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DJ Kiiiacut Delues Into Hip Hop's Traditions
And Looks Towards Its Future Potential
L ongtime bedroom deejay Jeremiah Collins,
known better by his public moniker OJ
Kiiiacut, is ripe to open up to the public.
Over the course of time, he's developed some
of the traditional turntable skills that made hip
hop what it is today, honing his audience skills
through live acts at local hip hop-friendly venues
like the Caledonia and Tasty World.
Kiiiacut is an unusual artist. He laments the
demise of the classic vinyl deejay, referring to
himself as somewhat of a novelty or dying breed
in the local scene of Athens hip hop, yet he also
seeks to learn the new home studio technology
that is defining the sound of hip hop today. He
is an Athenian to the core, and talks about the
influence of sensation Danger Mouse, having
once opened up for him when the multi-faceted
deejay/ producer/ free-media icon was making
music in Athens and working at Wuxtry Records.
“I remember wondering why he had to be so
adamant about how something should sound,
why he couldn't just like certain artists or songs
[the way they were]" he says. "Now, I know why:
because ht knew what he wanted out of music."
Following in the footsteps of those before,
Killacut's main method of self-advertising is mix-
tape (okay, CD) distribution. He has finished a
remix album o* all old-school artists featuring his
greatest influences, like Grand Master Flash and
Run DMC. "This is the stuff that I grew up with,"
he says with conviction. "This is how I got into
what I do." The recording tops out at more than
an hour, and is a continuous mix of early-to-late-
'80s breakbeat flavored with Killacut's own style
of phasing and beat-matching—a slip-cue here,
needle-drop there, a few specialty scratch solos
thrown in the mix.
But plans for an actual album release are
sometime later in the future. "Copyrights,"
Kiiiacut says with a grimace, recalling the im
mediate lawsuit following Danger Mouse's Grey
Album. Killacut's musical taste has a range that
follows the history of hip hop from '80s legend
Grandmaster Flash to '90s icons DJ Red Alert and
DJ Premier up to this decade's movers. And as a
fan of local rock acts Polemic and Music Hates
you, Kiiiacut is also exemplary in defying arche
types, and will explore territories of punk and
rock, claiming to sympathize with the revolution
ary value of punk anu connect it to the voice of
hip hop.
If he plays his cards right, Killacut's musi
cal career could head for local success. On an
intellectual level, Kiiiacut can appeal to an elite
Athens music scene because he gives playtime
to classic and independent artists. His theory of
music is informed and diverse, which is reflected
in his music, and he can recite a well-versed
history of both hip hop and rock and roll, from
blues to R&B to Motown. "A lot of people these
days dor/t know what rock and roll is," he says.
"To me, James Brown is real rock and roll."
On the other hand, Kiiiacut is also sensitive
to pop culture, providing a friendly ear to Top 40
hits (he opened his last set with cuts from Gnarls
Barkley), and expresses admiration for regional
successes such as Bubba Sparxxx, Outkast and
Chris Chrisis.
Along with a developing sense of profession
alism, the 30-something Kiiiacut is continuing to
show ambition. And, as a recently signed artist
and contributing member of the local T-Nebula
Productions crew headed by industry veteran
Nolan Terrebone AKA Jon Gris, Kiiiacut also
seems to be exploring interests outside live per
formance. T-Nebula has produced 'ocal hip hop
albums such as Ya Boy Brell's recent debut and
Bear's Ready Fo' Me. and counts rapper F.L.Y. and
R&B crooner Ben Stevens among its numbers.
But whatever direction Kiiiacut decides to pursue
in the future, what he offers now is a style of hip
hop that looks to both its home in Athens and
beyond its borders.
DJ Kiiiacut is taking part in this week's "Ball
in the Fall" benefit show at The Ritz. The event
benefits the local Loran Smith Center for Cancer
Support, and features a producer battle wherein
local talents can face their sounds off against
one another. Several Savannah College of Art &
Design grads will be in town to provide decora
tion and art installations, and a varied assort
ment of rappers also performs, including the
Dead Fresh Squad, Big John Burbon, Mantic, Elite
tha Showstoppa and all their respective entou
rages. For more information on the event, visit
the website of the promoter at www.myspace.
com/mantoothmusic.
Cathy Cain
r " " '
WHAT: “Ball in the Fall"
WHO: Dead Fresh Squad, Big John
Burbon, Mantic, Elite tha Showstoppa,
DJ Kiiiacut
WHERE: The Ritz
WHEN: Friday, November 17
HOW MUCH: S5-S10
V J
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