Kero One

Rapper-DJ Kero One Makes Waves in US

San Francisco-based rapper-DJ Kero One talks to The Korea Times about his second album ``Early Believers.'' / Courtesy of artist By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

With his infectious tunes, wicked rhymes and a positive message, web-designer-turned-rapper Kero One is making waves in the United States.

In an email interview with The Korea Times, Kero One talked about how he started as an indie artist and his own style of hip-hop music.

Born to Korean parents, Kero One grew up in San Francisco, Calif. Like many Korean children, his parents made him take piano and violin lessons, something he didn't exactly enjoy.

``I hated it (piano and violin), I dreaded practicing, but I did it. I also dreaded performing at piano recitals because I would get really nervous. At that time, I didn't think that I was good at making music. It wasn't until I started rapping and producing at age 15 that I realized I really liked making music,'' Kero One said.

After graduating from college, he worked as a web designer but music beckoned. A fan of hip-hop music, Kero One grew frustrated with the bad hip-hop music at that time, so he decided to make his own. Using home recording equipment and own credit cards, he came out with his first single in 2003.

``I just kept pushing myself and was inspired by all the encouragement I received from fans and friends. Starting out was tough. As many people know, I funded my projects on credit cards and did everything from personally passing out flyers, promos, and putting up posters to get my name out. There was no glamour in being an artist back then. I hustled hard, day and night, to get things started,'' he said.

By a stroke of luck, one of the 50 copies of Kero One's first single found its way in a record shop in Tokyo. A Japanese DJ played it at a club, and it elicited many inquiries, including a Japanese label executive who wanted 3,000 copies. It became a hit, and a few months later, Kero One was invited to perform in cities throughout Japan.

In 2005, Kero One self-produced his first full-length album ``Windmills of the Soul.'' The album was well received by critics and fans, and was even named Best Hip-hop album of 2006 by Reemix magazine.

Buoyed by this success, Kero One decided to make the leap of fate and quit his job as a web designer in 2006. ``I felt like pursuing music full time was my calling,'' he said.

By 2007, Kero One opened the office and recording studio for his own Plug Label in downtown San Francisco. This year, he released his sophomore album ``Early Believers,'' featuring collaborations with British singer Ben Westbeech, Finnish singer Tuomo, and Portland's Ohmega Watts.

``I made sure that every track on my album was a track that I love. The way I test songs to make it to my album is if I can listen to it over 50 times straight and I don't get sick of it, then it will make it to my album,'' he said.

His style has been compared to Common, Q-tip, and Kanye West, but Kero One's music is very positive and upbeat, something that people can appreciate in these difficult times.

``My sound can be labeled as uplifting but soulful. My catalogue of music includes a lot of messages about hope and encouragement, which is something that a lot of people, such as myself, need in these economic difficulties and trying times. I like to entertain people but I always want to convey some sort of message that people can find hope in. In every dark situation there is light, as long as you care to find it right? I want to share that hope,'' he said.

Kero One shared the stage with top Korean hip-hop group Epik High at their concerts in Seoul and U.S. last May, and worked with them on their book album ``Map the Soul.''

``They're all great guys. One thing I noticed immediately was that despite the fact they are stars in Korea, they are level headed and real people. I knew about Epik for a while because I always liked what they were doing musically, especially being that they are fellow Koreans. They've also asked me to do some production work for them so you can expect more collaborations in the future,'' he said.

As for the future, Kero One hopes to continue making music and blogging on kero1.com. ``I will also work on perfecting my Korean grammar skills so that one day I may be able to rap in Korean,'' he said.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr