Interview: Kreayshawn

Kreayshawn was recently in the UK to promote her new (and ridiculously catchy) single, "Gucci Gucci" and Alter The Press was fortunate enough to sit down with the up and coming hip-hop star and speak about her second trip overseas, signing to a major label, future releases and more.

Alter The Press: This is your second trip over to the UK. How are you finding it this round?
Kreayshawn: This time round I've had a lot less time to play because I've been pushing my new single, so it's been a lot of work and press, but I'm still loving the UK as always.

ATP: Last time you played your debut show at the Club NME in London. How was it?
Kreayshawn: That was super exciting. It was a huge stage and I was just up there all tiny in my London flag shirt bouncing around, but I had a great time. It was a great crowd vibe. Everyone was there to have a good time and just rock out.

ATP: You've only played a handful of live shows, would you say you've found your groove so far or what works best for you in a live setting?
Kreayshawn: I think I'm still finding what works best and what makes me comfortable and it's all about reading the crowd. Every time I play a show, it's the fans who have fun so that's all that matters.

ATP: What's definitely appealing about you is that you're doing something different and isn't just the repetitive, run-of-the-mill type of music. How would you describe your style of hip-hop?
Kreayshawn: I would definitely say that I have music ADD and listen to all types of genres of music. I read books and watch a lot of TV, so everything is just pulled from everywhere - from different genres to different things I see and experience. You can just label it as "Kreayshawn-ified."



ATP: When was it you started recieving attention from different record labels? Was it after the release of "Bumpin' Bumpin'" or when "Gucci Gucci" surfaced online?
Kreayshawn: It was basically when we put out "Gucci Gucci" and it had been out for two days. Over those days, it was probably at 500,000 hits and it was just moving up and up non-stop. I was with my manager who had a meeting at a label for one of his other artists who ended up not being able to make it and I just went along because I didn't have shit to do.

We go over to the label and all the A&R reps are like, "Oh my god, it's Kreayshawn." They're hip to the internet and know what's going on and knew the video was going really fast. Next thing you know, all the A&Rs are talking to each other and the labels found out and it just turned into this huge thing. The weekend happened and "Gucci Gucci" was at a million and a half views. By Monday, when everyone was back in the office, it was crazy, we were driving from label to label and it turned into this huge bidding war. It was pretty awesome.

ATP: It's crazy considering, in this day and age, that really doesn't happen anymore.
Kreayshawn: I know. I had no idea because I've only seen it from my eyes. I was like, "What? This is crazy! This is how it works?" After everything finished and all the press was written about it, I realized that this doesn't ever happen. Not anymore.

ATP: Do you feel you've jumped in at the deep end, so to speak, by signing with a major label (Columbia) right away?
Kreayshawn: It's definitely something I jumped into because I saw a great opportunity and I didn't want to fuck it up by being a pussy. I didn't know how much hard work goes behind it, but there is a lot of fucking hard work to do! It's cool though, because I'm in the UK and makes it three times cooler, no matter what. Like I said, it's a lot of hard work but I'm working it. It's my job.



ATP: In "Gucci Gucci" you say, "I'm screaming free V-Nasty, until my throat is raspy," (a rapper in Kreayshawn's rap collective, White Girl Mob), is she out of prison yet?
Kreayshawn: Yeah, she's fresh out. I just had a little mini-tour of San Francisco, Chicago, New York and LA and she came out and did a couple songs. People lose their fucking minds when they see V-Nasty because they think she's still in jail. I do this little thing where I say, "Do we have a special guest?" and then the DJ mixes it like, "V-Nasty! V-Nasty!" and the whole room is like, "What?! V-Nasty?" If she is not now, she is very next.

ATP: You did a video online saying you're going to be releasing a song with Snoop Dogg titled, "Keep It Craccin'". Is that the next release you are putting out?
Kreayshawn: Yeah, definitely. I just always forget when I'm on UStream that people record me and put it on YouTube automatically and it kind of spaces me out. I talked over the whole thing so people couldn't just rip the audio and I thought it should be the next song because everyone is talking about it. You might as well give the people what they want.

ATP: Is it going to be on the next album?
Stretch (Kreayshawn's manager): We're going to play it by ear.

ATP: When's it coming out?
Stretch: Very soon. Sooner than you think.

ATP: You've been in the studio recently. What are you working on?
Kreayshawn: Getting the album done. I'm going to get that done ASAP.

ATP: When can we expect that to be out?
Kreayshawn: I want that done before the end of this year. I was telling everyone October last month, but time just flies fucking right by. I'm about to be 22 and I feel like an old lady.

ATP: You're a videographer, studied at Berkley Film Institute and did a video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers earlier this year. Do you plan on doing any other videos anytime soon?
Kreayshawn: I definitely plan on staying behind the camera and in front of the camera. At the moment I'm out here pushing the single, then getting the album done and then I'm sure I will have to go around the world to promote it, so when I have some free time in this world, I will definitely be directing some more stuff.

ATP: Can you see yourself doing the video for "Keep It Craccin'".
Kreayshawn: Yeah.

ATP: What's planned next for Kreayshawn?
Kreayshawn: Go home and finish this fucking album!

ATP: Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Kreayshawn: Tell everyone to download my single "Gucci Gucci" because they probably ripped it off YouTube and if you did, it's a different version than the one you're going to download. On YouTube there are soundbytes from the video which are not on the song. I'll be at a radio station and they'll play the ripped version and you can hear it because there are little soundbytes from the action shots in the video.

Jon Ableson

'Gucci Gucci' is out now through Columbia Records.