records at the time. It was produced by Richard Wolf and Brett Mays of Epic. They did alot of production for like BBD, and MC Lyte at that time. Then I went and did a deal with Rap-A-Lot. I was actually the second west coast artist to sign to Rap-A-Lot after Seagram, Rest in Peace. Seagram was instrumental in convincing James Prince to sign me. At that time Battlecat was signed to Harry O's label Lifestyle, I was working with him cause we just finished Domino's album. I was featured on that. Coming off of that we was naturally working on mine. I was at the studio, Lil J came up there, he heard me and was interested in me. Then I guess he cross refrenced that with Seagram and he let him hear my stuff. Seag was like, we need to sign him! He basically convinced J to sign me, and we did the deal. Unfortunately as soon as we did that, Seag had an untimely passing. He was a real good cat though, we was really vibing together. Didn't get to see the album come out cause he was very instrumental in me putting that deal together.
Through that experience it really opened the doors for me as an artist cause it took me down South. Made alot of connections with Bun B and alot of artists, before they was startin to pick up like they are now. It really strengthened my fanbase down there. Till this day I still go down there and do alot of features and shows. I just keep that networking available. That's what it's about nowadays man. Artists really have to be more then just artists, and be business men at the same time.
WestCoastRydaz.com: How did you end up with Yukmouth and the Regime.
Kenny Kingpin: In that same time period when I completed the album on Rap-A-Lot, I also had got two other groups signed. I got CJ Mac signed, and another group called Menace Clan from outta LA. When we was doing our promotional, Rap-A-Lot at the time had a deal with Virgin. Virgin/Nu-Trybe that's who was distributing all the records. In the process of that happening, The Luniz was coming out through Nu-Trybe at the same time. We ended up doing promotional tours together and being all from California of course we naturally had a vibe. Me and Yuk we just vibed from then, you could say The Regime started right then and there. While we was on tour we started working together, writing, going in the studio and we never looked up. We said, you know what we gonna connect the Bay and LA together and bridge the gap. Try to be instrumental in making that one huge market and lets push it. Thats how The Regime came along. Along the line at that time, Tech N9ne was out here working with QDIII so he was in LA. We respected his talent, he started coming into the studio with us and doing alot of songs. That's when we did Killaz On The Payroll on The Luniz second album. That was the birth of The Regime right there, it's been no looking back ever since.
WestCoastRydaz.com: You have Volume 3 coming out...So that will be pretty much a collection of volumes 1 and 2?
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah, that's correct information. Volume 3 is gonna be a collection of 1 and 2, but the thing is, we decided to add a DVD. You gonna see all the Regime shows we did, up until the point that the mixtape actually comes out. It's gonna show you the making of The Regime album, Regime Life. Alot of inside stuff that people are interested. We gonna give em the visual on that. As well as some raw uncut videos that really won't get a chance to be aired on national TV.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Volume 1 and 2 you guys were really going at people, and you had those funny skits dissing people. Is the focus of the album going to be alot like that?
Kenny Kingpin: The album is just gonna be straight raw songs. To be honest with you, and I'mma be the first Regime member to speak on it, we kind of done with that. Unless someone try to attack us, then of course we gonna defend ourselves. But we done with that, we just gonna make raw albums and display our talent. Make hit records. If cats wanna try to have something to say and diss The Regime, we not accepting none of that. So we will retaliate on anybody trying to make moves against us. But the album we coming with straight bangers. We about bringing the west coast back. That's what the focus is right now. That's why I'm standing up, dropping a Kenny Kingpin mixtape and album as well. I wanna let em know I'm doing my part to help bring this west coast back. Right now we gotta save our market. And not only that, but evolve the market. Help it grow. Cause it's alot of untapped talent here on the west coast. We got some cats right now that's standing up, like Bishop Lamont, Damani, alot of cats. We got Young Dru from The Regime, he's from up North. He's in the Regime now, so I wanna let that be known. He's gonna be stepping up alot too. He raw! He gonna be a problem for alot of cats.
WestCoastRydaz.com: On The Regime album, will all members appear on the majority of the songs, or will there be some on certain tracks, and some on others.
Kenny Kingpin: You gonna hear majority me, C-Bo, Tech N9ne, and Yukmouth when you hear the Regime album. Then you got the other members who defenitely gonn have alot of light as far as E-Black, Menace. Menace really wasn't on volume one but he's on volume two. He was incarcerated but he home now. Menace is actually from the Menace Clan, I don't know if you remember him from the Rap-A-Lot days. He's in The Regime too so you gonna hear him, E-Black, Young Dru... But the main cats you gonna hear is me, Yukmouth, Tech N9ne, C-Bo.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Messy Marv get a chance to spit anything for the album before he got locked up?
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah! Messy Marv did a couple of tracks. We got some stuff on catalog with Messy Marv. You defenitely gonna hear him. Marv is family. He got a chance to knock four or five out. One we did a video for, we gonna put that on All Out War Volume three. The Collectors edition. Then we got cuts that we wanna put on the actual album that we wanna save.
WestCoastRydaz.com: Anything else you wanna speak on before we wrap this up?
Kenny Kingpin: Yeah, I wanna plug up this album Escape From Poverty. You gotta look out for Kenny Kingpin cause I'm not playing no more games. I'm applying full pressure on the rap game, on the west coast. I was incarcerated for a little white, me and Menace was actually crimees. Those who haven't heard from me, that was the reason. I'm home now, I'm with my family The Regime, and I'm pushing the line to the fullest. I'mma let the music speak for itself. You gonna hear hot tracks, hot concepts, hot hooks. You gonna hear me all over the place, K.K.P., Kenny Kingpin baby. I'm coming to smother the game!
I wanna give a last shout out to West Coast Rydaz, World Wide Connected, all the west coast websites cause that's keeping us alive! Every last one of em. You know the struggle it's been for a west coast artist? And all these internet magazines are stepping up and really looking out for us. I just wanna let that be known. I wanna thank West Coast Rydaz personally, and all the affiliates. Even up to AllHipHop.com. But the west coast ones specifically, I wanna shout out right now cause they really been looking out!
