December | 2008 | Amalgam Digital Blog

khal: First off, how did you get started out within Hip-Hop? Were you always trying to be an MC, or was it something you just fell into?

Kosha Dillz: I’d say in high school, from the parties. The freestyle session. People reciting Wu-Tang lyrics. I was never tryin’ to be an MC, I was tryin’ to be in a band. I did want the attention of a band or a guy in front of a crowd. I got that a lot as I wrestled in high school. One-on-one competition in front of lots of people. With rapping, I found myself in battles a lot.
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khal: I know you're reppin' Beverly Hills, but I just found out that you are Jersey born and went to Rutgers. What was it about Rutgers U that drew you in? What are your thoughts on the NJ Hip-Hop scene?
 

Kosha Dillz: Ha I’m actually rapping in Beverly Hills. I’m going to the studio right now. I’m posted up in Koreatown, Los Angeles on a couch. I’m in the studio all day recording the Beverly Dillz album with Belief while promoting Freestyle vs Written, the album I have with C-Rayz Walz. Rutgers U drew me in from its education prestige, wrestling program, and proximity to home of Edison, NJ. The NJ Hip-Hop scene is very spread out. You can do a show in New Brunswick, North NJ, South NJ: I would not know about it. Princeton. NJ is quite big. It just has not filtered; the only scene to be North NJ and New Brunswick. Pace Won. Yak Ballz is here. Mr. Green. Cymarshall Law. Silent Knight. These guys are getting super amounts of burn locally in NY and globally. 8thW1 as well, but I know lots of us migrate to NYC for the show.

khal: I know many heads have just been introduced to you via the Freestyle vs Written disc, but how long have you been releasing music?

Kosha Dillz: This is my first release. I know how to make music. What worked with ourselves and Modular Moods was that we came together to present it.

khal: Let's get into the FvW CD; how did you first meet C-Rayz, and how did that meeting spark you guys doing a full project together?

Kosha Dillz: Ive known C-Rayz for a long time I met him 9 years ago and bought a cd off of him (The Prelude). He saw me drunk many times on stage making a fool of myself. He saw me get booed. I saw him perform many a few times in NYC. I started booking shows for him and getting on like that. I continued to get better, and when I kept getting better I approached him at a sort of time where myself and Kentron Da Mastodon thought we needed to make a move. The good thing is, we approached him and asked him to do something he never did before. If anyone knows him, they know he is the type of guy not to turn down a challenge, although I feel like he excels best in freestyle, especially after seeing him do it all over the USA.

khal: Now the title is a pretty obvious nod to how you guys worked, i.e. Walz freestyled all of his rhymes, while you wrote yours, and I read this came about due to his situation at the time, needing to get the project done. How did the recording actually work – did you have your parts done, with Walz filling in the gaps, or vice versa?

Kosha Dillz: We had like 3 sessions. One day it was an EP we did 6 songs in like 7 hours. The next time we went to Belief's and he did 4 more songs in 4 hours. Our last session was a mixing session and we ended up freestyling two songs on the spot. I had a vision for this project and wanted to make a custom collabo project to introduce a new vision that can bring me out and bring him out, and Kentron as well. It benefited everyone, including the engineer. As someone who has been very impulsive, I felt this could equally benefit us all with its cultural diversity and conceptual format.

khal: How does it feel to be getting feedback from magazines like Spin and URB? Were you expecting this project to get that kind of shine?

Kosha Dillz: It feels great. We worked very hard to get this project and I must thank the help of Diwon and Y love, my label mates form Modular Moods/Shemspeed. They really pushed for us all as a team to get out in to the mainstream. We are the only rappers in that section, besides the obvious Charles Hamilton and B.o.B.. That was from the grind though.

khal: Any plans for a future project with Walz?

Kosha Dillz: No plans, but we both are not people who have been known to make plans.

khal: Now, your name is definitely a play on your Jewish heritage. Do you feel like you're pigeonholed as being a "Jewish rapper" as opposed to just being a rapper?

Kosha Dillz: No. I'd rather be that though. I think that makes me who I am. And if I am good enough to be in magazines and tour the world with my music, and places like rock the dub interview me, than I am not pigeonholed! I am on lots of Jewish press and more so mainstream press. Lots of my friends are like "the Jewish rapper." Only non-jews say that though… haha. Jewish people don't; funny right?

khal: Who are some of your favorite MCs and producers going down right now?

Kosha Dillz: Belief, Bishop Lamont, Black Milk (3 b's hahah), U-N-I and my homies; basically Yak Ballz, Flex Mathews out of DC and this kid Roebus One who I'm bringing up. Yak's new album is gonna be sick; Murs of course, Aesop Rock and Grayskul. And Shi 360 of Israel. These are people I have performed with and they are truly the stage energy I'd like to bring to the table.

khal: What's next up for Kosha Dillz? Word has it you're working on a sample-free project with Belief?

Kosha Dillz: Yeah, Beverly Dillz. Strictly for the movies. Its very musical and it will for sure shock many people with the stuff I'm doing. I like being shocking. Finally I have been getting to do it in a good way. Shocking like "hey I'm Beverly Dillz!", not shocking like 4 years ago, "hey mom I'm in jail… again… and again… and again…"

khal: Where would you like to see your music career be in the next, say, 5 years?

Kosha Dillz: I'll have broke the mainstream, for sure. Be on top of the world and continue to better myself on every album that is presented to the public. Count Bass D told me to just make the music and make all of the people come to you. I like that mentality.

khal: Do you have any final thoughts or shout outs before we wrap this up?

Kosha Dillz: Freestyle vs Written is an incredible album. Please buy it at the links below here. rock the dub will put them here and click away, what do you say, hey! Oy vey! Shalom yo… now it's off of this person's Mac and to Belief's studio.