some more of that #REALHIPHOP knowledge via Killah Trakz.

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VEE: before we get into it, could you kindly introduce (or re-introduce) yourself to the folks at home? how’d you get into this music thing and what continues to drive you to pursue it?

TRAKZ: Peace, my name is Killah (pronounced Kill (ah)) or K allah Trakz. Got into music from my childhood friend and partner in rhyme Brian Goode. In all honesty I just one day started freestyling out of thin air and it stuck. I’ve heard some of my songs got people emotional, even changed lives. I’m Haitian and it’s tough having strict parents who follow a more traditional role in upbringing children in a dominant way, so since I was always in seclusion I kept rhyming. I feel as though this new generation associate my heritage with street credibility, but as artists we’re overlooked and I want to really break that barrier.

VEE: how did your contribution to #REALHIPHOP come about & had you worked with Pete before?

TRAKZ: I worked with Seattle-based producer Kev West on a project called #IHATEMIXTAPES which did phenomenal in numbers, and I guess Kev and Pete have history and the two spoke of me and now I’m here. This is my 1st time working with Pete.

VEE: what is your writing process like & how involved do you get with the producer when coming up with topics or themes?

TRAKZ: My writing process ….. If you hear, see, or I reply “WOO!” then the record’s done. 15 mins to write, 30 to record, so an hour of turn around time.  And producers usually give me full creative control on what I rhyme about.

VEE: this may seem like an overdone question to ask, but considering the album’s bold title, what is your own personal definition or interpretation of “real hip hop”?

TRAKZ: Real hip hop is like explaining love. It’s a definition so broad and so wide (pause) there’s no one word or a fair sentence to describe it. So I’ll go with emotions through the beat, the rhymes, and the mood/setting.

VEE: what’s the last piece of hip hop music you heard that flipped your wig?

TRAKZ: Eminem‘s “Rap God” or Busta Rhymes, who always re-invents himself. Between those two but Eminem‘s “Rap God“, sheesh.

VEE: last but not least, where can people go to check out your music or to get at you for shows or features?

TRAKZ: go to you favorite search engine and type Killah Trakz and everything would show up on me.

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V.