Kidz in the Hall are not like the others, even if critics say Double-O and Naledge belong in the room reserved for hipster rappers. If only these same critics would listen to their sophomore album The In Crowd (Duck Down Records). As the album title implies, the duo are not trying to be affiliated with a marginalized sub-group within the hip hop spectrum, they are aiming to appeal to the masses while keeping their integrity intact.
A mixture of Double-O’s eclectic soundscapes and Naledge’s premature yet nostalgic lyricism spill through out The In Crowd – a much more cohesive effort than their debut album School Was My Hustle. Proof of Kidz’s attempt to please a myriad of hip hop tastes lies in the collaborations: Whereas School Was My Hustle was light on them, The In Crowd has a smorgasbord of partnerships from Estelle to Bun B; hardly the type of artists hipsters champion.
On the day their album hits stores, VIBE.com talked to Kidz in The Hall about their new direction and some of the highlights they remember from the making of The In Crowd.
VIBE.com: What’s the feel of The In Crowd?
Double-O: It’s the greatest album ever sold.
Naledge: We stand at a certain position in this hip hop game, where we can make any type of record for any type of person, and appeal to any type of rap fan. That’s kind of what The In Crowd symbolizes. We got everybody from Travis from Gym Class Heroes, to Camp Lo to Black Milk, Guilty Simpson all the way to Buckshot, Sean Price, The Cool Kids, Bun B, [and] Pusha T from the Clipse,
Which one of those artists made you feel like you couldn’t believe this just happened?
Naledge: It was definitely memorable to work with Sean Price and Buckshot, those are the people I really looked up to, also Camp Lo. It was an honor to actually meet those dudes. Estelle is probably the realist, realist person we’ve ever dealt with.
Double-O: What we’re doing is not so much incorporating the tracks, but more of the feeling – the feel that you heard when you heard Tribe, De La, Pharcyde, OutKast. Essentially what we tried to do is bring that back to this game. I’m not trying to make crazy tracks that sound exactly like Pete Rock, all I want to do is be what they were for our generation, and we can evolve to be that for this generation.
Which one, or more of these tracks on this album are your guys’ favorites?
Double-O: I like them all because they all represent a very, they all have a story behind them.
Naledge: “Inner Me” is probably my favorite record because it’s the most personal to me, More personal, my story, my feelings… just dealing with profound…not really fame but some notoriety, and just dealing with some family issues, relationship issues, just daily struggle, man.
Finish this sentence, “From this day on …”
Naledge: Blow the fuck up and be graceful while doing it.
Double-O: From this day forward I intend on being the closest thing to God, which means I’m pretty cleanly. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. I’m zestfully clean.
Do you guys prefer being on tour or in the studio?
Naledge: It’s starting to equal one another. I like the studio, I’m a lab rat. It’s the in-between time that I don’t like. If I can beam myself to every city, and not have to deal with the drive it would be so much better. Laughs.
Double-O: With me it’s the phases, if I am in a creative mode I just want to be in the studio, once that’s done get out and get on the road. I am trying to be out there in the summer time, come wintertime, its time to grind, put your hoodie on, get into the studio mode.
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