Kweku Collins

I had never met Kweku Collins (or really heard much of his music) before him and I sat down to do this interview at the office of his label, Closed Sessions, where I myself used to intern. I wasn’t sure what to expect, being I had never interviewed someone as young as Kweku, who just graduated high school at the end of May. When I got to the office, I was greeted by an extremely exuberant young man eager to discuss and show me new music he had been working on. For the next hour and a half, Kweku and I had an amazing conversation about local and global art, his background and many, many things that didn’t make the final cut for the interview. Kweku is one of my favorite young musicians in Chicago because of his youthful determination to create positive change, in any regard. May it be in his music of how he treats a random passerby on the street, Kweku always seems to have a glowing energy beaming out of him that everyone can learn something from: being a good person is everything.

When did you start working with Closed Sessions? Has it been something that’s been behind the curtains for a while?

I wouldn’t say for like a while-while. I emailed Alex (Fruchter) in January or February. But we’ve only known each other for a couple months now. It’s been in the works for a few months.

Is the idea of taking your music bigger and perusing a career with it a new idea?

No. My family members are musicians by trade. My father’s been a musician for 50-some odd years and so that now falls on me to continue with it.

So there are expectations?

Not really expectations. I’m around my dad so much that I’ve been exposed to music since I was a baby, and since I’ve been playing so long, I always knew I would end up doing this. It wasn’t really until I started making hip-hop music my freshman year of high school and progressed to the point where I felt confident in what I was doing that I really decided it was what I was going to do.

What did you play when you were younger?

My dad is an African/Latin percussionist so I grew up playing a lot of African drums and Latin rhythms. As I got older, I started listening to more types of music, it all started blending into one thing. I listened to Mickey Hart, the drummer of Grateful Dead, who made this world music album that had every type of percussion under the sun on it. That really influenced me.

So does your dad still play music?

Oh yeah.

Is there a scene for African music here?

Not really. Since he plays a lot of Latin music, too, he does a lot of work with Latin groups and jazz groups. Any place that has room for a percussion player. He also works as a teacher’s aid and aids with special needs students, but he’s retiring this year and hopping back into music more.

Take me through your phases of music listening.

OOO, okay so from birth, my constant has been African music, Brazilian music, more traditional stuff. For a while, my only way to hear music was through my pops, not because they kept it away from me but back then, the internet wasn’t popping like it is now and we didn’t have MTV and shit, so he fed music for a while. He was the one who showed me The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Sam Cooke and the whole soul sound. Then around 11 years old, I started growing dreads for the first time and got really into Marley and Tosh. From then on, that’s what really grew into me and got me very invested in reggae. I was in 3rd grade when I started listening to hip-hop. My sister would play me stuff and that’s where I got my first taste.

Would you say reggae is your biggest influence? It sounds very prominent in your work.

It’s not something I make the effort to go for; I just would spend time around my Jamaican friends and listened to so much reggae growing up, I even picked up Patwa being around people speaking it, so it sometimes comes out in my voice. I don’t know how, I’m not Jamaican as far as I know. But the way that I sing, with it in there, is just how I’ve learned to sing. I guess the influence of reggae, like the influence of jazz and rock, worked its way into my music and really started to come out once I started producing my own stuff and finding my own sound.

How do you see yourself breaking into Chicago? You’re from Evanston and Evanston is definitely its own thing.

It’s weird because some people say that Evanston is part of Chicago but it’s not. Coming up, I always looked up to everyone in Chicago. Everyone in Savemoney, first with Chance then Vic Mensa, Joey Purp, Kami de Chukwu, Caleb James. From there, I found out about Saba and Mick Jenkins, and all the Free Nation dudes. Watching these dudes do what they do, I idolize a lot of them. There isn’t a lot happening in Evanston because it’s a small community. I realized if I got people to fuck with me from Evanston, Chicago would be the next step. It’s taking the steps to get to where I want to go and I know that growing a fan base in Chicago is the next step.

Where do you see yourself fit in within your label, Closed Sessions?

I don’t know, but I do think about that. For now, I realize I’m the young cat who doesn’t have a lot of weight to throw around. I do have weight…but not seniority. I feel this is my time to watch and learn from the artists around me doing their thing. Eventually, I feel my position will be secured in terms of “this is what I am to the label” but for now, this is more my time to make music and create but also be really observant of how things work around here.

Do you think you’re prepared for the industry bullshit that’s to come? Like taking photos with fans, do the promo for your music, etc.?

I think I’m definitely ready for that. Not like, “Oh, I can’t wait!” but you know. I’m a very patient person and I like to think I’m a humble person. I know what I am, I know who everyone else is. I always try to remind myself that there’s always somebody better than me. I’m never done trying to be better so it’s hard for me to get a swelled head. So if people fuck with me to the point they want to take a picture of me, all the power to them. My appreciation for that level of support will never fade out. Even an autograph, I couldn’t fathom the thought that someone would want me to write my name on a piece of paper for him or her. That thought it crazy and I really don’t think that’ll ever go away.

So are you the type of artist who wants to put a lot of branding behind Kweku Collins?

I’ve never really thought of myself as a brand outside of just me being me. I view it kind of as I’m just going to go in the directions I want. I’m not going to adhere to one thing or another. Things will come as they come and what is to be must be. I’m not going to get stuck in one box of what my brand should be because I might always look like this or talk like this or think the things that I think. I guess my brand is constantly evolving.

It always takes me seeing someone perform live for me to really become invested in his or her music. Have you played live a lot in terms of rapping? Do you get excited? Do you dread it?

I really love performing. I enjoy it so much. When I was putting out rap tapes, stuff with little melody, I wasn’t nervous really because if I knew the words, I was good. But, now that I have this sound that involves melody, being on key is SUPER important. I hate, hate, hate watching artists that can’t get the pitch right in a song.
Of course, no one is perfect, but hitting most if not all of the notes during your performance is so important to me. That’s where the pressure is to me. I feel I need to be as close to perfect as I can be every time I play.

If you could give a message to people as to why people should listen to you, what would it be. You have 30 seconds.

I’m genuine. I’ve never not been genuine and I’m never going to be not genuine. Even if I’m saying something that seems totally out of my character, it will still be genuine because it’s coming from a place of honesty. If you don’t understand it on the first try, try it again on the second and you will see how it intertwines itself. It’s hard to be genuine. It’s hard to be completely honest all the time but just try. Try to be genuine when you smile to someone walking down the street because they will smile back and you will make them happy. Genuinely try and help people. Even if you’re sad, be genuine about the tears running down your face. It sounds corny, but that’s just how it is. That’s the way we can get this world peaceful is if were genuine to people. ~~~

Juttin