Catching the cool Saturday breeze over a few drinks, Florida production duo, The Colleagues, sat on the patio of one of the many restaurants that surround the beautiful Millenia area located here in Orlando. Producing for artists that range from our hometown heroes Dee Boi and Kevin Cossom, to others such as Plies, 2 Chainz and Gucci Mane, The Colleagues, who can individually be referred to as KP and R. Chris; have practically made a name for themselves overnight. Calm and collected at first, KP and R. Chris showed me and Culture Climax member, Storee, that they are definitely about their business. Providing us with laughs and the answers that everyone has been looking for, The Colleagues gave Culture Climax the opportunity to see what all the hype has been about with these two humble hard-working men and why they are some of the coolest people in town. ā Kesi P.
When were The Colleagues established?
KP: Well really, weāve been around since 2008, but I brought him along in March.
R. Chris: I left what I was doing in March. I had Mastermind Beat Boys since like 2009, but in March when he came along, I left what I was doing with Mastermind Beat Boys.
When you started The Colleagues, was it just you by yourself?
KP: Nah, it was me and another dude from Orlando, who Iām not going to name, but yeah, we were cool and we just had different visions for The Colleagues. Since I started it, I took over and then just did my own thing.
So you were doing it by yourself after that right?
KP: Yeah, pretty much.
What made you want to actually drop everything to invest time in The Colleagues?
R. Chris: I didnāt necessarily drop everything, but he was further along than I was. So I seen it as an opportunity to not only learn and better my craft, but to be apart of something bigger than me. Thatās why I moved on from where I was. My team, The Mastermind Beat Boys, they actually still do their thing. It was actually my two younger brothers.
KP: Oh, I didnāt know that [Laughs]
R. Chris: [Laughs] Yeahhh. I actually still put in to them. I guess you would say manage. Whenever they have questions, Iām always there because those are my brothers.
Yeah, definitely. So if you had to say what your influence would be to start all of this, what would it be?
KP: I used to actually manage an artist here named Dee Boi and he got locked up so many times, I kept losing all of my money. Thatās my n-gga though, but he was costing me financially. So he was like, āman you need to start making beats.ā So I told him I would try it out. I just started doing it and started loving it.
R. Chris: I actually started with Kane Beats. We all went to the same church. It was me, him and a couple of other friends and we had this lil group called 4 Deep. This is when I was trying to rap. [Laughs]
[Laughs] 4 Deep?
R. Chris: Yeah! It was actually UGK at first, but then we found out somebody else had it, so we had to change it. [Laughs]
So, for those who donāt really know The Colleagues, can you give us a little back drop of who youāve worked with, what music youāre in to and how you would describe your sound?
KP: We donāt really have a sound. We do Rap, R&B, Gospelā¦all of it. All the stuff people have been hearing is Rap, but we do it all. Weāve worked with people like Plies, Gucci Mane, Tity Boi (2 Chainz), Maino, umā¦Kevin Cossom, Trick Daddy, uhā¦Slick Pulla, the list goes on.
If you guys would have to say one thing that Orlando is missing, what would it be?
KP: That one big artist. That one mainstream artist. Somebody that when you say, āOrlandoā, everybody thinks of. Right now, itās whatās them dudes name? Smilez and Southstar?
[Laughs] And Treal
KP: Oh yeah, and Treal. They were pretty big.
Do you think that thereās anything else thatās actually stopping Orlando from creating an artist?
R. Chris: I think itās the egoās. People get a little buzz in Orlando and want to charge some outrageous number to do a feature or they donāt want to pay producers for their beats.
Do you think that some artists are too comfortable with being in this position?
R. Chris: Well P.I. [Bang], I guess we can say P.I. because heās the biggest thing in Orlando right now, he can be the biggest thing out of Orlando. He just has to switch over.
KP: I think Dee Boi or P.I. could be the biggest things out of Orlando. I think Dee Boi has the most talent in Orlando and P.I. has the most drive. I mean, some artists might take offense, they might not want to buy any more beats, but uh, it is what it is.
Definitely. Itās like that sometimes. If you guys had to choose your top 3 songs right now, whether itās on the radio or just something that you listen to, what would they be?
R. Chris: Man, I would have to say my favorite right now is that 2 Chainz & Gucci.
KP: Are you just saying that because we did it? [Laughs]
R. Chris: [Laughs] Nah, thatās actually my favorite song. I listen to it every day. Literally, every day.
Thatās that āCheck My Resumeā track right?
R. Chris: Yeah, I love that song. And Iāve really never been a fan of 2 Chainz. I loved Playaās Circle, but never really been a fan of 2 Chainz himself. I love that record though.
KP: Itās a song called āSomeoneā, by Musiq Soulchild, and uh āSometimes I Cryā by Eric Bennett and my third would probably be 2 Chainz. Thatās so weird because I donāt really listen to too much rap. It all sounds the same to me. I like listening to R&B.
Orlando is full of starving artists and producers and what not, what advice would you give to them?
R. Chris: With producers, I would say, when they get in, they wanna charge outrageous money. Yeah, you may be worth 50 stacks per beat, but youāre just starting out. You gotta make your name. I would say humble yourselves. Work with anybody. Whether theyāre no names or big names. Work with anybody. Donāt shun anybody. For artists, same thing. Humble yourselves. Donāt try to stiff producers. You gotta spend some money to get some money.
KP: Producers man, you gotta know how to promote yourself and market yourself. You gotta know it. You gotta get your own sound. Stop trying to do everything else that everyone else is doing. Artists, you just gotta stay humble. Pretty much what he said. Producers just gotta know how to get yourselves out there, pretty much, and stay humble. Youāre gonna hear a lot of noās. For every no I heard, somebody bigger said yes. You might get a ānoā on this beat 5 times, but you just gotta keep pushing it out there. You gotta believe in yourself. I donāt see any obstacles. Keep your faith.
Okay, now for a few fun questions. NBA or NFL?
KP: NBA
R.Chris: NFL. Well, Iām actually more of a College Football person than anything.
KP: I always had hoop dreams, so I wanted to go to the NBA. Throughout the seasons, you can catch me at different games in different cities. I like to see the different kinds of arenas and stuff, so I love to watch basketball. I go to L.A. because Iām a Lakers fan.
Whatās your favorite basketball team?
R. Chris: The Magic! Home team!
Yes! Iāve been a Magic fan since ā93, but my favorite player of all time would have to be Allen Iverson. Nothing could change that.
R. Chris: My favorite player would have to Penny Hardaway.
KP: Man, Kobe Bryant.
R. Chris: I think I would like the Lakers a lot more if Kobe wasnāt on it. I donāt like Lamar Odom either.
Can you tell us one fun fact about the other?
KP: This dude forgets a lot of the stuff that I say and I know it.
R. Chris: [Laughs] I forget the stuff my wife says.
KP: [Laughs] Weāll be having a talk and Iāll say something, then Iāll say to myself, āI know Iāma have to tell him this again in another hour.ā Then weāll be talking and heāll say āoh what about such and suchā. I have to tell him, āI just told you that like an hour ago.ā
R. Chris: [Laughs] Man, I forget. Yeah, Iām very forgetful. I donāt know though. KPās just serious all the time. Oh, nobody else knows this, but on my birthday, this dude called me, I answered the phone and the first thing I heard was him singing Happy Birthday. I didnāt know how to take it. I had never seen a different side of him.
KP: I was bustin notes! I can have fun, but most of the time itās usually business. When me and him talk, itās usually business, so we really donāt chill and joke because we stay so far apart. When Iām usually around here, itās for business.
Where do you hope to see The Colleagues in the next 5 years?
KP: Hope? Where DO I see The Colleagues? With Grammyās in our living rooms.
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