PAUSE MEETS:
KREPT & KONAN
Talking their new album, the Rap Show & their restaurant.
Interview: Tom Barker // @toombarker
Styling: Taija Weekes// @taija_leorelle
Photographer: Zek // @zek.snaps
Assistant Stylist: Sian Wilkinson
Videographer: Noah Sapon // @nwuh
Featuring: Krept & Konan // @kreptandkonan
“We’re just kind of using it as therapy.”
Now critically acclaimed with several projects, a TV show and a restaurant under their belt, Krept and Konan have come a long from their entry into the UK music scene. Following up their last effort, ‘7 Days and 7 Nights,’ which included hits such as ‘Wo Wo Wo,’ the rap duo recently released their ‘Revenge Is Sweet’ album which sees a star-studded feature list including Headie One, Stormzy and the late Cadet.
PAUSE caught up with the rap duo to discuss all that’s been happening since our last interview in 2015. Read what happened below:
What can people expect from the new album?
Konan: Litness, no, I’m joking. What people can expect from the album is a journey, I feel like we tried to make a body of work that kind of brings you on a journey of how we’re feeling right now like the mindset we’re in, and we’re just kind of using it as therapy.
How long has the album been in the works for?
Krept: I would say we really really started going hard on the album end of last year, when we started going hard in the studio and tried to get it done. And the journey of the album; so much has happened in our lives that we’ve put it in this album as life has taken us on this journey. Whereas with our other recent project’ 7 Days 7 Nights’ it’s just tunes tunes tunes, this one you can get how we’re feeling and what space we’re in, stuff we’ve been going through emotionally. I feel like we’ve been doing that.
Konan: But we’ve been doing that before then, I would say, but really going and saying ‘nah we need to get this done’ end of last year. But we’ve been making songs from prior to that.
Krept, your Morley’s freestyle was tweeted by Robbie Williams, what was your reaction like to that?
Krept: I just saw the tweet and was like ‘rah this is mad’ why is Robbie Williams even listening to this? I just found it so random he’s a legend, Take That are legendary people, and of all songs that we’ve done in our career it’s so random that it’s that little throwaway freestyle that he decided to tweet. Yeah, I was gassed, I was just posting it everywhere like look Robbie Williams is posting the ting!
What do you normally order from Morleys?
Krept: Triple M burger and chips, you can’t go wrong with that! Or if I’m not really too hungry, I might get ten wings or something.
How long has The Rap Game been in the works to it now appearing on our screens?
Konan: We got approached to do the Rap Game about a year ago, or even more than that, maybe two years ago they contacted us to do it. Helping other artists come through is a thing we like to get involved in all the time.
Reading your last interview with PAUSE you mentioned wanting to get into the restaurant game, what’s it been like now that has happened?
Konan: Getting in the restaurant game is crazy! We should’ve done a TV show on that!
Krept: If we did a TV show on the restaurant you would be tuned in every day, there’s so much stuff that goes on and so much behind-the-scenes stuff with staff and its mad. But you learn so much, people say it’s the hardest industry to get into, I used to say ‘yeah yeah’. Mate it’s harder than music. It’s mad because you’re dealing with people every day whether it’s your staff or whether its customers – every day! Catering to people and their needs and their moods and how they’re feeling every day. And if one person doesn’t make it to work or calls in sick, it affects everything, and everything starts running slow. Always relying on people it’s difficult but we’ve learnt a lot doing it.
Who’s the better cook, out of the two of you?
Konan: Krept’s the better cook out of him and me. I need to get cooking lesson but don’t worry, I’ll soon catch up. Konan Ramsey, you get me!
How would you say your style has developed over the years?
Konan: I would say my styles got drippier. I don’t know if you know what that means, but I’m sure you can imagine it in your head for the people that don’t know. I feel like I got saucier by the day. I became the sorcerer (sauceror).
Krept: Trench Coat – Burberry (Flannels), Jeans – Amiri, Trainers – Nike (Schuh). Konan: Jacket – Gucci (Flannels), Jeans – Amiri (MatchesFashion), Trainers- Nike (Schuh), Glasses- VintzShop
Krept: When I look back at some outfits that I was wearing, like in some old picture, what was I smoking then? That looked mad! There was a stage where I was wearing leather trousers.
Konan: And leather tops! PVC joints.
Krept: It’s crazy. What was I thinking! But I just feel like when you get older, you start getting more realistic with it, you start wearing fitted stuff, nice drops, it’s not about designers. A lot of people think if you put designer on that’s the drip but its not. I’ve seen people in head to toe designer, and they still look like a mess. It’s about how you put together clothes, what fits good with what, what complements the other. You start getting a mature approach to it instead of thinking, let’s just buy Gucci and Louis Vuitton, no you just have to tailor everything to whatever it is you feel like you want to wear.
Would you like to get into the fashion industry?
Konan: 100% that a goal to get into the fashion industry with our own style. Obviously, we’ve done merch before but to actually make a clothing brand that’s something we’re trying to head towards. Behind the scenes we’re working on a few pieces, so you’ll probably see it soon. Or you might not know it’s ours – don’t want the pressure. We’ll see how it goes, but we should be coming with something soon definitely.
Listen to the ‘Revenge Is Sweet’ Album now
