MIC CHECK WITH KEKOTO
Shot by Vincent Mercado
A few weeks ago, one of our dedicated writers, Sik, caught up with rising North-West London rapper Kekoto ahead of the release of his latest project, 'In the meantime…'
Kekoto is a rapper from North-West London characterised by his smooth lyricism and harmonious flow. Some of his hit singles include fan-favourite 'Kit freestyle' and most recently ‘Luv in da endz’ off of his new tape. In addition to his musical endeavours, Kekoto also runs emerging fashion brand Mismaf (Misfit Mafia.)
Read our conversation with Kekoto below;
Sik: Thank you Keko for accepting to chat with Kids These Days. How long have you been making music for?
Keko: I started making music in 2018. It's just been a journey since then.
Sik: You've got your tape coming out soon. What's the journey between starting music and now putting out a debut tape?
Keko: It's been a sick journey. Initially, I wanted to put this tape out as a placeholder. Like a collection of vibes for me to put out while I work on the next album. I was gonna name the tape "fuck it" but my producer didn't want me to, so I decided to name it ‘In the meantime...’ That kinda fits the theme and message of what the tape's about. In the meantime, this is where we're at but we're working to get there type shit. I feel like a lot of people can relate to that. We're all doing what we can to get to where we want to be.
Sik: Where are you trying to get to?
Keko: 100 million man, Jay-Z! Nah, I'm just trying to get to a place where the music is funding itself and I have an audience that I can put out music to. There's a lot of noise in London so I'm just trying to cut through, hit my target audience, and make music out for them. I feel like my music's not for everybody but that's a good thing innit, I don't want to make music for everyone. If it's for everyone it's vanilla, I'd rather it be Marmite, you either like it, or you don't, or you can acknowledge that it's not for you.
Sik: Who produced the tape?
Keko: My boy, NV, produced the tracks. For most of the tracks, we sat down and I'd say this sounds hard and direct him a bit. I don't think you've met NV, he just stays in the studio. I've produced a few beats but I haven't put out anything I produced.
Artwork by Aaron Paul Walker
Sik: Who's your favourite feature on the tape?
Keko: There's one from Aonenine, I haven't sent you the tape yet, but it's fucking cold. I can't wait for everyone to hear it.
Sik: What was your favourite moment putting together the tape?
Keko: That's a good question. Probably, completing "Plain Clo'." That's my favourite track on the tape because the beat's so hard. For me, if I've got a beat, I'll record it one time and leave it. But for this one, I recorded a verse, came back, and added a second verse but decided it could be better. I went back and changed the verse, that's one of my favourite tracks to date.
Sik: What's the main inspiration behind the tape?
Keko: Like I said before, the whole ‘in the meantime’ thing. It's got so many meanings. It's not just me making a tape and putting it out until we can get to that next point. There are a lot of people I wanted to work with that I felt weren't aware of who I was. I didn't just want to sit around and wait for them to find out, so I put out this tape and hopefully it reaches the people it needs to reach so we can level up. Musical inspirations: life, girls, my friends, the mandem, just being out and about with my boys. This tape's been like a year in the making. Over the year, I've been doing a lot of things. Seeing my friends accomplish so many things: seeing Mello's process of working on his film and seeing how focused he was. Shoutout Mello. It's crazy, seeing him focus on that for like 2 months, no parties, nothing. I love working, but I love playing as well so it's like. Life, my friends, and gyaldem.
Sik: Why did you start music?
Keko: Curiosity. I was around a lot of my friends who were making music at the time. I wasn't making music but it was one of those things at the back of my mind, like I can do this and it wasn't until I booked a studio session that I realised I could really do this. It was always at the back of my mind but it was one of those things where you don't know until you do it. I started when I was 19-20, the stuff I've been talking about in my music has changed a lot as well. There's a lot more meaning to it.
Sik: Is music your only form of artistry?
Keko: I design mismaf as well, that's like a creative umbrella. All of my music is under mismaf. It's like a clothing brand, a collective...
Sik: Who are your dream collaborations?
Keko: Jamiroquai bro, Jamiroquai and Skepta. Jamiroquai is so steezy. I need one of his hats, I would never take that hat off.
Sik: What were you listening to growing up?
Keko: I'm 25 now, so growing up I was listening to a lot of R&B, and then YouTube came about so I was listening to a lot of Lil Wayne, then Chief Keef and Playboi Carti. I feel like my music is an amalgamation of loads of different sounds. I wish I could DJ as well. I'm not blowing my trumpet but I feel like I have a really good ear for music. I feel like that's an essential part of DJing.
Sik: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Keko: Now, I feel like I've laid foundations. In 5 years, hopefully, I'll be doing this on a bigger level, it's funding itself. Yeah, man. Just doing this at a higher level, Mismaf's going crazy, doing bare popups, doing shows in different countries.
Shot by Vincent Mercado
Sik: As an artist, how did you find the pandemic?
Keko: I feel like it helped me. In London, there's a lot of noise and there's something going on every day. As I said, I love to party but there comes a point where you've kind of got to hone in and be in solitude. I feel like I wouldn't have started mismaf if it weren't for lockdown. I was just at home thinking of creative endeavours I could explore outside of music and fashion is something I've always loved and it didn't feel inorganic.
Sik: How do you avoid burnout?
Keko: That's a great question. Whenever I'm nearing a burnout point, I'll acknowledge it and take some time out to reset my mind, refresh, and get back to it.
Sik: What do you have coming up next?
Keko: Who knows? I defo want to do a headline show. More mismaf drops. At the moment, a lot of shit is going on behind the scenes. I'd rather show than tell.
Sik: If you could tell everyone listening to the tape one thing, what would it be?
Keko: Just the name of the tape, ‘In the meantime…’. Acknowledge where you're at and where you want to be and do what you can to get there.
Its hard not to feel that Kekoto’s journey is just getting started, we’ll be there along the way to see the heights he reaches. In the meantime… enjoy the tape.