Kooley High

Kooley High

Kooley High made the stage their own at Public Assembly this past Wednesday 2/6/13, and I was happy that I was apart of the large crowd of fans. Tab One, Charlie Smarts, Foolery, and Ill Digitz (unfortunately, Rapsody and The Sinopsis were not able to make it to Public Assembly this time around) had a mix of an old-school hip hop style with fresh and fun lyrical lines. As stated from the interview below with Charlie Smarts, he says that "hip hop is simple at the end of the day; dope beats, dope rhymes." For proof, watch the videos "There You Go" and "Let It Rock on You" performed that night and check out the interview, all below.

Interview with Charlie Smarts from Kooley High

(MD=MusicDosage, CS=Charlie Smarts)

MD: How did the group form (did you guys know each other before forming the group)? 
CS: Charlie worked at FootAction with Rapsody. Charlie met Tab-One at a Party. Charlie later joined Tab's band Inflowential. Foolery met Digitz at a Party while 9th Wonder beats were playing. Charlie met Digitz at the University Radio Station. We had the first H2O meeting and Foolery brought Sinopsis then magic soon started. We all graduated college and formed Kooley High.

MD: How did you come up with the group’s name? 
CS: We had a boatload of bad names picked out. Rapsody said how about Kooley High, and we said Perfect.

MD: Being that there are six members in the group, is it easy to collaborate when writing a song? 
CS: Sometimes yes, Sometimes no. It seems like there is a different process from song to song. We live in New York and North Carolina right now so we do a lot of Internet speak. Sometimes a member will come up with most of it on their own and pass it to another member. Sometimes more than one member is in the same place and they bounce ideas until the collaboration is complete. Making songs isn't that difficult though. It's what we do.

MD: What is the significance of your most recent album title David Thompson?
CS: It was an album created while four members lived together in Brooklyn. You can hear the cohesiveness and the hunger of Kooley High as a group. I feel like New York impacted our music in a positive way. We also represented our home state and University whilst living elsewhere. It reminded people that we know how to make JAMS. Hip Hop is simple at the end of the day; dope beats, dope rhymes.

MD: Can you describe the meaning of your song “Regular S**t”? 
CS: We make hot songs on a regular basis. Most people think it's outstanding. It's just another day at the office for the crew.

MD: Do you have a particular routine before performing live? 
CS: Smoke or drink or neither. We all come together and say a prayer and do a motivating speech. Then we commence to rocking faces off.

MD: If you could make a song with any other musician, who would that musician be?
CS: Kanye West. He's the Tits (even tho Rick Ross has bigger ones).

Upcoming Shows:
- February 14, 2013 @ 8p: The Pour House Music Hall (Raleigh, NC)
- April 27, 2013: TBD
- May 10, 2013: TBD

Albums:
- David Thompson (2011)
- Eastern Standard Time LP (2010)
- Kooley is High (2009)
- The Summer Sessions EP (2008)
- Raleigh's Finest (2007)

Website: KooleyHigh.com