By J-Key Cho (TheSource.com)

Rawkus Records presents Krukid

Straight out of Uganda, Krukid is an emcee from Africa currently residing in Champaign, Illinois to pursue his lifelong dream as a voice of his people. Releasing two critically acclaimed albums, and currently on tour with the help and guidance of the world famous Rawkus records, Krukid is steadily developing his niche in the underground Hip-Hop scene. The good folks at the (TheSource.com) spotted this up and coming emcee, and was able to have an interesting discussion concerning Hip-Hop, Africa and of course The Source.

(TheSource.Com): How are you? I think is only appropriate that you start off with a quick introduction of yourself, where you’re coming from and what is you here to do.

Krukid: I’m Edwin, I’m a musician, and I go by Krukid. And I’m a Hip-Hop artist from Uganda, East Africa. I’m on CashHill. We have a deal with Rawkus. I’m part of the Rawkus 50, a collective of Hip-Hop artists that were chosen. I came here to study graphic design, but I’ve always been an emcee at heart, and I pursue that with all my heart.

(TheSource.Com):How did you first get into this game?

Krukid: My basic entry into the game was back home. They weren’t really paying attention to Hip-Hop at all. It wasn’t really represented well, so a group of talented friends and I formed a crew called Urban Thugz Crew, and the radio wasn’t feeling that so we called it Urban Life. And we won a nationwide competition. We got to record this one single the radio was going to play, it took awhile to record just one song, and that was my first entry into the game. When the song finally got recorded, and it started to get the buzz on the radio, when the thing started to go great for that I had to leave for the States.

(TheSource.Com):Do you have a role model as an emcee?

Krukid: When we first started, we listened to a lot of the West Coast. Maybe say 98, is when we started to get cable. And it was the South African version of the cable it wasn’t the American version. So many artists including, Dr.Dre and Tupac who was killing it at the time. And Pac and Biggie was definitely doing their things. Warren G “Regulate”, Snoop, 213…All that. That was kicking at the time, it started with Biggie, Jay, Busta Rhymes…and we started getting into the Wu-Tang Clan. We got into Lost Boyz…but overall I would say a collective of East Coast Hip-Hop emcees as a role model. And Tupac. And Hip-Hop is a voice to the people, that’s what the West Coast said to me. The East Coast said is a colorful voice. You could paint pictures like nobody could believe. Like what Biggie was doing and Jay-Z of course. I never really try to copy anybody; I just study him or her. That’s why I speak about home so much, because that’s who I am.

(TheSource.Com): Coming from a culture very different from yours what are your opinions on America?

Krukid: It’s got a lot of opportunity. A lot of energy, not always positive, but definitely not always negative. I feel really bad sometimes, that they’re portrayed a certain way to the rest of the world but on the other hand, they also perpetrate, and people really go off on what they see on TV. And that’s any culture, not even Hip-Hop. Sometimes, the stereotypes are emulated beyond belief. Is comical. A lot of people don’t have individuality. I don’t even know how to explain it; I just know that it is a very interesting place.

(TheSource.Com): Tell us about Cash Hill Records, and Anti Heroes Crew. How are you related with them?

Krukid: Aight, lets start with Cash Hill. Sanyankanta is the owner of Cash Hill, his also a very talented musician. The dude first put me on was Derek Linzy and we were doing this music. It was on ground level. I mean everywhere you go you have people talking about the same stuff so I performed and gave it a complete different spin. Sayankanta was impressed with that. So we started working together and culmination of that was my first album, [Raisin In The Sun]. And Cash Hill put it out; we had great reviews, getting 4 out of 5 on Okayplayer. That was pressure, and it did a lot for me. And opportunity presented itself, and Rawkus loved the album and wanted to put it out. But they were issues with the sampling so we had to do a whole new album with no samples in two weeks, for the [African] album. From the first album there’s a song called “African American, American African”, so I basically was trying to talk about me getting here, the differences between people, how people view themselves, little things everybody thinks about each other or perpetuated by the media. And the second album was more of a tribute to where I’m from. Since I got this opportunity with Rawkus, I just made sure to represent for my people. Anti Heroes is my crew is John Doe and I. I met him on tour for [Raisin In The Sun] during the East Coast tour. I went to Cincinnati and started to connect and a crew formed. I mean a lot of producers that were feeling what we were doing it, wanted to be down with our sound. Is basically me, John Doe, J Dub, Timeless from Florida, my boy Blast the Beats from Europe, we got couple other people. Big up to Lu! Lu’s the engineer. And they are a lot of affiliates.

(TheSource.Com): How is the Hip-Hop scene in Uganda or Africa in general? Is it an active population?

Krukid: Hip-Hop scene in Africa is crazy right now actually. I mean when I was back in Uganda there weren’t that much internet access, so I wasn’t able to connect with a lot of my people back there like I’m doing now. Back in Uganda there weren’t that many of us really repping like that. Now there kind of is, but I got to say they are some distinct people that really know what their doing. I mean when I finally got in contact with them people out there, and they contacted me for what I’m doing, like the African scene is quite crazy right now. South Africa’s been doing his thing, in Somalia that dude K’naan’s been doing his thing, his on tour with Mos Def right now, that boy Bamboo from Kenya. I mean everybody is doing his or her thing. Pushing into their own, the African Hip-Hop scene is on their own.

(TheSource.Com): In [African] it seemed you have decided to put an extra inch of focus on the issues that are ongoing at this moment. Do you think substance is an essential quality in your music?

Krukid: Yea, man I mean I try to report. Is probably more news than fiction. For one, people are so caught up in here, of what is happening right now. They can afford to, which is cool. Me all I try to do everyday is step outside of the box. Because Hip-Hop is too good of an instrument to play like that. You can find million ways to talk about what you have, as oppose to people around you. I try to talk about people around me, because what affects me usually affects everybody else around me. I try to put that in music like is bigger that you’re wearing, what you driving, who you in bed with. Show people around you what are happening to them. Some of the stuff I talk about sounds like it only happens to people outside of this country, but it happens here everyday. Like not all black people hustle, there’s still people in extreme poverty, there’s people on the street, there’s people who don’t get medication. I try to talk about what’s going around me; I did [African], because nobody talks about what’s going on in Africa. Is not really put out there….

(Source.Com): What is the Rawkus 50? Who is part of this movement? Will we see a resurrection of Rawkus? And how is Rawkus managing this?

Krukid: Cool, cool. Kaimbr, Kaze, Wildabeast, Prime, Kojoe, Finale, L.E.G.A.C.Y from Justus League, SunN,Y. who won that Jermaine Depuri thing, The Regiment, Willie Evans Jr. The thing is Rawkus understands that the record industry is evolving, while major industry is dying. Is coming to a process where things have to evolve. And right now on the ground level, the music that’s really moving is the music people feel. There’s a difference between an artist who’s on TV with a video out, and a dude that actually gets on stage and can actually rock a crowd, rock a show. Half of these dudes can’t rock a show. Half these dudes can’t hold their breadth long enough to rock a show. I mean we could get into so many things on that. But like cats underground, like Murs, like rappers who have their own festivals. The touring artists are the ones that actually put there time in and go out there. You actually have to go out and people feel you so you actually have a support. Those are the cats that just started to get respect right now. Common just got number one spot for his album. What Rawkus is doing is basically supporting them dudes that could actually rock a show, and allowing them to use their name in that manner, and helping artists to support each other, because most of the people in my city don’t know 49 of these cats. So through a process like this, it builds a name, so is like a push kind of thing. Brian and Jarret are doing a beautiful thing with that, the camaraderie of the artists are beautiful. I’ve already done a couple shows with artists. Rawkus is helping to push a movement that has already started.

(TheSource.Com): What is your opinion on the current Hip-Hop scene?

Krukid: Hip-Hop is like that dead monster in the end of the movie with that egg in the basement. Because honestly Hip-Hop didn’t go nowhere just because it ain’t on TV. Just because five or six, representatives on TV are saying Hip-Hop is dead…I mean his a true legend, a great artist, but people’s been out here doing their things. Hip-Hop has evolved into so many different things. I mean cats from Minneapolis, Rhymesayer cats have been doing their thing…

(TheSource.Com): Them cats are selling more records than people on majors and shit!

Krukid: Yea, exactly! Their Hip-Hop. For somebody to say Hip-Hop is dead is like saying nobody is doing his or her thing out here. Like Justus League don’t exist, Def Jux don’t exist you know? Is because is not major. I don’t agree with that. Mainstream version of Hip-Hop is a sham. There’s couple real cats in their of course, cats who done their thing. But Hip-Hop on the ground level is still Hip-Hop. Whatever they threw on the media, and decided to call that Hip-Hop like everybody else, that’s bullshit to me. To me Hip-Hop is very much alive. Is out here, is not pictured in the media the way it was used to be, is sad. Is very sad to me. I think Hip-Hop is alive and well, it went down and it’s re-growing.

(TheSource.Com): Did you ever think, that the people who have once exploited and still exploiting Africa are doing anything to help the continent?

Krukid: I mean there are couple people doing things to help. No lie but for the most part, the industry as a whole is built on taking from people. Is nothing for free, something everybody gives you, whatever you take they probably taken from you twice as much. And Africa is right now a hot topic. Angelina’s got a million babies. And you know what? If I was that kid, it would be a blessing. I really can’t front on that. And big ups to Bono, and Jay-Z for giving us water. If I can’t do it, I’m not going to fault someone else for doing it, regardless of how it looks. For the most part, the rest of the attention on Africa feels superficial. Like there is a reason behind it. This place has been raped until its ravaged. We don’t owe anybody anything. Jay-Z is African American, his great, great, grandfather was a slave, and so his might as well be African. That’s how I look at it so his more or less giving back to his people. I hope is not a new trend, like lets get those babies out. Africa has always been rich. Even when it was taken from, even when people were poor. Africa has had its problems, I’m not saying people from the West have brought all those problems, but they multiplied and compounded one million percent. So everything they’re doing, they owe us or they owe it. And if people are going to find out about what’s going on outside is a good thing. I hope is not a mercy popularity contest.

(Source.Com): So let’s talk about Uganda, it has been a hot issue because of a recent film called the “Last King Of Scotland”? What did you think of it?

Krukid: It was well done man. And that is basically what happened. I mean Idi Amin was a crazy person! He was a crazy genius, a military genius. His power corrupted ultimately, and in return of that a lot of people died. Uganda is a real stable place now. The current situation is pretty good, but the dude in power’s been in it too long. Some people want him, because the country was chaos, before him, but the other people are saying his been in it too long. Him and his generals are some of the richest guys in Africa. And they take basically whatever they want. Got hotels in Spain and shit. I can’t really justify that, when a lot of people back home are hungry. Like there is corruption everywhere you go. Right now Uganda is stable, and I hope it stays that way. There’s a capacity for things to go horribly askew.

(Source.Com): Do you think the Western World should do more for Africa? Or do the African people need to rise up for themselves?

Krukid: A little bit of both. The European invasion and colonization crippled Africa badly. It destroyed ideas about family, tradition, it made all these kids want to be white, want to be American, want to be European. It killed individuality. I thought it was bad back home, but is even worse here. There is no individuality over here. This is ridiculous, for people who are so free and independent, so many of them are robots here. People back home can only get so much. Is hard to make your own money back home, people usually leave to make money and come back, and those people usually don’t come back. I see the country get abandoned, when people get so used to things running on time, where everything is cleaned up, where everything works, is kind of hard for people to go back from those.

(TheSource.Com): Where do you want to take your music? Like Common did with his current superstar status or stay more rooted to the underground?

Krukid: I want to eat and feed my people. That’s the basic. Just give back to the people that helped me to get here. I have a feeling this music is going to be on a long way.

(TheSource.Com): What is your truthful opinion about The Source? Do you read it a lot?

Krukid: I mean there was one point, where I would rob someone to get a Source magazine. The Source was the Hip-Hop bible. The five mic was still five mic. The whole thing with Benzino soured me, but now when I pick it up is thinner, is more ads, I understand that money don’t grow on trees. I got mad respect for The Source, but am not in the old ways. Is just different I guess I’m just from a different school.

(TheSource.Com): Please give us some last words for the visitors of The Source Blog.

Krukid: Hip-Hop lives in whoever believes in it. It ain’t about the South or East, North or West. If Hip-Hop lives in the South, I as a Ugandan would know nothing about it. I would get on the phone, and my people would know nothing about it. That doesn’t make sense to me anymore, because Hip-Hop grew way beyond United States of America. And they should be proud of that.

(TheSource.Com):Please tell us what you come across in your mind when you hear these words.

1.Hip-Hop - Love
2.Rawkus – The shit
3.Idi Amin - Bitch

(TheSource.Com):Please tell us what you prefer.

Pac or Biggie – Pac
Mos Def or Talib Kweli – Mos Def
Africa or America – Africa

(TheSource.Com): Lasts but not least your favorite song on the radio at the moment?

Krukid: “The People” by Common