Kyron aka Solo (Screwball) – The Unkut Interview

Best known as a member of Screwball and for the controversial ‘Who Shot Rudy?’ single, Queensbridge legend Kyron is plotting his return to the rap game after an extended hiatus (due primarily to being on the lam for several years). Despite the sudden, tragic loss of his long-time rhyme partner K.L. earlier this year, Kyron is hard at work on a new solo project and is also finishing up a new Screwball album.

Robbie: What’s the latest?

Kyron: Right now I’m working this ‘Caution’ record. I’ve got a package up at a major label, so what I’m doin’ is breakin’ the first record, the ‘Caution’ record, so I can light a fire under they ass. Make them move faster – make them make me priority. You gotta do little things for the label to make them make you priority, so I’mma blast this ‘Caution’’ record off. That record is like a different direction for me. I still tried to keep it hard, but I wanted to make something that people could shake they ass to. I’mma keep it street though. The album is three-quarters done – I wanna go back and do the last 25% when my budget comes, so I’m working with the big producers I’m supposed to be working with. I’ve worked with the legends like Premo, Pete Rock, Marley Marl and all of them, but I always dealt with up-and-coming producers and all that. I never got the chance to really work with the Timbalands and all that.

So there’s a few new members of Screwball now?

Yeah – Ty Nitty, Escape are the two new members. You know Ty Nitty from the Infamous Mobb? Screwball [Louis Chandler] is his big brother. Screwball is named after my boy who passed away – got killed – so Screwball is Ty Nitty’s older brother. We doin’ a Screwball album also.

Isn’t Verse down as well?

She’s down, but she’s not a member of the group. She’s our first lady, so she’s got her own thing goin’ on. But she’s gonna be on the album.

I assume Hostyle isn’t a part of that anymore?

We was talkin’ to Hostyle, but he’s in another situation right now. He’s on paper with another situation so it was kinda hard for us to get Hostyle over there. Hopefully he’s outta his obligations for the next go ‘round so we can work with him then.

So things are OK between you guys now?

Time heals all wounds. We had to take some time out to understand where people comin’ from and things people do that may be wrong. We lost KL. We lost Screwball…life is too short to hold grudges like that.

How did you and KL start the Kamakazee crew?

What happened was I had gave my CD to Marley Marl, right? And Marley had called me up like, ‘Yo, let’s get busy. Let’s go do some joints.’ ‘Cos that’s when he had his deal with Warner Bros. So I stepped in, and that just happened to be the same summer that KL moved to Queensbridge. He’s originally from Far Rockaway, Queens. He was living in Jamaica, Queens at the time and then he moved from Jamaica to live with Poet and Poet’s mom in Queensbridge. I gave my CD to Marley a couple of weeks earlier, and then by the time Marley had called me, me and KL had started doin’ the Kamakazee thing. We were actually getting’ ready to sign a deal with Hank Shocklee from the Bomb Squad. Me and KL was in the studio with Hank Shocklee nearly every day, so Marley had called us up, and Hank Shocklee was getting’ ready to get his situation over at MCA. But it was taking a long time, so what he was gonna do was develop some new artists – and me and KL just happened to be the artists he was gonna work with. What happened was Marley had called us and said that the Warner Bros. situation was ready now. Us being young, we kept it real though. We let Hank Shocklee’s people be involved with the situation with Marley. We actually had them goin’ back and forth with Marley. And at the end of the day, what they came back with was, ‘Marley’s ready to go right now, he’s talkin’ like he’s got a good situation for you guys and we don’t wanna hold you back from any opportunities. So we’re recommended that you go ahead with Marley’. So everything was done the right way. So we got with Marley and that’s how we did the Kamakazee shit.

But that came out independent?

Nah, nah. KL did a couple of Kamakazee records by hisself independent when I went on the run. I was running from the law for a little while. But Kamakazee was always mainstream – we had a deal with Warner Bros.

What happened to that deal?

Warner Bros. terminated the whole urban music department with that Delores Tucker shit. They had no urban music – and we got caught up in that shit.

Is that the same period you did ‘On The Real’ with Nas and ‘Mega?

Yeah, that was for our album. ‘Bridge ’95’ was on the Kamakazee album too. We introduced Hostyle on the b-side of that. ‘Snakes’ was originally for that album too. When they terminated the urban department we were left with a whole album.

Was ‘Set It’ (PHD) the first record Screwball ever did together?

Yeah. We used to be Madmen from when Poet did the ‘Set It’ record, and we did another called ‘Mad Men Styles’. We was called The Madmen but then we switched that up. It was too negative. It wasn’t really the image we wanted to portray. Screwball was our man who passed away – Poet came up with the idea to name the group after him. It just was an organic thing though, it was very natural the way it happened. It wasn’t like we thought of a name or nuttin’.

How’ve you been dealing with the loss of KL?

I never really mourned KL like that. KL passed away and a couple of weeks later my mother had a massive heart attack and a cardiac arrest. She had a heart attack and her heart stopped. The first half of the year was so crazy for me, plus I was working my own project. I haven’t had time to sit back…I haven’t had the luxury to mourn or let the stress of those things actually set in, so I guess I haven’ dealt with none of that yet.

What did you used to pay for a mix tape out in The Bridge?

Fuckin’ $10 – $20 sometimes. Those shits wasn’t cheap! Shits cost more than CDs! Shits was ill, son! Them shit’s was indy – like them niggas was cuttin’, blendin’, doin’ bananas shit, sayin’ the right thing at the right time. It was for real! It wasn’t like these niggas do now – say whatever they want, throw the record on, just play the next record – don’t even mix it, nothin’. That shit was a whole new game – a whole ‘nother game back then. You’re mix tape had to be fire. Niggas wasn’t buyin’ no bullshit back then. Niggas was critical for real back then. You had to be ill to sell your music.

Remember that Ron G tape where he blended Michael Jackson’s ‘Remember The Time’ and put Cypress Hill under it?

I know that tape, man! I know that tape like the back of my hand, son. I played that tape ’till it popped. I know exactly what blend you talkin’ about – that’s how ill these niggas was! Fuckin’ twenty tears later and you still remember the blend. See, he killed that! That shit had me movin’ – like you be ready to kill somebody!

How come you switch up between Kyron and Solo?

Kyron’s my name and on the street they call me Solo, so I put Kyron aka Solo so I don’t leave nobody out, ‘cos I got people that call me Solo all day, they don’t call me Kyron.

What about Legacy?

I’m Legacy too. That was my name when I was younger. I was like seventeen years-old and that was my rap name, but wasn’t nobody calling me that. Yeah, that’s funny. But that’s how I feel about things anyway though – I’mma still try to leave a legacy. You don’t want to be remembered? You don’t leave no legacy you won’t remembered. Whether it be a child or something.

Kyron @ MySpace

Kamakazee – ‘Snakes’

Kamakazee – ‘Bridge ’95’

Screwball – ‘Who Shot Rudy?’

Marley Marl feat. Solo – ‘ Spazz Out’

Kyron – ‘Avalanche’

Kyron – ‘Rebel’

Screwball – ‘Screwball Anthem’ (MySpace rip)

See Also: A Salute To Kenny Lou of Screwball