By Andrew Mason | Feb. 11, 2019 | Website Original
One can listen along to KollegeKado’s new EP Year IV while reading this article, through Spotify or Apple Music.
I first heard of Kado Brown during my Fall 2016 semester at Moorpark Community College. Brown was the eccentric, always smiling, and often over-the-top star quarterback that, although I had never met, intrigued the journalist in me. Eventually, I transferred to Boston University [my third college] to pursue journalism, while Brown headed to Georgia Southern University [also his third college] to toss the pigskin for the Division I Eagles and grab a General Studies degree.
Recently, over two years after we finished our stints at Moorpark, after an injury in his throwing wrist ended his football career, and after he released two impressive rap EPs (extended plays) online, I knew it was time for Brown and I to finally cross paths.
I reached out to the Ventura, Calif. native, now 23 years old and known mostly as his rap name KollegeKado, to set up the following interview:
What was your first love, music or sports? “Definitely sports. Football was my first love.”
Kollege started playing organized youth football in Ventura when he was in fifth grade.
“I actually was better at basketball for a while. I started playing basketball before I played football just because my parents were on that safety-type. But obviously football took over, and it’s taken me pretty far in life up to now.”
On the topic of basketball, I asked Kollege who his favorite NBA player was. His response:
“LeBron’s the G.O.A.T.”
What comes more natural to you, music or sports?
“I had to work at both. I don’t think I was ever just a natural athlete where I was blowing people away. I always had to work.”
Out of high school, Kollege played football at Army in West Point, New York, representing the United States Military Academy. He left after a year and a half, where he returned to Southern California to play and attend Moorpark Community College in Moorpark, California, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles.
Kollege had to put to use his rigorous work ethic to grind through community college for two years in hopes of returning to Division I football, a work ethic he credits to his father.
“When I started out with basketball first, he told that I was very good but that if I don’t put in work then people will eventually end up catching up to me and exceeding me. So neither really came natural, but just putting in work, as both an athlete and an artist, definitely developed me into where I am today.”
Why does society seem to support young kids who dream of being an athlete, but are skeptical of those who want to rap for a living?”
“I feel like sports are more normalized and seem more attainable. You can always play in a youth league and you don’t get cut in high school, at least out here in California. Where as music, people are going to always assume that you’re not very good.
The chances of being a Division I athlete and [a successful artist] are really the same: one in a million. But it’s definitely more normalized to play a sport. It’s the American thing to do: to be an athlete and go to school.”
What is your least favorite part about playing football?
“Wind sprints and running. They say it’s not a punishment, which it may not be, but it still sucks at the end of the day.”
As a disclaimer, Kollege ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns as quarterback in his final game at Moorpark College.
“I hate running, I’m not gonna lie to you bro.”
What about your greatest football memory?
“When I was at Moorpark we beat Cerritos College in double overtime. They were number one in the southern conference or something like that and we were 2-5 at the time. It was my first start too!”
Kollege threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball in the first half, as Moorpark trailed 14-7 at halftime.
“Second half, we took off, and I scored the game-winning touchdown on the first play of double OT.”
Kollege finished the contest with 208 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, and still threw for over 100 passing yards.
“Started out slow and rough, a little nerve-wracking, but hey, came out on top.”
Do you think there’s more KollegeKado rap fans, or more Kado Brown football fans?
“With the older crowd, I feel like there’s more Kado Brown football fans. Out here in Ventura at least, with my elders and people like that. But between here and Georgia Southern, I might have more KollegeKado rap fans.
The football fans out at Georgia Southern still knew me as a rapper, I feel like they made me feel welcome. So overall, now I’d say I have more rap fans.”
What’s with the Instagram and Twitter name, “La’Vonterius Zapatero”?
“Oh man, I just try to come up with the most hood, Spanish name I could. I know people would just trip out on the most ‘what the hell’ name. The La’Vonterius doesn’t go with the Zapatero. It’s kind of like Julio Jones - who knew Julio Jones was black?
You’re not the first person to ask me that,” Kollege laughs.
How’d you come up with the name “KollegeKado”?
“I was in the studio one day, but I was editing a picture because I was doing some photography stuff, and I realized I needed a tag for my pics. I didn’t really want to have my first name be my photography tag and rap name.
This is a hella-underwhelming story to be honest, but I thought, ‘well I guess I’m in college, and my name starts with a “K”, I guess I could just be Kollege Kado for now’. I don’t really know why the no space thing came to be, I guess I just think it looks better. But it stuck and people call me “Kollege” now all the time.”
Do you plan on changing your name after you graduate college?
“Nah, man. College lasts forever. It was here before us and it’s going to be here after us, and hopefully I can have the same longevity with music.”
To someone that hasn’t listened to Year IV, how would you summarize the meaning behind it?
“Year IV is just a feel-good type of vibe. I wanted to be more braggadocious, and make a compilation of music that was up-tempo and feel-good, to just have a good time. It’s nothing to really get too deep in thought about, but just to cut on when you’re driving somewhere and want to have a vibe."
Year IV dropped in December 2018, and includes songs such as “Blueberry Drip” and “A Kollege Interlude”.
When and where was Year IV recorded?
“Most of it was recorded last winter break [as in December 2017-January 2018], then I recorded two songs in May [2018]. I hadn’t really put out a ton of music in 2018, and I just felt like the time was right.
I had a few singles out there that were kind of popular, like “Blueberry Drip”, “A Kollege Interlude”, and “Money in Cash”. They were likable tracks so when I added in the other four [songs], I thought people would be receptive of it - and it’s been better than I thought, if I’m being honest."
Kollege noted his entire Year IV was recorded in Ventura, in INDB Studios on Callens Street.
"But nothing wrong with home studios, I came up from home studios. As long as the quality is good, I’m with it, for real."
As an artist, what has been the biggest improvement between Kampus Legend and Year IV?
“I think Kampus Legend is my best work. But as far as artistry, I got a little more confident with my flow, or at least with being different with my flow. Maybe Year IV doesn’t necessarily show it, but there were other songs I recorded in between projects that I was working on my singing or not being afraid to be open with what I’m going through at a deeper level.
Those songs haven’t come out yet, but as far as writing music, I became a lot more confident, whether I’m talking that talk or trying to be deep about stuff. And I’m more versatile in flows.”
Where’d the phrase “Blueberry Drip” come from?
“The producer of the whole Year IV, Donté [@TrapDonte on Instagram and Twitter], posted a little freestyle on his Instagram story where he was just rapping about stuff being blue. I told him it was hard and he should drop it.
Two weeks later he emailed me a beat pack, and I saw an instrumental called “Blueberry Drip”. He told me he’d rather see me do my thing on it. As far as the concept, I literally just wrote [the lyrics] on my couch. I felt like I was going in, like I was talking that talk, and it played out pretty well.”
Do you generally feel strong support from friends and family regarding your rap dreams?
“I definitely do have skeptical people [in my life]. More of the older crowd is skeptical, or at least express it. At the end of the day, I still have to send my music out if I want it to get heard. It’s not like I can make a post and rely on people to find it. I have to feed it to people.
I feel like I do have good support, but it’s only when people want to right now. I don’t have a “stan” fan base that will carry me - but I’m working on it right now though.”
In the come up rap game, there seems to be a necessity for a lot of self-promotion. Do you like to do that?
“I’m doing a lot of it, but I don’t necessarily like bothering people with links all the time or mass messaging people. It’s a lot of groundwork, but I like my music enough to where I do it.”
Who had the best hip-hop album of 2018?
“Nipsey Hussle with ‘Victory Lap’. My boys and I were talking about that, and I think that’s the best rap album of 2018.”
If you had the choice, who would you want to work with for a dream collab?
“Kendrick [Lamar] or Drake. Kendrick is my favorite rapper, and he is influential on my. I don’t necessarily make the same type of music as him, but I just think he’s a great artist. And Drake is that one-in-a-million type of guy. Sh-t, I don’t think there is going to be another artist like Drake, at least for a while. He’s been on the top of the game for like 10 years now.”
What’s your strategy when dealing with haters?
“It is what it is, man, you can’t force anybody to like you. It doesn’t even have to be music, and all you can do is shine in your own way, and they’ll realize ‘oh, he actually had a talent and people enjoyed it.’
I hate people that switch up, though. Don’t have no faith in me, then once sh-t starts popping jump on the bandwagon like you were riding. Pick your side and stick to it.”
On Kollege's Twitter profile header, he boasts a Snapchat direct message he was once sent:
“Someone actually sent me that. Whenever people want to get disrespectful, I make sure to keep those pictures and set them as my Twitter headers. When I level up, it’ll be like, ‘wow, someone actually told this guy that, and he far exceeded that.’ I just flipped the script.”
Who are some fire local artists you want to work with?
“There are a lot of local artists that I would like to work with. Chris James from Santa Barbara, JoeJet, Yvng Mimosa from Oxnard, and The Three Six Gang - they’re from Oxnard too.
Also MIC [now known as Pofsky] too, I’m going to be on his new album.”
What’s the next realistic step for KollegeKado in terms of your rap game?
“Music videos and shows. People love videos, I don’t know why, but people really enjoy them. And I want to start doing more shows like I was. Whether it be me hosting the events or opening up for artists.”
KollegeKado's new EP titled Year IV can be found on Spotify and Apple Music. Andrew Mason can be reached on Twitter @andrewmason54.
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