Pyroradio.com recently caught up with Liverpool Rapper Young KOF, who has been making waves on the UK scene with tracks such as `Body Rock`, `Where Did We Go Wrong`, `80`s Baby` and now `Represent`.  Currently co-signed by many of th UK major players we caught up with KOF to give you an insight into the man, his music and his movements!

Tell me about you in 5 short sentences

I`m from Liverpool.
I lived in London for a few years.
I`m an artist who understands that music should be made to have fun, inform and bring people together.
I`m something different that what you`re used to!
I`m an easy going type of dude!

How did you get into music?

I`ve always been a fan since my early years. I used to watch MJ, Earth Wind and Fire and artists like that. From there it`s just been with me. I used to always get involved in school events like concerts and talent shows but it weren`t until I started writing my own stuff in college when I started getting into it propperly. I wrote a few tracks and recorded one, and somebody in the studio at the time was listening and ended up asking me to do a set at a rock show which was crazy coz I was doing rap. The response was good though and it kinda just went from there. I`ve been doing shows ever since and had a bunch of tunes on radio and shot a few music videos. (You Tube Baby!!) I also started a music company with my cousin and manager Yaw `B- Dizzle" Owusu. We got a studio facility that we rent out and we do rap workhops in schools and work with a lot of the youth in some of the different communities in Liverpool.

So you have huge support from the likes of Galaxy, Pyro and other radio stations for songs such as Body Rock, Revolution, 80`s Baby and Represent, why do you think these stations keep picking up and supporting your tracks?

Yeah the response from these stations has been really good for me. I think they pick my music up because it`s something different. It`s fun while at time concious and it just relates well with the listeners. The UK scene is quite dominated by the south so it`s fresh to hear artists from other places around the country. Everybodys got different experiences to talk about or just different points of view. The radio stations have definitely came out and supported what I`m doing and seem to enjoy the music I`m bringing to them. We don`t have any pirate radio stations here to get local artist on and help build a scene so it`s good that these stations are reaching out.

I have read that you have opened up for the likes of Ms Dynamite, Lupe Fiasco and Akon, what has been your best show, and what do you prefer performing or recording?

My best show was one in liverpool last year. It was for a festival here called Brouhaha International and a group from back in the day called Aswad where perfoming. My mum used to always play their music when I was younger and I was on just before them. The crowd was crazy. There was few thousand people there, the sun was out an it was just a good vibe. I prefer performing to writing coz there`s a whole different energy going on because the crowds reactions are instant so you have to step your game up to make sure you don`t loose them. There`s no other feeling like walking off stage and the people watching were enjoying what was going on. Sometimes I`ll write my songs with the performance in mind. Like how will the crowd react if I do or say a certain line or do something on stage to go with this part. So they kind of compliment each other.

Since you kinda came onto the scene you have collabed with Sway, Big Narstie, L Dot Man, Skinnyman, Rodney P, Rukus and so many more, who has been your favourite and who else in the UK do you want to work with and why?

All the artists that I work with all bring something different to the table and I learn things from them in different ways so for me to say one favourite would be kinda FFF`D. Skinnyman`s charisma in the studio is heavy. Like he`s a proper safe guy! Some artists out there think they`re too good to jump on a tune and just enjoy making music with fellow artists. Skinnyman was just real though. He came to the studio, bust a few jokes, done some verses and it was all good. There`s nuff artists and producers that I want to work with in the UK. Like Klashnekoff, Ny, Doc Brown, Hoodman just to name a few. I wouldn`t mind working with Taio Cruz, Sticky and Dexplicit on production.  But anyone really who`s producing good music. If there`s anyone who produces any Neo-Soul kinda beats, definatly get on me through myspace coz I wanna do a little bit of that too. Stretch the vocal chords and that! ha ha! I still want to do more music with the artists and producers that I`ve worked with though coz the stuff we`ve come up with has always worked well.

You rep Liverpool to the fullest, do you think it has been hard to get known in a scene that is very much London-artist dominated?
 
I definitely think it`s harder but at the same time I know it must be hard for a lot of artists in London coz there are so many doing it there and everybody`s hungry an grinding. In a way though it`s kinda been a blessing for me because it means that people take a little more notice when they hear some of my stuff and they like it. Being from he north west I stand out, plus there`s not a lot of artists doing it here so I kinda filled a gap in the market for Liverpool. My manager an me both work hard at what we do so if it means we`ve gotta push harder to get noticed, then we do that. The support has been good though so we know it`s working.

Where would you say your place is in the scene - as far as talent and even bracket-underground, commercial etc?

My place in the scene is kinda weird coz I`m not just 1 genre of music. Like, I don`t just rap. A may sing on a nice little R&B tune but then switch up and do something that`s kinda political, addressing certain social issues. I might do something with a commercial edge to it just coz thats how I felt at the time. I kinda making my own place in the scene.

Tell me about your current LP - Still Me

Well it`s my best best cd so far. I called it `Still Me` coz it`s a little different from my older stuff coz I was experimenting with other type of sounds on there. I just wanted to let the people who have followed me so far to know that I`m still learning and trying new things out with my music. I`ve got a tune called get `Getaway` which is inflenced by a few different genres like Dancehall mixed with some Indie, Hip-Hop and a little R&B in there too. It`s just got loads of flavour. I`ve got the "80`s Baby" track which samples Calvin Harris`s "Acceptable in the 80`s" tune where I`m rapping over this electro, dance kinda vibe. It`s just music thatI wanted to make that let`s the listener get to know me and what I`m about. It`s nice an fresh! Go get it!! Ha! Ha!

So what have you got planned for 2008?

I`m starting work on my first proper album soon so I`m just getting some beats together and thinking about what artists to work with on it. I`m looking to release that next year. At the moment I`m focusing on getting more shows under my belt and doing some features with some other UK artists. I`ve got a couple of verses on a few tunes coming out so keep an ear out for some of them. I`ve just came back from Africa, for the African Cup Up Nations where I`ve been working with some artists out there. So I want to do a little more music with them. I`m writing some songs for a few uk artists and working with a bunch of artists in Liverpool. My company URBEATZ have just started doing some work with a theatre company called `20 Stories High` where we`re taking some of my music and devising a production based on the issues in the songs. Other than that I`m just working out getting my name and my music to more ears. So Spread the word!

For more on KOF : www.myspace.com/youngkofurbeatz

Still Me Released 3rd March 2008

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