Fat Chat talks to Liverpool based Rapper 'KOF'....

Name: KOF
Age: 25
Occupation: Rapper/Singer/Artist
Web links: http://www.kofmusic.com/

myspace.com/youngkofurbeatz

So Kof, youv'e been a long time Fat Talent favourite and its been great to see your progression, tell us a bit about your latest single release.......

"Yeah I like performing at Fat Talent. There's always a good vibe going on! My latest single release will be this month. The song is called Jump. It's a high energy track produced by Defiance and it samples House of Pain. It's all about just having fun. I wrote it especially with festival performances in mind. I done a couple last year so it gave me a chance to see where I could improve my set. This was the perfect tune for that. I'm not sure of the exact release date but it will definately be on the radio from this month".

I noticed that your busy recording your next album, what can we expect?…..and how does it differ from previous releases?

"You can expect the usual stuff from me which is weird coz I come different on every release ha! This project, which will be my debut album, is gonna be very upbeat. I've been influenced by a lot of dance music lately so the music I've been making has been seasoned with these types of flavours. I'm trying to keep an ongoing theme between the tracks on the album so it flows nicely and I know there are gonna be some tracks that won't fit that. I'm gonna put a second CD with it so I can put some of the other tracks on that don't fit the theme but I think people will still like. I'm gonna give the main CD away for free and if people want to purchase it, they will receive the second disc and a bonus dvd also. There's got to be an extra reason for people to want to buy CDs these days coz it's just too easy to download".

Were also liking the 'Kof' video diary's, what was the inspiration behind that?
"Really it was just a way of people to just see what goes on behind the scenes of an up and comer and just a way to connect with my fan base on a different level and show people my personality and how I do me. I've now been asked to put a bunch of them together to form a full 30 minute piece to be shown on the Liverpool digital channel which is definatly a good look. Also gonna have it on the new urbeatz.tv we're setting up".

So were now into the new year .… what do the next 6 months hold in store?

"Just gonna continue to work on recording the album. Hopefully the release of 'Jump' will set me up with a few nice shows. At the moment I'm just in the stages of setting up a university tour in Ghana in February and I should be flying out to Dubai in Feb for a show which would be big!! My main focus is creating a solid album though. I've been trying to find my sound and my place for so long and I think I'm very close to getting it. This album will be the culmination of that experimenting and experience".

Whats your 3 key pieces of advice, for artists looking to rise up the ranks?

"I'd say keep focused and make the music that you believe in. Also try and make links with everyone possible that may be able to help you immediately or further down the line in your career. Don't be afraid to listen to other people's ideas and always try to use criticism to your advantage. There's a little more than 3 there but oh well! ha"

And last but not least, we always like to end on a random note so……..whats in your jeans pockets?

"Ha ha nothin special really! I've got a tissue coz it's that time of year when I cant escape a cold! My phone which is in a serious need of replacement and a little bit of change"!

Interview: Fusion