interview with H.Y.P.E. & K.A
What´s the name of your band? H.Y.P.E. & K.A.
How was the band formed? We were childhood friends, lost touch for awhile, reconnected a few years ago, and found out that we were both doing the same type of music. We experimented by meshing our talents together in a track “My Anti-Drug” and saw potential in a duo album. Little did we know, our styles were similar. It made working together more fun and it was evident, we had chemistry as a team behind the mic.
Can you tell about your band? We aren’t your typical hip-hop music artists. Our songs contain subliminal messages and are 100% clean.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band?
H.Y.P.E. – Gahanna, OH.
K.A. – Columbus, OH.
We are both artists/songwriters and excel as crafty lyricists.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? We want people to feel good when they listen to our music so our goal is to make good, uplifting music. Our songs are all about achieving and overcoming adversity. We take pride in the fact that all our material is created by us and not purchased from other songwriters.
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? We write our own lyrics and song concepts. We have multiple Producers for our instrumentals.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? K.A.
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? We both are on the same page with our music. We are open to other ideas and always try to come out with the best ideas possible to taking our music to the next level and relate it to our fanbase. Hip-hop.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? No, we are currently in the process of completing our first EP. K.A. has dropped a solo mixtape before we started our collaboration. Souljah til the Death of Me.
Do you have any clips on YouTube? We don’t have any clips as a band. K.A. has multiple music videos and cyphers. He originally went by K.A. (G.F.L.S.). Here is a link to a music video for the song “Not at All” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNbHCQAfOpg. H.Y.P.E. has a few vlogs and is currently working with K.A. on their first music video “On The Clock”.
How old are you?/What got you started in music?
H.Y.P.E. – 29
K.A. - 28
H.Y.P.E. saw it as an opportunity to vent about life. He wanted to share his struggles with an audience no matter how big or small. K.A. has a passion for music and a gift as a motivational speaker.
At what age did you start playing? H.Y.P.E. was 14 when he started crafting his own lyrics. K.A. was 22 when he got into the music game
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? H.Y.P.E. was 15 when he did his first live performance. K.A. was 22 when he did his first show.
What year was the band started? 2013
Best/worst gig you've played? H.Y.P.E. performed in front of a bar and got a great ovation afterwards. K.A. performed in front of a few thousand fans and got a great response after the performance.
What places will you be playing in the immediate future? Wherever God takes us.
Where have you played from then till now?
H.Y.P.E. – Columbus, Gahanna, Louisville
K.A. - Columbus, Cincinnati, Springfield, Lancaster, Circleville, Canton, Detroit
Which band is the best you´ve seen?
H.Y.P.E. - One Republic, Ryan Lewis & Macklemore
K.A. – Flame, D Maub
Is it always the same songs live? No, H.Y.P.E. only performs material that is buzzing at the time. K.A.’s performance songs depend on the crowd and venue.
How big are the crowds that you usually play for? 200-500 fans
What are the plans for the rest of the year? Finishing up our first album and going from there.
Where do you usually play? Bars, clubs, special events and functions.
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Up-tempo music.
What are your goals with your music? Provide uplifting messages to counter everyday hip-hop & have a voice in the rap community.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? H.Y.P.E. – 2011, K.A. – 2008
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Both. Older bands got more soul. Newer bands have more talent.
What are your sources of inspiration? Everyday life situation, family, artists we hear live and on the radio.
What's the first step when making a new song? Instrumental, Hook concept/song direction
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? Mixtapes is fine, but albums are the artist’s masterpiece and shouldn’t be a free download without their permission.
What would be your dreams for the band? To get our music out to the world.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? H.Y.P.E. listens to all genres but Country music. It depends on what his mood and situation is at that time. His favorite bands/artists are Eminem, Macklemore, J. Cole, Lupe Fiasco, Fall Out Boy & many others. K.A. listens to the Hip-hop/Christian hip-hop genre. Some of his favorites are Lecrae, Trip Lee, Saint Woods, and D Maub.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? H.Y.P.E.’s greatest fear is to not reach the next level and be stuck where he is. K.A. doesn’t want to be a bad role model for his kids.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? H.Y.P.E. fears not getting any love from the crowd. K.A. fears forgetting his lyrics.
What songs and what years were they released? “My Anti-Drug” - 2013, “On The Clock” – 2014, “Get ‘em Hype!” – 2014
Have you been part of any other projects? K.A. has been a part of a few other projects. Saint Woods, “Far Be It From Me”, Balls Over Bullshit Cypher Part 6, Nutt B “Grind n Progress”, “Music is my Life” – Goshay
Have you been in any other bands? K.A. was a part of G.F.L.S. (God’s Front Line Souljahs)
What would you do if there was no music? H.Y. P.E. would do creative writing & play basketball, while K.A. would play football & do bodybuilding.
How important are your fans? Very important, they keep you relevant and inspired to keep you pushing forward.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? “Climbin” and “On The Clock”
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? ’m not giving up attitude. God’s gift to music.
Do you have any webpages?
Yes, Reverbnation and soundcloud.
Band page: www.reverbnation.com/hypeandka
H.Y.P.E.’s soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/thehypenation
K.A.’s soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/ka-gfls
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Stay hungry, don’t give up. Keep pushing forward, no matter what response you are getting. You know if you got it, don’t let them get in your head.
How do you view the musicindustry of today? t’s all about the money and not enough about the talent. Hip-hop is dumbed down and not about messages anymore. It’s about nonsense. Their heart has left the game. It’s sad to see.
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? Marketing and Promotion.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Not your typical hip-hop.
Whats your Pre-show ritual? K.A.’s ritual is prayer and preparation