No, he’s not Will Smith although you might look twice to make sure.  Infamous King of Positivity was raised in Norfolk, Virginia where his roots shine in his music. Currently residing in Brooklyn, New York one can’t help but notice his continued progression in a multi layered direction.

 

When you listen to his music you’ll be reminded regularly of the intelligent, well balanced styles of the 90’s that would get applause from greats such as Ludacris, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and more who he admits is also some big inspirations for him.

 

One of the things that truly impress me is his moniker.  His bio states that it is “a dual meaning that represents a devotion to creating music that focuses on positivity and sharing his compassion for the communities affected by HIV and AIDS”. Spending 5 years in the military and continuing education in the music business, scooping up degrees that are well deserved it’s good to see someone like this come to my attention.

 

Since his debut album, “Ignoring the Known Protocol” released in late 2011 he was nominated at the 7^th Annual OutMusic Awards for his single, “Let It B. Known” which is an honor that is presented to top talent in the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) community. The full-length album also includes the singles “Hunt Me Down” and “Novocaine (Push & Pull)”.

 

I.K.P. has a new direction now. So we’ll find out what’s going on with this talented artist now and in the near future! 

 

THE INTERVIEW

Daniel/HRM: Please introduce yourself and tell me if you prefer toothpicks with cinnamon or plain ones.

 

I.K.P.: Sugar and spice makes everything nice!!! (*crickets chirping after cheesy joke*)

Daniel/HRM: I’m impressed with your music, honestly. It’s sensible and does truly remind me of the more golden era just like your website states.  What is it that prompted you so strongly to pursue music?

I.K.P.: I really think it’s in my bloodline.All different types of music have influenced me probably since I was in the womb eons ago. My dad plays sax and I grew up listening to him practice all my life. My Caribbean and Latin roots are rich in culture with music, so when my parents threw parties I heard everything from salsa and calypso, to latin pop. Then through my cousins and older siblings I became obsessed with hip-hop and soul music.

 

Daniel/HRM: Is this your paid career now?

 

I.K.P.: Oh man, I wish! But believe me when I say that I am my greatest investor for right now.

 

Daniel/HRM: You have a Bachelor’s degree in Music Business.  What else do you do? Do you also make beats?

 

I.K.P.: I make my own tracks, I write and produce my songs, I arrange melodies. I publish my work. I manage all my promotional activities. I seek out my own opportunities for publicity as evidenced by this fantastic interview! I’m a serial collaborator; I’m a big believer that two minds are better than one, even though I’d say my mind is a pretty awesome entity on its own! I learned early the value of hard work and keeping up with all the things racing through my mind is pretty hard work.

 

Daniel/HRM: Your debut album had an impressive nomination for your single, “Let It B. Known”. Tell me a bit about this song and what it was like to be nominated.

 

I.K.P.: This song meant a lot to my co-producers and me and has a pretty colorful story including session walkouts, shouting matches and the stars in perfect alignment. I wrote it in after listening to early Ice Cube records. I wanted to channel that fire and I also wanted to chime in on Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” record. It was frustrating hearing misogynistic men champion girl-on-girl romance as a sexual fantasy and here was Katy Perry treading that subject matter and making it marketable. But yet there’s double standard on men shown being romantic to each other. It was deep to me and I made the song a platform to speak on injustice and double standards against gays.

When it was nominated at the OMAs I was pretty excited and honored about that. It gave me the motivation and the momentum to keep pushing forward.

 

Daniel/HRM: Have you been nominated or even won any other awards since then?

 

I.K.P.: Not yet. Never know what the future holds.

 

Daniel/HRM: You were honorably discharged in the military. Talk a bit about this and tell us what influence your time in the military had on you.

 

I.K.P.: I would say those are my more defining years.  I didn’t love every minute of it, but I got a heck of a lot of life experience that made the years worthwhile. I found out a lot about who I was during those years because I faced some very challenging times. Through it all, the thing I resorted to consistently was writing and music. That’s how I found my identity. I always wrote compulsively. I wrote raps in basic training, on the toilet, on bus trips, everywhere. My first performances happened while in the service. I began honing my recording and production skills in rap group I formed with a couple friends. And I still keep most of my old recordings and notebooks. They serve as time capsules for me, which I reflect on from time to time and get inspiration from.

 

Daniel/HRM: You also state, “Positivity trumps pain, and Positivity is key to progression.” I like this statement. You also greatly support unity in your musical culture. Tell me how this approach has helped you in the success of your music.

 

I.K.P.:I think what it did was that I was able to build a network that keeps people interested in what I’m doing and it helped distinguish me. I recognize the value on building as many relationships as I can, which is why I collaborate with others so much. My thing is that unity is important because there’s strength in numbers. And I want to be remembered for bringing people together who otherwise may or may not get to chance to coexist on an artistic level.

 

Daniel/HRM: This is also evident in your video, “Novocaine/Hunt Me Down” with over 99,000 views. That’s impressive. Talk a bit about this video. I like the premise, delivery and the emotion  you convey. It makes me think you also are an actor.

 

I.K.P.:I shot this video in Miami as part of a 24 –hour crucible that involved gathering last minute props, like those tea candles and parts of my uniform that didn’t quite arrive on time, gathering my co-stars at 4am in Orlando, which is where they all live, and making the 3.5 hour trip to Miami. Then the 8-hour shoot, which went smooth, to my satisfaction, and the drive back to Orlando. No coffee. But it was a lot of fun.

I was hype about the Zen room in the Novocaine intro and half the time was spent setting it up and getting those shots. But I fuckin loved it!! It was important to me to pay homage to my military days. It’s funny though, because when I was on active duty, some days I dreaded putting on those green utilities we had to wear daily for our 10-hour workdays, sometimes longer. But to dress up for the video gave me a bit of nostalgia. However, I did get grey and black camouflage because I wanted to represent the military in general and not just the Marines. All the services get my respect.

 

Whatever medium I can harness to express my creativity, I’m pretty much game for it. I don’t know how much the camera loves me or if it even likes me but at least I didn’t look like a deer in the headlights.

 

Daniel/HRM: “I.K.P. 4 President” is your next project, according to your website. What is its current developmental status?

 

I.K.P.: That is a series of releases I’m letting happen organically. If there’s a direction in music I want to pursue, I want to experiment with it on the IKP 4 Prez series first. I released Part 1 in January of this year to coincide with Inauguration Day. That one saw me collaborate with a slew of other hip-hop and urban artists in the LGBT indie circle. I just wrapped a video in support of it for “Checkmate” featuring Kaoz in Minneapolis. It was pretty exhilarating shooting in a location I hadn’t been to prior. I felt brand new.

After Part 1, I decided to add on to it, hence my next release under the I.K.P. 4 President series is called Executive Realness: Part 1 Addendum. It’s mostly done. Just some finishing touches and it will be ready. That one will consist of mostly solo tracks that talk about real personal things such as my personal challenges coming of age in the current economic climate and things I’m forced to deal with to get by. That’s coming out officially around Veterans Day in November and I’m planning to shoot the video for the first single from that release pretty soon.

 

Daniel/HRM: Are you allowed to tell us any of the names of this all-star cast of urban LGBT artists?

 

I.K.P.: Absolutely! On Part 1 I worked with rapperKaoz (@kaoz612) on the “Checkmate” single, then there’s Billy Hood (@BaddAssBilly), Verbal Science (@verbalscience), Baron (@artistBaron), DaQuan (@TheDaQuan), Jesta AKA: The Lyricist (@jestadalyricist), Sonny Lewis(@SONNYLEWISdaMC), DeShawn Timothy (deshawntimothy.tumblr.com), Booder (@BdubO215), Loco Ninja (@IamLocoNinja) and Splash T (@Splash_T). All of them are dope artists in their own right and I highly recommend them if you’re looking for eccentric and dynamic indie talent that identify with LGBT culture on some level. On Part 1 Addendum the only guest I have slated is the endlessly talented singer Quentin Adams (@Quentinonline) who actually does film also and directed the “Checkmate” video.

 

Daniel/HRM: Usually, I ask some pretty bizarre questions in the interview but truly I am impressed. I’ll hit you with a good one to end the interview. Before then, where can people go for the best info about you?

 

I.K.P.: A great place to start is my website WWW.KINGOFPOSITIVITY.COM, you’ll see my Twitter feed and my latest YouTube video.Then on the other pages you’ll find links to my music via Bandcamp and SoundCloud. My Facebook fan page is facebook.com/IKP4President and Instagram is @IKP4President.

 

Daniel/HRM: Is there anything else you would like to add?

 

I.K.P.: Both of my videos “Let It B. Known” and “Novocaine / Hunt Me Down” can be viewed on my website as well as behind the scenes footage to “Hunt Me Down”. All those singles are from my first album, which is available for streaming on Spotify, purchase on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and many other digital outlets. You can get the download with bonus material for donations on my website, where the album cover links to my Bandcamp page. The upcoming “Checkmate” video featuring Kaoz (@kaoz612) is coming soon and that single is available on my Bandcamp site through the I.K.P. 4 President Part 1 release. After that, stay tuned for Executive Realness: Part 1 Addendum, which will be the mind trip to finish out the year!

 

Here's the link where you see all the info for the my latest release Executive Realness: Suite Independence.

 

http://kingofpositivity.bandcamp.com/album/executive-realness-suite-independence

 

Daniel/HRM: Ok, here’s that last signature question. Let’s say that you were eating popcorn in the coolest basement you’ve ever been in. Why popcorn? Who really knows? Your biggest inspirational person in history handed you some seasoning for your popcorn. Who is this person, what flavor did he hand you and which song of yours did you both start rapping that would best represent this situation?

 

I.K.P.: That’s tough. If I’m eating popcorn, Harvey Milk has to be the one handing me Nacho cheese flavored seasoning, and maybe some extra butter from Ludacris. And we both start rapping a song from my Executive Realness project called “Super-Trippy” because that record is all about escaping the harsh realities of our environment for a moment.

 

Daniel/HRM: I’m truly glad to have you part of the magazine sooner than later. I wish you great success and look forward to spotlighting your music in the next issue!

 

I.K.P.: I enjoyed this interview a lot and I look forward to sharing my new direction going forward. I’m anxious to take more people on this journey with me and help me make Positivity Reign. Thanks for having me!

 

Daniel C. Morrison – Louisville Limelight Magazine