Kutt Calhoun has been a busy man. After a well-deserved vacation, Kutt is back on the grind, dropping verses for two upcoming mixtapes of his own and also adding his lyrical dexterity to the tracks on Tech N9ne’s Bad Season mixtape. We talked to Kutt about the incredible mixtape plan he has in store for 2011.

Kutt Calhoun Interview Part One (5:11)

Kutt Calhoun Interview Part Deuce (6:41)

So now you’re back in Kansas City. I saw you tweeting to Whoo Kid about trying to get on the Bad Season mixtape and you’re like: “Man, I miss recording! I might be in paradise but–” So are you trying to get on the Whoo Kid mixtape?

As soon as I got back home–I got back home Wednesday –at two, two-thirty, three o’clock I was at the studio, down at Chapman’s writing already. So I’m already on something and I’ve got some more shit to write to. We’re in the studio until next Saturday–not this Saturday but next Saturday. I plan to be on two to three more things. I love this shit. I was hoping I wasn’t too late, missing it while I was on my honeymoon. I found out I still had time. I talked to to Tech, I talked to Whoo Kid, and it’s all good. I’ve already got one song recorded already since I’ve been back and I’m waiting on the second one and the third one after that.

Cool, cool. Now I know you’ve got your own mixtape coming up: Flames Part Two?

Yeah Flames Part Deuce and then I’ve got another mixtape that me and my dude BG Bulletwound are doing called This Blood’s For You. So those are the two I’ve got in the works and going to be getting started on ASAP. Now that everything’s done–we don’t have any more touring to do–I can concentrate on those. The fans are anticipating it. I’m still hearing about the regular Flames that came out in ’07 so I know by the anticipation and the responses that they can’t wait for the Flames Part Deuce to come out. That and along with This Blood’s For You, it’s going to be highly anticipated. I’m just anxious to get started on it because I know it’s going to be a beautiful thing.

Can you tell us what we can expect on both mixtapes as far as collaborators, producers, the feel of them?

As far as producers go I’m collaborating with Michael Weiss out of Wichita, Kansas. He worked for Strange for a period of a time. He’s been messing with different producers. This isn’t going to be the old cliche producers that we’ve been messing with. I’m going to mess with Seven, Dave Sanders, and Fyre also but for this mixtape he’s been reaching out to a couple of different producers, like ten to fifteen of them, just getting beats. Different beats that sound good along with industry beats and original beats–just a collaboration of both. This Flames Part Deuce is going to immaculate. It’s going to be better than the first one. I figure if you don’t progress in a positive way, if you don’t move forward and you go backward, then what’s the reason for doing it? Of course this is going to be way better than the first one. As far as the collaborations of course I’m going to have my deuce cats on there: BG Bulletwound, Skatterman, Snug Brim–a lot of people waiting are wanting to hear another deuce collaboration. I’m going to pull those guys out of the woodwork and we’re going to do work together. Of course, people from Strange: Big Scoob, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko. We’ve got Brotha Lynch Hung out there, we’ve got Cognito out there, we’ve got the newest addition, Jay Rock. I’m going to get Jay Rock on–Flames Part Deuce is going to be less features than more but when I do This Blood’s For You that’s going to be your Jay Rocks, your Mack 10s, the Messy Marvs on This Blood’s For You. I’m looking forward to a lot of good collaborations with the people that I’ve met out here on the road and connected with. E-40 of course, that’s my family. G. Malone. I got it going on man right now and I’m just finna take full advantage of it and give these people what they want to hear to the best of my ability and make sure that these two mixtapes is finna blow every fucking thing out the water that’s coming out, then I’ll be worried about my next studio album I’ll come out with.

Well speaking of trying to improve with each release: we did a poll on your blog site and it turned out that Raw And Un-Kutt came first for “favorite Kutt Calhoun album.”

Right, right, right, right! Exactly! That’s what it’s supposed to do! If people would’ve said B.L.E.V.E. was number one that would’ve made me think I’m doing something wrong and I’d have to go back to the drawing board to figure out what the hell I did wrong so for that to be the poll turn out–that’s exactly what I’m shooting for because each album I want to be better.

Well Feature Presentation was second and B.L.E.V.E. was third so there you go.

That’s how you do it! That’s how it’s supposed to go!

Well how does that make you feel to know that the fans are agreeing that you’re doing what you’re trying to do?

It makes me feel good and confident in what I’m doing and letting me know that I’m headed down the right path and that everything that I’m thinking and everything that I’m shooting for–my goals and my maturity and growth as an artist and entertainer–are all falling into place like they’re supposed to. I feel blessed. It’s a blessing from God and I’m going continue to keep doing it. I’m going to continue to grow because without growth there can be nothing new for people to experience and enjoy and nothing to share from. I’m going to continue doing that. I’ve actually seen that on Twitter. I went to it and there was a post on there. I’ve seen exactly what you was talking about. That lets me know I’m heading down the right track and doing the right thing so I’m going to continue to do that.

Now I want to shift gears to touring for a little bit. Was there anything that stuck out about the Independent Grind Tour? What did you take from it?

What I took from it was the opportunity that I had to network with the fellow tour mates that I was out there with as far as Jay Rock, E-40, Glasses Malone. I connected with those guys, got to know those guys, and found out that I was amongst real people like I am–I consider myself a real humble, down-to-Earth person and I networked and collaborated and got to know those guys. With the Independent Grind Tour I took advantage of the people that I was around, I took advantage of the networking chances that I had, and I’m going to use them to the fullest of my ability for my upcoming projects, whether that’s these mixtapes or my next album, and continue to grow from there and keep it going. What I got from The Independent Grind Tour was: no matter who you are, if you’re in this game and this is what you love and this what you’re trying to do, there’s no limits to how far you can go. That’s what I got from it and it didn’t do nothing but give me inspiration to push harder, keep networking, meeting more real people, meeting more people in the same line of work of what I’m doing–not just in the rap aspect but just as men, people that’s shooting for the same things as far as feeding their family and to get their word out to listeners.

Out of all the cities that you’ve been to are there any that you particularly like coming back to?

Yeah of course. You know Denver’s going to be number one. Denver’s number one. Minneapolis is great: Tuscson, Arizona; Tempe, Seattle, Portland. Where else did we go? Dallas was a great turn out, you know we don’t there too often. Of course Florida. Worcester is always a great place to go: Worcester sells out everytime and there’s so much love and energy there. Those are just some of the places. Those are the ones that stick out more than the others but yeah there’s like six or seven that just stick out.

Are there any cities that you haven’t been to that you want to go to?

Oh, and Atlanta! I want to go back there. We went there too. I’ve been to Atlanta on my solo tour on the Strange Noize tour with Hed PE. We went there this summer and I was so glad that I found out we were coming back as a Strange unit. I definitely want to go back there and do some more stuff in Atlanta and of course Texas too, but I want to hit up places like Memphis, Tennessee; Kentucky; Atlanta again; and even Alabama. I want to hit up some more Southern states man. We’ve been everywhere else. We need to work down in the Southern part to get that Southern collaboration going with Strange Music and the fans down in the South: Houston, Dallas of course, San Antonio, hell Arkansas, Louisiana–all along the Southern borderline. I want to go down there. I want to hit all those places in the South that we haven’t hit. We’ve been down to Florida, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, Orlando–we need to hit Miami up, doing a lot of shit down there in Miami as much as we can. So basically to answer your question in the overall sense: I want to do a lot of the South. We’ve been Midwest, we’ve been East, we’ve been West: we need to do the South.

Now to shift gears again I was just wondering what music you’ve been listening to lately.

Music lately: I’ve been listening to T.I. I’ve been listening to Eminem, all of his features, whatever’s he been doing. He still shows motherfuckers he can’t be fucked with lyrically. I’ve been listening to the new DMX that just came out. I be all on Twitter radio listening for these cats. I like them all because these are cats that have been able to endure through all the years and still be on top of their game. Drake is hot. I’m liking Trey Songz. I’m going to see what this Nicki Minaj is talking about when she comes out because she’s kind of changed up a little bit from when she was on mixtapes and on underground features. Nicki Minaj is a great artist, a great lyricist. I just want to hear this album so I can give my honest critique on what she is as an artist. Drake…T.I….of course Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Bun B. I’m with the people with lyrical content and that actually have something to talk about. That’s what I’ve been listening to here lately bro.

Anything you want to say to close out this interview?

All I want to say is, if you don’t know me, you’re going to know me. This is Kutt Calhoun Raw And Un-Kutt, the Kansas City Chief baby. Got three albums out. If you want to do your history you can look up on the strangemusicinc.net on the Strange Music store and do your research, get your history, get to know a brother off of B.L.E.V.E., that’s my first album. The second album came out in ’08 which is Feature Presentation. The latest album, the third album that just came out was Raw And Un-Kutt, which came out June eighth of this year. Now I’ve got two mixtapes in the works: Flames Mixtape Part Deuce is going to be out early next year in ’11 and This Blood’s For You which is a collaboration with myself and B.G. Bulletwound. He got an album that’s going to be coming out soon called Say It To My Face. Be looking out for us. Strange Music is taking over as always. Kutt Calhoun is about to be on some whole new different shit, my gameplan. I’ve got my hard hat on and I’ve got my gloves on. I came to work. I want all the fans to know: if you aint got my albums man, look me up. You can download me for free on Guvera.com. You can download me for free and I still get paid. To all the supporters out there I want to thank you and say thanks. Keep supporting and I’m going to keep giving you what you love and what you need. To all the newcomers: I swear if you look up your boy Kutt Calhoun, the Kansas City Chief, you won’t be disappointed and I guarantee you you’ll be a fan after the first listen. Other than that suwoo!!

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