Triangle.com

Submitted by Mike Williams — Managing Editor

Right now, when many people outside North Carolina think NC hip-hop, artists like J. Cole, Phonte and 9th Wonder come to mind. And rightfully so, as these guys have made a name in the game and are enjoying success. But for those that live here, we know there are other artists right on the cusp. And Kevin Thomas, aka Kaze, is one of them.

Kaze, who is from Richlands and went to school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been rapping in the Triangle for long time. Many know him from winning the Loud.com MC contest in 2009, which earned him a record deal with SRC Records. With his latest mixtape, "Jersey In The Rafters," Kaze wants fans to see his "resume." Also known as "4Letters," Kaze has put in a lot of work in the Carolina music scene. Peep our seven questions with Kaze.

Q. You’ve been doing music for over a decade. I remember you at UNC doing shows at a bar on Rosemary Street. Being in Chapel Hill, did that change your approach to pursuing music?

Yeah you could say I’m a "young veteran" because I’ve been paying dues locally and beyond for years. ... Being in a town that is very youth driven and open to indie music and art, Chapel Hill definitely provided opportunity. At first I was like "move to NY or ATL," but I had such strong support here I was like why start all over? Make HERE hot because one day NC is going to be the HOTSPOT.

Opening for the big acts at Cats Cradle, shows on UNC campus, doing open mics at Local 506 and Jack Sprat gave me a platform and provided the foundation to build my name on. It prepared me for the big stages and battles. When I was coming up, Tyfu and Sankofa were the two biggest groups in NC and both were from the Hill, so I saw first hand you could be from here and make it work grassroots.

People weren't even mentioning Chapel Hill with Raleigh and Durham in the 919 hip-hop conversation but they do now. I’d like to think I had something to do with that. Now, with the success of artists like J. Cole, artists here are getting a look. I’m just glad that I invested in home from the very start ... and if I see a grey hair I pluck it.

Q. Let’s talk about the “Jersey In The Rafters” project. It has some of your best work. Why did you decide to put out a “best of” of mixtape?

I always say I’m the most known unknown. My career has been through its ups and downs with different labels (Rawkus, SRC) not promoting my music, so a lot of my better material went unnoticed or was just floating around on the net. Bottom line, I wanted to show the resume; what’s been done, who I’ve worked with and why I’m relevant when you talk NC hip-hop. For fans, it’s all the dope joints on one mixtape, and for those just tuning in, it's the proper introduction. Now we can move on to the new work.

Q. You mentioned the record labels. Update fans on your current situation. Still SRC?

No. It’s disappointing, but the SRC/Universal Motown situation didn’t work out for me. Thank Steve Rifkind for the $50k, but they didn’t give me the chance to succeed. I won the contest, worked and promoted my ass off but got no support. Lesson learned. It’s my independent imprint, SOUND of the CULTURE (SOTC) from here on out.

Q. I’ve been rocking with the collaboration you and Jozeemo did called “Pass Go.” When do we get a new Kaze project with all new music? What about more collabs with Jozeemo?

Jozeemo feat. Kaze "Pass Go" is hot in the streets right now! Nikki Nikole has been playing it on K97.5, we performed the song at Wale's show at Lincoln Theatre and just dropped the video for it all over the internet with 4FeatherFilms.

Me and Jozeemo go way back. We've battled, done shows and songs together before, and came up in this area grinding towards the same goal. With the recent controversy surrounding Jozeemo, 9th Wonder and myself, the talk was that we were "bitter" or "mad" and making up a publicity stunt. This song is a message for you haters; nah it’s about the TALENT. We are two of the ORIGINAL and TRUE reps of this area, so you're either going to respect that or PASS GO. When artists have mutual respect, and ain’t afraid somebody will get out-shined, you can make great collabs and join movements to promote twice as strong. Durham and Chapel Hill connected nice on that one so expect us to do more.

I’ll be releasing new material each month on kazemusic.com leading up to my album, KAZE "Carolina Wind" for early 2012.

I’m also excited to be a part of the new group and side project JETSETMAFIA "Sunglasses At Night." I got tired of feeling like I had to be in this box to be accepted musically. I love the underground rap scene, but I wasn't showcasing everything I could do that way. We're mixing hip-hop with house/club/dance/dubstep music. We just finished it. I wrote, produced and sang on the majority of the project so you'll all be seeing [different] sides of me [in 2012]. Check kazemusic.com weekly for all things new!

Q. You mentioned the Wale show at Lincoln Theatre (which included a dope freestyle where you politely told some N.C. State fans to back up because you’re a Tar Heel). And you just had a release party for “Jersey In The Rafters.” When is your next show?

LOL. No disrespect to NC State fans, but I went to UNC, so y'all already know what it is!!! In a freestyle, you say the first thing that comes to mind. I don't have any hate towards the Wolfpack, so don’t be like "we don’t listen to Kaze, he dissed N.C. State" LOL. In the end it’s all 919, so I rep for them too. Next show is Dec.1 with up and coming R&B sensation Amanda Barrino at Alphabet City in Chapel Hill [with a live band].

Q. Back to the freestyle. Did you catch any heat from Wolfpack fans? And, in general, why don’t we get more freestyles from artists anymore?

State fans got at me hard on Twitter and I've been hearing about it from friends of mine who love NCSU, but it’s all in fun and part of the rivalry. #TarHeels. Freestyling is a lost art, it shows true mental agility in the moment. I pride myself on being able to do that. It makes a show more than just rapping the CD. The era I’m from it was part of being a well-rounded emcee, to be able to go off the top. I learned watching Supernatural, and the homey Spectac, what type of reaction you get when the crowd knows "hey this is real, he’s making this up RIGHT NOW!" It sets you apart from everybody else ... it’s a mind trick, the real Jedis can do it, if you not a Jedi you can't. (Watch the freestyle)

Q. In your mind, what’s the state of North Carolina hip-hop and how do we get to the next level?

We are the most talented state, bottom line. It’s bigger than me; it’s the entire movement of NC artists on the rise right now.

J. Cole's success has been inspiring, now we know it can be done on THAT level. There are artists, DJs, radio [personalities] and producers in this area continuing to work together, and push themselves outside of the state as well. I don’t think there is a magic formula, but I’m doing my part, and if everybody else does them, I don't think we've seen the biggest thing to come from here, YET. ;)