CO.Z KAMIKAZEE: THE HIP-HOP OG.

With over 10 years in music, CO.Z Kamikazee is an OG by many standards. His experience and influence in the Liberian Hip-hop scene can only be matched by a select few...

With over 10 years in music, CO.Z Kamikazee is an OG by many standards. His experience and influence in the Liberian Hip-hop scene can only be matched by a select few. CO.Z, who is seen as a Hip-hop purist by many, grew up between Liberia and the United States (U.S.). While living in the United States, he began recording music as a member of a group. The group was made up of CO.Z and his Liberian friends in the U.S who bonded over similar passions and stories. The group went by the name AKH, an Egyptian acronym that translates to: “meant to shine”. 

In 2009, CO.Z’s family moved back to Liberia. While in college at the United Methodist University, one of his friends heard his songs and encouraged him to return to making music. With a couple of projects under his belt, a culture moment with his “The Geez” series, and an influential career, CO.Z is still releasing quality music.

 I sat down with CO.Z to talk about his legacy and his journey. The questions asked are highlighted in bold, and his replies are directly below.

How did the passion for music begin?

It started when I was young. My uncle was a Liberian singer and rapper in the ’80s. He is a legend. I used to be around him when I was younger, and I even spent time in his studio when he was making music. It was then I started building a passion for music. I was around 4 or 5 years old at the time. As I grew older, I honed my skills in music.

Do you consider yourself a Hip-hop purist?

Yes, definitely I am. I am the definition of Hip-hop, from my music to my lingo. I represent Hip-hop culture. The era I was raised represents Hip-hop, and that’s why you can call me a Hip-hop purist. About 95% of the music I do is Hip-hop. 

How has your journey in music been? 

We could have an interview for years on my journey. It has definitely been a gradual process of building the industry, from the art to the business side. When I started, our radios were dominated by Nigerian and Ghanaian music. Truthfully, a lot of Liberian artistes put in the work and didn’t reap the benefits. But now, it has grown a little. It has been a journey and we hope the people coming after us can reap more benefits as regards their music, and how profitable music can be.

How do you think Hip-hop artistes can make more money from their craft?

We have to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable doing Hip-hop. We need to break barriers and further make Hip-hop widespread. I consider myself as someone who broke barriers because Hip-hop music was not that widespread, but I took it to a larger audience. 

Also, we need to learn the music business. If you’re in music just for fame and don’t want to build a career or earn from it, that’s cool. But if you want a career and want to build wealth from music, we have to know the business side of music. We need to learn how to maximize income and learn the different ways we can generate revenue as an artiste or songwriter. Learn everything about making money as regards music, from merchandising to TV placements. Recently, I have been talking about royalties. Royalties are one of the ways artistes really earn money. Artistes that aren’t making music anymore are still earning their royalties. People need to understand how to get royalties from their composition and masters. Once we understand the business side, we can then know how to collect those royalties. 

 Our music and videos are quality. We just need to make the revenue from the music. Most of our artistes don’t know about publishing or copyrighting their music. It’s not rocket science. It’s something I learned. We have to read. It comes with challenges and mistakes, but we need to learn.

What are your thoughts on the different categorization of Hip-hop into Hipco and Trap co?

For something to grow, it has to evolve, and Hip-hop is no exception. For Hip-hop to spread as universally as it has spread, it had to evolve. Liberians taking traditional Hip-hop and infusing it with our culture and language is cool. We want Hip-hop to grow and evolve. It is a plus to see Hip-hop being infused with our culture.

How important is it to tell our stories through our music?

It is very important. Storytelling is basically a main aspect of Hip-hop and music in general. We tell of what we see, and what goes on around us in our world or communities. Storytelling has always been a part of my music and repertoire. I love telling our stories through my music. 

Storytelling is an essential part of Hip-hop. There would be no Hip-hop if there was no storytelling.

How did the “The Geez” series come about?

I got the idea from Clem, my brother, and CEO of Liberty Entertainment. We listen to an American artiste called “Uncle Murda” who does the same thing in the U.S. We heard “Uncle Murda”  in 2016 and Clem suggested we do a track summarizing the events of our industry. We dropped the first one in 2017, and based on the reaction we got from it, I knew we could do it every year.

What’s your take on beef in the hip-hop scene?

That’s part of the game. People have disagreements and it's just part of the game to rap and battle it out. It comes with Hip-hop. As long as it doesn’t get violent and you guys try to get money from it, I see it as part of the game. However, I think we need to focus on revenue generation.

Would you ever retire from music?

We would just have to wait and see. Even people that retire from music are not totally retired from music. Most of the time they are in the background producing or writing for people. I wouldn’t say retirement hasn’t come to my mind, but I have to do it at the right time. Right now, I still have so much music in me that the world needs to hear.

What do you feel is your legacy?

For me, my legacy is inspirational music. When someone thinks of me when I am gone, when people can’t physically see me, or see me perform, I want them to think “inspirational music” when they hear my name or listen to my music. That’s the legacy. Music that inspires people to do something positive.

NOTES

Subscribe as we take you on a journey through the Liberian music industry and its practitioners. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For subscribers, check your email for a mail from “the echo”, move mail from promotions to your inbox, or add “the echo” email to your address book.