Kid Rad

Ez Rad you’ve been doing this hip hop shit for a while now but what was it that made you get into the game and were there any leg ups from anyone?

Firstly i got into the game through listening to my bro DJ Vokal on the decks. I used to freestyle to some of the tracks and after a while i started writing bars. Then when I was about 13 my bro hooked up with Lunatrix and introduced me to him. He took me on as a sort of protege and over a couple years helped me develop my flow and lyric writing.

I’ve seen through your Myspace that you’ve nearly completed an album called ‘Disturbing The Sequence’ how long has it took you go get that project together?

The album has taken about a year and a half to complete. It's very very near to being finished now and I can't wait to have the final master in my hand because it really has been a long time coming.

You make beats as well what equipment do you use and what influenced you to make beats?

At the minute I'm running Pro Tools LE and Reason. I also have a Roland Juno synth and a few softsynths too. My biggest influence really was watching people around me like Kroscene produce tracks and wanting to do it myself.

I know your down with the HHB Crew who also have a record label OYM (Occupy Your Mind Records). What releases with them or anyone else have you been on so far?

So far i've featured on HHB Radio mix CD volumes 1, 2 and 3 aswell as HHB Radio Presents: UK State of Mind and HHB Radio The Definition Series: Grime. I've also been on several UK Runnings releases and a few albums including Geejay's 'I Came To Represent' and Shady Rezidents latest mixtape.

You originally came into the game doing pretty much straight up hip hop, I think im probably one of very few that’s got your 1st mixtape called ‘Boy Wonder’, when did you do that cos you sound really young on it and did that release make anyone stand up and listen?

I released that mixtape when i was 15 but a majority of it was recorded when I was 14. It wasn't the greatest mixtape in the world but suprisingly a few people did start supporting after hearing it. Looking back it was a good experience for me because it got me into working in the studio and helped me understand the engineering side of things a little more which i wasn't really used to back then.

What kind of themes do you cover in your newer music? You don’t seem to be like a bragging rapper as such.

I try to cover as many different things in my music as I can, because to be honest I prefer listening to music with a theme or idea behind it than listening to someone talk about nothin, especially on an album project. Obviously not all the tracks I do will have a strong theme but I think about 80% of the album is concept driven in some way. So far I've covered things like religion, underage drinking, greed, cheating girls and loads more, but you'll have to cop the album to hear the rest!

What do you think of battling have you ever entered a battle?

I've never entered a propper battle and never really plan to. I like watching battles but i'd really have to step my freestyling game up before entering one.

Who are your musical influences?

I'll try and keep it short so the main ones are Dr Dre, The Streets, Kanye West, Just Jack, Nas, Sway, Masta Ace and  Kano. I'd say all of those have definitely influenced me at some point.

I’ve seen a few live dates on your Myspace, what can people expect from your live show? Is it just you on your own or do you have a team of people with you?

The live show is usually me, my hype man Lunatrix and DJ Vokal on the decks, but sometimes we also play with an indie band by the name of The Vouch who are also signed to OYM Records. Recently we've been playing a lot of material off the album so people can expect a few exclusives they havent heard before if they come along.

And lastly KR productions what’s all that about?

KR Productions is something I set up last year. It's basically the way to get at me if you're after a Kid Rad beat or want me to remix something. You can hear my previous work or get in touch by hitting up www.myspace.com/krproduction.

Thanks to Kid Rad for answering these questions and shedding some light on what he’s up to; don’t sleep people its geezer is seriously sick with the beats and rhymes, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Interview by Jonathan Miles