Interview: Nicolay and Kay- What They Live

Nicolay and Kay: What They Live

R.M. London w/ Nicolay + Kay

Ever since hip hop heads worldwide expressed their love and appreciation for Foreign Exchange, Nicolay, the emerging producer from the Netherlands, has become one of the most sought after producers in the genre. Teaming up with fellow OkayPlayer message board contributor, Kay, a Houston MC equipped with smooth storytelling skills and a lovable delivery, we are now blessed with Time:Line. A beautiful album that morphs sonically from the 1960's to present day all while giving us a glimpse into the catacombs of MC Kay.

Today, we got a chance to have a quick chat with Nicolay and Kay to talk about the new record, Nicolay's production techniques, Kay's outlook on the Texas hip hop scene, and what we can expect from them in the future...

Rhymehouse: This is the 2nd time Nicolay has met an MC via the internet and made an album-- How did you guys come across one another and why did you guys feel you two would mesh well together sonically?

Nicolay: We were introduced to each other on the OkayPlayer message boards, similarly how i met Phonte, and from 2003 on we have been shooting the shit, which later on translated in two tracks for kay's Talk Show album. When we did those, we knew that we had a lot of chemistry...

Rhymehouse: Do you feel that collaborating over the internet takes away from recording in a studio? ("What We Live" seemed the most complete, cohesive, and beautiful song on the record-- which is the only you recorded face to face)

Kay: Actually, a lot of that was recorded separate. But I think hanging out helped the sequencing process. We talk on the phone quite a bit now. Whereas when he was overseas we would just IM.

Rhymehouse: Is this just a one time deal or can we expect a stream of releases from you two in the future?

Nicolay: If i have anything to say about, yup! A stream of releases, but in various shapes and sizes and formations.

Kay: We love music so we will always record.

Rhymehouse: Time:Line is a conceptual album that cascades through various periods of music (60's, 70s, 80s, and on) and follows the trials and tribulations of an MC. How did you all come up with this concept, what was the inspiration, and what can people learn from the story?

Kay: It just deals with the cycle of life. It was inspired by the variety of styles of tracks Nic was producing. I just tried to follow in words.

Rhymehouse: What was the inspiration behind the production?

Nicolay: Once Kay had come up with the concept I kind of took it upon myself to really "style" the different tracks after the periods that they pay homage too. For instance, Michael Mcdonald and other 'yachtrock' artists for 'Through the Wind,' or Herb Alpert and Burt Bacharach for 'I've Seen Rivers', Prince for 'As the Wheel Turns', etc. I basically got to pay homage to a lot of different styles and genres.

Rhymehouse: Do you all feel that storytelling is an element of hip hop lyricism that is missing from today's music?

Kay: I think that so much emphasis is placed on singles that artists don't focus on linking songs. I try to work on that and improve on writing cohesive albums. I feel that you can keep folks attention better that way.

Nicolay: Yeah, they really focus on singles wayyy too much, so generally most songs that get big are pretty much similar in context.

Rhymehouse: Kay, did you ever get writers block while making Time: Line? How did you overcome it and gain motivation for writing the lyrics?

Kay: Sometimes it got tough because of the concept. Plus, there is a lot to live up to being a lead emcee on a Nicolay project. I just tried to be as honest as posible in my writing and be Kevin. Hopefully people will hear that in the album.

Rhymehouse: Nicolay-- Crisp. Lush. Beauty. 3 Words that I would safely say sums up your production. How do you get your production to sound so "CLEAN" (for lack of a better term)? When did you get into production and what equipment do you use?

Nicolay: I'm the Rico Suave of Beats!! Hahahaha. I think the main thing, and this is gonna sound cliche, but its my ears, really. I must say that i spend a lot of time on the sound. That's what i have become known for and so the more i push the envelope, the more people expect me to push the envelope to a point where the anti ups everytime I drop a record, because people's expectations are really high. So, its sort of a gift and a curse, but to get back to the subject:

I started making beats around 2001-2002 and in the two years leading up to "Connected" I just trained myself. I basically lived music during that time. People don't always understand that It Takes Time (pun intended), time and patience. I think personally switching to Pro Tools has *really* been the key to unlocking my potential much more, but others will have to decide on that.

Rhymehouse: Did you ever use fruity loops?

Nicolay: Nope, i have never used it personally. Even though that pops up from time to time. Before Pro Tools i used Cool Edit Pro and I sequence with modplug, which is something of a secret weapon since nobody has heard of it.

Rhymehouse: Kay-- "I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins." This is a line from the Langston Hughes piece that inspired "I've Seen Rivers"-- Can you tell us about the track, how you relayed the message and inspiration of the track to Nicolay to create the beat around it, and how often you look towards literature to inspire your own words and poetry?

Kay: Nice! I think that the poem he wrote was made to instill pride in a people that needed it at the time. To let folks know that the Negro had been a part of many great civilizations. I thought the idea that the rivers being a constant in that poem should have been touched on as well. As a writer if your words could feed civilizations...that would be so dope. That's what we all should strive to do. To place a mark in time with our words-- then music wouldn't seem so cheap.

Rhymehouse: What sets apart this record from all your past (solo/collab) releases collectively? What sets it apart from all the other hip hop records that are coming out lately?

Nicolay: I just see it as the next chapter in the book. All you want to do as an artist is get better, get more to the core of what you do, and i feel that in that sense. This is just the next step in our development and a step closer to the realization of our goals. Something that sets it aside from past releases is that we are doing this one 100% ourselves. So, it makes it "our baby" even more.

Rhymehouse: When you say 100% yourselves-- what does that entail exactly?

Nicolay: I started my own label last year in order to be able to release my music independently, and so this is an all in the family grassroots movement where pretty much every decision comes from us.

Rhymehouse: Kay-- Unfortunately, despite the dope indie scene with Bavu Blakes, Strange Fruit, Project, Mojoe, The Niyat, etc. Texas is most noted for candy paint, grills, and materialistic music-- What is the Houston/Texas scene really like and what do you add to it?

Kay: It could be better. But I do support all my fellow Texans on both sides of the spectrum because for a while no one was getting any love. I just try to learn from the Grind of a UGK or a Slim Thug and apply it to what I'm doing. Then try to help others out. Start a movement...hopefully.

Rhymehouse: You''ve been in the game for awhile now-- does the grind ever get to you? Get hard on you? Ever make you want to give up?

Kay: Not really. I just realize that being a person that people are willing to listen to even if I don't have distribution is a beautiful thing. I just want to do something that i can be proud of while i have my 15 minutes of shine.

Rhymehouse: Nicolay-- Europeans seem to be more open to new music. Do you feel that Euro's know hip hop better than the Americans? Is the support/love for your music different between the continents?

Nicolay: Well, Europe and Japan both definitely seem to have a little bit more of appreciation for 'art' rather than...well, the opposite of art i guess (Laughs). But, I don't think europeans 'get' hiphop better. In fact, they get some aspects of it and other aspects of it they totally don't. I think that while hip hop has grown to be an international genre by now, the birth of it was specifically something that happened in America's inner cities, but now europeans have given their own swing to it.

[Unfortunately, Kay had to break out with his family. Nicolay stayed to finish off the interview.]

Rhymehouse: What ONE record would you say is your most prized posession (Not the most expensive or rare, but the one that you would dive into a burning building and save) and why?

Nicolay: That's a very good question! First of all I'd probably be heartbroken about all the other records, but it would probaby be one of my Prince 12" inches that I would try to save. Something from the "Parade" era. That's when a lot of my interest in music got sparked!

Rhymehouse: What sets apart Nicolay + Kay from Foreign Exchange?

Nicolay: There's a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. The main difference obviously is Kay. I have a great chemistry with both Phonte and Kay, very different chemistry, but great on both parts. I think this album just shows Kay's personality more than anything...

Rhymehouse: You all have used new technological advances to make great music together over the internet. How do you feel about other technological advances such as file sharing, bootlegging, and blogs that post full album downloads for free? How does it affect you as an artist?

Nicolay: I mean, it's pretty much unstoppable at this point. It's just the human character I guess (Laughs). The only thing is-- downloading is one thing, to kinda testdrive the music I guess, but its important that people start understanding that the independent artists that they love do need their support or its a wrap! Support your favorite artists!

Rhymehouse: Can we expect a Nic and Kay tour? Tell us why fans would want to go see a LIVE show?

Nicolay: You can definitely expect some shows. Not necessarily in the form of a big tour but more 'hit and run'. We are really interested in taking it to the people...

Rhymehouse: What future projects can we expect from Nic? Kay? Both of you together?

Nicolay: I'm doing the new Foreign Exchange album next, as well as a new installment in the Dutch Masters series. Kay is doing several projects too, but we're also continuing to record together, so people will definitely see more Nicolay & Kay stuff throughout the year(s)!!!

Nicolay and Kay- Time: Line In Stores Now!!