Artist Of The Week - Kalae All Day

I was introduced to Kalae All Day by Conscious, late in 2008, while we were all hanging out backstage at the old Knitting Factory in NYC. She didn’t tell me very much about her music, but when Conscious told me he was looking to work with her I knew she had to be one extremely talented woman. Fast forward a year and a half and Kalae All Day is one of the leading ladies of NYC’s hip-hop scene and her just released debut album, AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUZIK*, which features the likes of Homeboy Sandman and Mic Wilson (formerly PreZZure), is already a favorite among artists and fans alike. This week I caught up with the woman with the big hair, and equally big smile, to find out all the things she wouldn’t tell me about when we first met, including the ways in which she feels she destroys many of the stereotypes regarding female emcees.

Adam Bernard: First question - how come when we first met you didn’t tell me you had crazy nice skills on the mic?
Kalae All Day: Cuz I’m not one to brag.

Adam Bernard: OK, well forget bragging then and tell everyone a little bit about yourself. Where you are from and how did you first get into music?
Kalae All Day: I’m originally from Pandora. I’m of the Na'vi tribe and I was sent here in an Avatar body in order to learn your ways and become an ambassador of peace, at which point I will cleverly pillage your land and suck its resources dry. That, or I’m from Harlem. Ever since I was a small child music has been a huge influence in my life. Whether my mom was bumping soca or Barbra Streisand I was listening. I would say it all just happened organically. Music was pretty intrinsic for me.

Adam Bernard: There are a lot of stereotypes about female emcees, I’m sure you’ve heard them all. Take a minute to explain the ways in which you destroy some of those stereotypes.
Kalae All Day: I destroy them with my afro. Need I say more? Yes? Aiight, so basically stereotype number one is that femcees gotta take their clothes off to make sales. My clothes are all on. Stereotype DESTROYED! Stereotype number two is that quality femcees are portrayed as gay/manly. I like dudes and I’m quite feminine. Stereotype DESTROYED! Stereotype number three is that femcees only rhyme about sex. I don’t only rhyme about sex. Stereotype DESTROYED! KABLAM!

Adam Bernard: Wow, you made fast work of those! Staying on the topic, do you feel there are added responsibilities thrown your way being a woman in hip-hop, and if so, what are they and how do you deal with them?
Kalae All Day: I don’t like responsibilities, so I throw them back. I honestly have not yet felt the "pressures" of being a female in hip-hop. To be honest, I've had mad love thrown my way. I don’t think that I can relate to some of the situations other femcees have experienced. That also may have something to do with me being a singer as well, and possibly not being placed under the same amount of scrutiny as other femcees.   

Adam Bernard: You just released your debut album AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUZIK*. Break down the title for me, what is AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUZIK*?
Kalae All Day: It’s all about blending genres and being eclectic and "mad explosive spontaneity." The album is very "spottieottiedopalicious," so I wanted that to be reflected in the title. It’s a mix of words that describe my sound. I think each word is pretty self explanatory except possibly the spelling of "soul" being changed to "sole." That’s because I’m into kicks, so it’s a little double entendre for ya’ll.

Adam Bernard: You worked with an impressive array of artists for the album, including Homeboy Sandman and Mic Wilson. I hear you also had a pretty amazing producer. How did everything come together?
Kalae All Day: Princess Superstar was the executive producer of AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUZIK* and we took many beats from her and a beautiful array of producers all the way from Harlem, like Arsiney, to France, like Nikky Lars. Working with Princess Superstar was a dream come true. She was the source of constant inspiration to work harder and really get this album done and make it better each day.

Adam Bernard: Moving from your music to your personal style; from the bright colors, to the big hair, how long did it take to develop your unique look and how much effort goes into it today?
Kalae All Day: I woke up one morning and everything was in place. It was quite fantastic. Something like the Big Bang Theory. As far as daily effort, I try my best to not think about what I’m gonna wear because it stresses me out, so I lay all my clothes out, close my eyes, and spin.

Adam Bernard: How do you think your look and your music compliment each other?
Kalae All Day: My look is AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUZIK and so is my music, so I’ll say, perfectly. Although some people claim that they wouldn't know that I rap from just looking at me. I guess I’m a surprise, just like my music. I like that I’m unexpected.

Adam Bernard: Finally, what is “all day” about Kalae?
Kalae All Day: It’s about time. I’m Kalae all the time, but that doesn't rhyme, visa vi, ergo, "ALL DAY." Really, let’s not make some prolific shit out of this, it has a ring to it. It’s the same reason why rappers add “Lil” before their name except I’m tryin not to be as generic. Plus I couldn't get away with calling my 5'10'' 170 lb frame "Lil."

Related Links

Blog: kalaeallday.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/kalaeallday
Bandcamp: kalaeallday.bandcamp.com