Strippers, DJ Premier & Horror Soundtracks: The Kendra Morris Interview Posted by Lucas G. on 10/29/13 | Filed under Non Hip-Hop, Interviews, Kendra Morris

With two posts in the last year and a strong co-sign from RefinedHype Nation, I think it's safe to say Kendra Morris is quickly becoming a a favorite on the site. After my last post about her, Kendra reached out to say thanks on Twitter, and through what seemed like divine intervention (but probably just good timing) she happened to be playing a show in my hometown of  D.C. in a few days. So just hours before the show I met up with her for an interview.

Kendra and her dog Taco (the dog in the picture) couldn’t have been cooler. We talked about everything from dog farts, to being embarrassingly weird in front of neighbors to, of course, music. Since the latter is the one you are probably more interested in - although dog farts are always funny - I pulled out some of the highlights from the interview, which include her relationship with DJ Premier, how her current tastes are influencing her next album, and part of her music history that she hasn’t told anyone that involves volleyball, rap hooks, and strippers. Yes…strippers.

"DJ Premier remixed “Concrete Waves” which is a pretty significant hip-hop co-sign? How did that come about and what is your relationship with him?"

That was a crazy, crazy thing that happened. We played a show that night on the Lower East Side and we did an after party at a bar near by. So we are hanging out, and my bassist’s friend was there, and Premier came and met up at the bar later and they happened to be friends or something. We...were standing there and the kid that was there with him was like “that’s the girl that sang” and we started talking and I’m like “Hi I’m Kendra” and he’s like “I’m sorry I missed your set.”

I had lined up some shows singing with Dennis Coffey, who was a Funk Brother and is one of the most sampled guitarists in hip-hop, and that’s one of DJ Premier’s heroes. So when I was like “I’m doing some dates at SXSW with Dennis Coffey”, he’s like “What? Dennis Coffey? Oh your not joking you really do sing”.

So we exchanged e-mails, and I sent him a couple, but didn’t really talk to him after that. I was at SXSW and  I remember seeing posters that he was there and I  sent him a message and said “I’m at SXSW too”. I’m in this bar literally texting him and I turn around and there he is standing behind me. So it was another bizarre run-in, and we were like lets do a remix. Wax [Poetics] happened to be doing something with him for one of their issues, and they came at him a few months later when we had “Concrete Waves” and asked “Do you want to remix this?” So it was just one of those really crazy bizarre things.

I remember when he was starting to listen to “Concrete Waves” and listening to "Banshee" before the album had come out, just taking walks around Union Square and having great conversations over the phone about music. He’s a really down to earth, cool person and it was just one of those things that was meant to be.

"Do you have any plans to work with him in the future? Have you talked about that?"

I haven’t talked to him in a little while.  I know he has been all over the place, and so have I, but I would love to do more with him. Absolutely.

After we talk a little hip-hop, and Kendra shares her love for Hieroglyphics, Ugly Duckling and Danny Brown - she earned her “Rap Nerds Unite” t-shirt - I asked Kendra about what’s next.

We are just working on all these new songs. We are in a really good spot right now because we are focusing on a bunch of new songs and I think we are going to try to release one song with a video, just to start showing people where the music is going. I’m really excited with where the sounds are going. Right now ere are in this period of writing a lot and playing a lot of shows. Its a good spot to be in.

Lucky for you, I think I found out where her sound is going. Earlier in the interview we got to talking about what she is listening to, and it will definitely be a heavy influence on her new album.

Right now I am listening to a lot of soundtracks like musical scores, and I’ve been getting into a lot of horror move scores. I was at Amoeba in L.A. last week and I found the soundtrack to this movie "Blood Feast", it's Herschell Gordon Lewis who did that soundtrack. It is all these creepy church organs and there is even one track where it is just screams. 

So I’ve been listening to a lot of scores and soundtracks. Lately I’ve liked blindly walking into record stores and just been doing the thumb through. I’ve been into a lot of Bollywood soundtrack stuff, also and there is some really good Indian horror movie soundtracks that are amazing; just what the do with a sitar and what they do with these crazy beats.

Staying on the subject of vinyl, Kendra said:

I like vinyl because I like listening to the entire album front-to-back. That’s when people used to really structure the way an album was laid out and the order of the songs, and I think the fun about vinyl is you are going into the entire story of the album and you are forced to learn all the tracks. The sad thing with mp3 now is you are going to the one song you like and you are missing out on sometimes the gems of an albums.

I asked her if that’s how she tries to structure her albums. She responded, “Yeah. I think especially with the next one, it is going to be a cohesive story.” So for those keeping score at home, Kendra’s next album will be a dark, horror and Bollywood inspired album. I don’t know about you but I’m excited.

Of course, I had to ask if any hip-hop collaborations were in her future. While, there isn’t anything set in stone, we got talking about her love of hookwork, which resulted in her sharing a story she hasn’t told anyone else. If this was Funk Flex, we'd be dropping bombs right about now. 

I love collaborating. I started out writing hooks. I had written a hook for AZ, but he didn’t use it. We pitched that and now it’s floating wherever, but that’s how I started out. l love finding melodies and I think you can find a melody in anything. And it's a good challenge because you only have this amount of time to get a point across, and take a song and have to wrap it into this one thing that brings the entire song into one phrase. And  it has to be a powerful phrase, you cant cheat on it.

Even back in college the first band I was ever in—I don’t think I’ve told anyone this, so maybe you are the first one—I was in a rap rock band.  They were called Superfly…and we wrote a song called “420”. We used to play anywhere...this was when I decided “fuck college I want to be a singer,” and we played at Chantilly Lace; that was a strip club with a volleyball court in the back. We would play and my boyfriend would always disappear and he would be in with the strippers. But yeah, the band was called Superfly and I was the girl that got to come on and got to do three songs with them and do all the hooks on their songs. So I got to write the hook for “420” and it went, “lets get high smoke me out fill my bowl” and then it went “fill my bluuuuuunnnnt”.  So that’s the first hook I ever wrote.

As we do with every RefinedHype interview, we always end with our the Desert Island Albums question. The premise is simple: if you were dropped on a desert island and could only bring three records/albums with you, which would they be? Kendra needed some time to think on it (rightfully so), and she wrote me with her response.

Marvin Gaye "What's Going On"
A classic…Grew up on Marvin. His voice is hypnotic and the way he created his songs with the sounds he made…Ahh dreamy.

Beach Boys "Pet Sounds"
A masterpiece in songwriting, harmonies and the dreamy voice of Brian Wilson. 

Fugees "The Score"
Grew up on this album. Everything about it is amazing. I fell in love with Lauryn Hill when this album came out. The beats, the samples, the vibe….Another masterpiece.

As for the show that night, it was incredible. To see such a talented artist in such a personal setting was unforgettable. If you get a chance I highly encourage you to check her out live. If you do, run up to her and say hi on behalf of Refined Hype Nation. She is one of the coolest, most down to earth artists you'lll find. 

Kendra is quite busy, doing shows in New York, L.A, and even a few in Europe, but when she finally gets around to dropping some new music, we will be sure to let you know. For now, enjoy her previous albums, "Mockingbird" and "Banshee", and follow her @KendraMorris for updates. Shine on your crazy diamonds.

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See Also:  Meet Kendra Morris (Thanks To RefinedHype Nation)
See Also:  Get To Know Your New Favorite Singer, Kendra Morris (Video)