Monday

A Timeless Knock-Out

Ko the Timeless, AKA Koushik Chatterjee hits fans at their core when he voices his poetry into hip-hop over beats laced with Eastern influences. Ko first discovered A Tribe Called Quest at the age of eight; he fell in love with the poetic elegance of the lyrics and beats that would float in his mind all day. In elementary school following his parent’s footsteps (who both still to this day perform traditional Bengali Music) he picked up his first instrument, the piano. Ko followed playing the piano with the violin, and in middle school started plucking away at a guitar. In high school Ko started pairing his love of poetry with music, and immersed himself into hip-hop culture. In 2007 Ko met DJ AV and recorded Fly Away. He also met Panama, an already rising hip-hop star and actor from HBO’s The Wire who taught him the ways of the industry. Within four months Ko finished recording his Poetics Mixtape. Born in Chicago and now residing in Baltimore, Ko brings to us the voice of the next generation; an Eastern hip-hop artist with an international influence. In the age of globalization and a world community, Ko aims to bring people together through his music and influential lyrical poetry.

Shakti: Alright before we start, I just wanna point out that you’re the first Desi rapper I’m interviewing, so I’m a bit nervous about what questions to ask you. I guess we might as well start off with the first question, what’s your most memorable moment on stage?
KO: It’d have to be performing at Ultrabar in Washington D.C. I was performing before a huge mixed crowd, and at first I wasn’t sure if they were gonna feel my music. But as I was closing my set, I realized that all around me flashes were going off and when I say everyone, I mean everyone – Indian, White, Black, Hispanic – EVERYONE, were taking pictures or videos with their cell phones, and the crowd erupted just as I finished with “Thank You.”  At that moment I realized that not only should I take pride in my lyrical ability, but also the fact that I can rock the entire club.

What has been one of your most memorable moments in the studio?
Before I started to record, I would observe my good friend Panama when he was recording. He’s been in the game for years; he’s also the guy who beats up Bubbles in HBO’s The Wire during Season Four, for those who watch. Anyway, he’s been like a mentor, so the very first time I watched him lay down tracks, ad-libs, and do drops, I had realized what “being in the booth” really means. The energy you get from the feeling of being mic’ed up in the booth alone is another world. Then you just lose yourself in the music and let your mind flow. The first time I felt that…it was mind-blowing.

Sounds amazing KO! Recently you dropped a mixtape called “Mellow Dramatic.” Why did you pick that name?
Well my style of music is very mellow, laid back. The mixtape has high-energy lyrics to get you on your feet even if you are just chilling and listening. Basically, it’s a dramatic impact, with a mellow vibe.

Well put! So KO tell me…in one of your videos you have a Porsche. Where did u get that car from?!
Hahaha – well, that car isn’t mine. We were shooting for “A Day in the Life of a Dreamer” music video – coming out later this summer – when my friend showed me his new ride: a Guards red 1994 Porsche 968.  At that moment I knew I wanted it to be in my music video. As for me, I’m gonna wait for my Nissan GTR! Man…I’m finally relieved they brought the Skyline over. 

Haha! Out of all the places in the world, where would you like to perform?
I would love to perform at Madison Square Garden. I mean, it’s not the most exotic place, like performing in Brazil or something, but it’s just…when you perform at MSG, you know you made it.

Out of all your tracks, which one is your favorite?
My favorite track…hmm…I would have to say “Fly Away” from my first mixtape, “Poetics.” It was that moment when I had taken all the skills I had learned and ethics needed to compose a song, and successfully combined them. Also at that moment everyone around me started to realize that I did have a talent as a songwriter, and then I was back to my dream.

Who is your favorite mainstream producer you would like to work with?
My favorite mainstream producer has GOT to be Timbaland. Not only does he make hits, he innovates. He sets trends and raises the bar for other producers to follow. My favorites before him were DJ Premier of Gangstarr and Ali Shaheed Mohammed of A Tribe Called Quest. I grew up on Hip-hop and Jazz.

Who in the South Asian scene would you like to collaborate with?
My boy Srikanth from India. He’s got a sick flow and is a good person at heart.  As for collabos with full production, Dr. Zeus has some fire beats I would love to spit on. Also we would need a nice singer, Jay Sean and Raghav would both rock the beat. Jay Sean if you reading this, I never got a call bro when I gave you my first demo when you performed at Fur in D.C. Haha, it’s all good…I understand, I need a lot work before I get to work with you…but I’m coming!

If you had the opportunity to work with a female singer for an upcoming album, what would you say to that?
That would be great. I would want to first work with one of the legends, Lata Mangeshkar! More towards a pop scene, Aruna from Toronto, Canada – she has an amazing voice!

Do you have any shout outs that you want to give?
Of course! Panama for guidance. DJ Navi for getting me started on some of my first projects, Niaz of SlowMotion Productions for helping me with all media, Chase D for teaching me the ropes, my fans, and of course the believers! All my love and respect to those who help me fight for my dream, especially the ones that were here from the get-go…you know who you are.

Damn bro, sounds like you’ve got your Grammy speech ready, haha! Alright bro, I’ve got one last question for you – KO the Timeless – why, where, and when did you come up with this name?
Honestly, I was at a bar with my roommates in Baltimore, and they were all playin’ the new hits at the time. Everyone was pretty tired and was getting off the dance floor when all of a sudden they played Puffy’s “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems.” Everyone shot up with excitement, full energy everywhere. My roommate stumbled across the crowd and yelled to me, “This will NEVER get old!” And I replied, “Yea…it’s timeless.” That very moment I realized I wanted to make an impact on this world like that…so KO became KO the Timeless.

Thanks a lot for your time KO. Any last words for the readers of Bravura Artist?
I wanna thank everyone for their support. Make sure you also check out my Myspace page. It’s www.myspace.com/kothetimeless, and my YouTube, www.youtube.com/kothetimeless. Peace.