Kero One: DIY Rap

When Kero One suddenly made it big in Japan, the news knocked him for a loop. But one can't blame him for being so surprised to discover that he had gained an overseas fan base overnight. After all, the jazz hip-hopper had spent years toiling in San Francisco’s music scene as an MC, producer and DJ with little to show for it.

“I thought I could bring in a different element to hip-hop, but I was still somewhat unsure because I was just a nobody,” the Korean-American MC says in the days before his August 25 Yugong Yishan show. “As an Asian kid without industry connections, I had a few obstacles to climb.”

Below Kero One tells us how he leaped over those hurdles, and got props from one of the Black Eyed Peas along the way.

How did you become famous in Japan?
Using the DIY approach, I distributed 50 copies of my 12-inch, Check the Blueprints, around the world and eventually a couple landed in small record shops in Japan. A DJ found one and he played it that night at his club. He was bombarded with people asking about the record. Eventually a distributor in Japan contacted me; he wanted 3,000 copies that week. Next thing I knew, I was touring the nation.

Give us the details of your do-it-yourself work ethic.
It's weird if I think about it. When I first started over ten years ago, I read books about the music industry and starting record labels. And then I realized that it was more than making music. I had to do some web design, some accounting, and a little bit of marketing so that people could find out about my music. Above all, I had to rely on myself and hustle, because nobody would work harder to push my own music.

Do you think that approach is now necessary? Or can artists still survive by leaning on their labels?
The do-it-yourself work ethic is responsible for my career. Without it, I wouldn't be here doing this interview today. I wouldn't have gotten endorsements from celebrities like will.i.am and Epik High. Artists that aren’t cookie-cutter are blowing up these days because they did it themselves and went directly to the fans. Most major labels won’t even take you seriously now unless you've already made some noise on your own. Starting independent labels and uploading your music to the web is becoming the norm. I believe this do-it-yourself ethic is sure to stay for a while.

Kero One will perform at Yugong Yishan on Aug 25 at 9pm. Tickets are RMB 150 at the door, RMB 100 advance. For more info, visit Yugongyishan.com.

Photo: Channelapa.com