Japa: - Yo wordup G? Lets start this interview talkin a little about yaself. You have been in the rap game for awhile right? Tell us about it, how did you start, how was the process of putting the SPC together.

K-Rino: Thanks for having me...Yeah I've been doin it for 20 years now. The SPC
wasn't hard to put together at all. Actually it wasn't really put together, it kind of just evolved. People were just added based on friendships, relations thru rap and street connections. Before we knew it we was like 30 deep and its been growing every since.

Japa: Why K-RINO?

K-Rino: K-Rino stants for:

K illa
R hymes
I intellectually
N ullifying
O pponents

Japa: One curious thing about you K, is that anywhere we see you, music videos, on studio, or even in concerts we dont see u with jewelry, fancy cloths, smokin weed...

K-Rino: Because Ii dont have an interest in those things. We as people display and
reflect the things that interest us. Whether it be cars, jewelry, clothes or whatever.
The things that interest me are contained internally, not externally. Theres nothing wrong with having those things as long as they dont define you or you feel like you have to have or show them to be accepted as an important individual.

The problem is that these things have been magnified in value and given to society as a measuring stick of success.people feel like they will stand out by having a mouth full of diamonds and jewelry draped all over them, Im the opposite,I feel like I stand out by being one of the few rappers in the pack that doesn't perpetuate that sterotype. The weed and the drugs are a personal thing that I chose to not participate in.

So when you see me I look different in the eyes of the people because they have bought into this fallacy of what a rapper should look like. I choose to shine with my words and my music. Those other things are smoke screens, at some point, you as an artist have to stand on your own.

Japa: Who are your idol on the RAP? Who do u call the BEST OF ALL TIMES? Does he influenciated you in any way?

K-Rino: As I get older and more learned in hip hop and in history in general,I find it hard to proclaim one artist the best rapper of all time. Theres so many sub genres with the genre and many different styles of rap today. Also, everything is relative to the individual who is listening. One man's favorite is another man's least favorite.

So this is why you see debates about this because if you ask a thousand people who the greatest is,you'll get a variety of different names. In order to get it as accurate as possible, the first thing that has to be done would be to lay out maybe 10 things that serve as a criterior for what makes a rapper great.

Whoever fits the most of those catagories can be considered the best, but at the end of the day,its all relative,we can never say who is the best, but its up to each rapper to continue to striive to get better to make sure his/her name is mentioned in the discussion.Some of my personal favorites are krs-one,t-la rock, etc.

They had a big influence on me in terms of wanting to be intelligent in my lyrics and making sure i always have something meaningful to say.

Japa: Most people are curious to know what do u have on those BLACK BOOKS u hold in your album´s cover. Could you tell us about what are those books?

K-Rino: Those books are filled with lyrics I've written since day one. When one book filled up, I started a new one, Now im on my 7th which is the title of my new album book number 7. The holding of those books became my trademark so i take pictures with them, I perfom with them on stage and all that.They have taken on an identity of their own and people love it.

Japa: We knew about A.C. Chill death and we were one of the unique websites to publish that fact. But we couldn´t find much about it, could you tell us what do you know about his death?

K-Rino: First of all thank you for that...A.C. had a brain aneyurism and that's
when a blood vessel in your brain ruptures and hemmorages.this is what happened
to him. He had high blood pressure and that is one of the risks.

Japa: Some rappers after makin sucess they just forget from where they come from, you, otherwise keep in touch with ya hood right? Do U think that is where the power of your music come from? The hood itself?

K-Rino: The hood is where it started,but mental growth and knowledge is the key to
rellevance and success as an aritst. When u expand your pool of knowledge, you
increase your chances of being and remaining a force.

The more you know the more you can speak on.the hood keeps me grounded, because I make it a point to stay in tune with the activities of the hood as they pertain to black people and the struggles that we endure on a daily and yearly basis.also the blessing of being able to relay life experiences into your music in a way that is relatable to people keeps you around.

The best artists, whether rap,r&b,blues whatever,are the ones who the people can see themselves in.if you are so above the fans and are not in touch with the so called "regular person" then you wont last.

Japa: Is your music more GANGSTA or POLITICAL? Why?

K-Rino: Im not a gangsta or a politician,but Ii AM a "political gangsta". Im a
spiritual gangsta, Im a lyrical gangsta, Im a mixture and a concotion of every element of rap, based on my life and what I´vve done and what I know. Im a bridge that connects the real gangsta with the politician because I am blessed by GOD to be able to write in a way that explains the connection between the 2 and why dirty politics perpetuates gangsta-ism.

Society is set up to keep the poor man poor and the rich man rich,so the gangsta is created by a social condition that was formed by wicked politics.

Japa: The Rap game has changed a lot since 90´s, we see the south coming up with a lot of artists such Lil Jon, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Young Buck, T.I, what do you think about those new artists and how do you see the changes on the game itself? Cuz in the past we see the rappers talkin about the life on the streets, about their childhood, about their hood and nowadays only things u hear is about women, drinks, bling-blings and cars...

K-Rino: I´m all for those artists...I got nothin but love for them. But the industry feeds into sex,drugs,violence,and materialism so this is what sells and the artists continue to make these kinds of songs.Bottom line is that the people will eat what is fed to them.If all there is to eat is chocolate then the people will get used to eating only chocolate,especially if that's all they ever had.

This is a new generation of rap fans, they have little or no knowledge of history to know that there are alternatives to what is presented to them on a regular basis.A few of them are aware,and others simply dont care.

So we eat chocolate all day everyday until our teeth are rotten then someone comes along with a plate of vegetables,and they are looked at as strange because its out of the circle of what they are accustomed to,but the food they reject is really the food that's best for them in the long run.

Japa: On the rap we saw a lot of GANGSTAs changin their mind and call themselves PIMPs now like SNOOP, look back and see how he were when he put DOGGY STYLE out and how he is now, what´s your opinion about it? Money changes everything?

K-Rino: Money and trends. Whatever is popular or fashionable at the time. I dont know snoop personally to speak on the validity of any claim he makes,but I seen him do some real things before and I always looked at him as a real cat. I dont condone pimpin' or rappin about pimpin but hey I´ve disrepected women on records before too so I cant judge,

I can only work to improve my subject matter(which I´m trying to do).and others have to do the same.Some people are merely entertainers,but in that entertainment, We have to also be responsible for what we say to these young people who listen to our music.

We dont want our young sons striving to be pimps, gangstas, or the wrong kind of hustlers. We have degenerated enough in reguards of our treatment of women, who are the mothers of civilization. Now its time to reflect reality in our words as they pertain to our mothers, wives, daughters, sisters,etc.

Whatever they are,we made them...the Honorable Elijah Muhammad says that a nation can rise no higher than its woman and a people is judged on the condition of its woman.

So knowledge is the key.understanding who she is is the key and when you know that she is the second self of GOD, and his closest representative, then you wont glorify anything that depicts a woman in a negative light. I´m still working on mastering that myself.

Japa: Do you think that the REAL rap is dieing? We dont see today what we saw in the past, groups like Geto Boys, 5th Ward Boys, NWA, Above the Law, 20-2-Life, AG-2-A-KE, Tha Cellmates...

K-Rino: No.the real rap is not dying, The real rap is HIDDEN. Its being suppressed and covered up. Underexposed and neglected. Its looked upon as being non-marketable. So labels have no desire to add that kind of variety to their rosters. also,any rap that is politically, socially, racially, or spiritually motivated is not wanted by an industry who is controlled by forces that dont wish to have blacks in a consious state like we were in the late 80's early 90's.

Japa: Why we dont see K-Rino, SPC, Gangxta Nip, Murder One, Point Blank on the media?

K-Rino: Were undreground homie and that's pretty much all I can to that.

Japa: What do you have to say to the kids that listen to 50 Cent, Eminem, The
Game and think that´s the dope shit?

K-Rino: Well I dont have a problem with that.all 3 of those artists are great artists. People think that because a rapper hits the mainstream that he is instantly wack. Most artists start off in the underground then they get deals and become mainstream, the problem Ii have with certain artists comes from a fan standpoint.

No fan likes to see his favorute rapper become watered down. The game is still underground to me, he's just making mainstream money, I cant knock that...50 began in the underground and became a mogul I cant knock that. Eminem also worked hard to get where he is. I dont listen to a lot of radio rap but its all good.

Japa: What´s your process to write? Where your inspiration come from?

K-Rino: My thought process is very tedious.and very strenuous. I try to make sure that every line is a great line.some rappers just have 1 or 2 tight lines in a whole verse or a whole song. I want to make each line a rewind line. that takes a lot of concentration.

Im gonna give you more than your money's worth in a song. These days, rappers just go through the motions on verses. I remember when you would hear that Big Daddy Kane or Rakim, Face or Cube or somebody would be on a remix, you knew that it was gonna be great.

The lyrics that were spit were on a higher level and took the song to another level. Now its like "Im getting paid $20,000 to do this anyway, I' can just say anything". They take no pride in bringin heat anymore.

Japa: What is K-Rino listening?

K-Rino: The same few artists man...Sam Cooke, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and old school hip hop. Nothing new.

Japa: What artist would you like to work with?

K-Rino: Here are only a few, T'la rock, Krs, Prince,,not too many

Japa: Whats the most difficult thing on the UNDERGROUND of the RAP INDUSTRY?

K-Rino: The appreciation for how hard we work and how little we get out of if.

Japa: Do you expect to sign with an BIG label someday or would u prefer to be an underground artist with more freedom?

K-Rino: I wouldn't have a problem being on a major but im not a slave so I wouldn't be willing to give up my freedom. I´m the boss of my label so I´m not used to being told what to do, what to write, what to say. I dont think I'll be in that position.

Japa: Tell us about this last album, BOOK 7 and which album is more important for u, and the one that after u have finished u sat down and said, DAMN that album is DOPE!

K-Rino: Book Number 7 is a very good album that really covers more personal things about me and people in general. Its speaks to our problems as individuals. Of course its very lyrical and political as well. I love all of my cds...but the one that reflects who i I am the most would have to be Fear No Evil..

Japa: Where are: DBX, 20-2-life, Klondike Kat, NIP, PSK-13?

K-Rino: They are all working on projects at the moment.You'll hear nip and kat on my new album and dbx just opened his studio up.20-2-life was recording with my brother k-water last I heard so I know they gonna have some heat coming soon.

Japa: What can we expect from K-rino and SPC in 2007?

K-Rino: More of the same. Im gonna push book number 7 and I'll probably drop another solo before the year is over.

Japa: How do you feel knowing that we, here in BRAZIL know about your music and that you and the whole SPC crew have a big legion of fans here? When you started in the game, did u expect that your verses would arrive this far?

K-Rino: Yes that was always the plan. To reach the whole universe. Not just South Park or Texas.I want martians listening to my music. When I think about the fans in Brazil, the first thing I think of is how greatful to GOD I am for that kind of support. The 2nd thing is that yall need to hook a K-Rino show up in brazil.

Japa: Thanks a lot for the time you you have dedicated to that interview, We
really apreaciate the effort and I´d like you to say some final words to our public.

K-Rino: All praises due to ALLAH...and to everyone out there, lets get ourselves together because the judgement of GOD is here. Go get book number 7 and all my albums. You can order from southparkcoalition.com and myspace.com/spckrino much love to you and all of Brazil. peace.