Trey welcome to Nefarious Supply, and thank you for agreeing to interview with us. To get this interview started tell us about yourself who is Trey and how did you get started in the music industry?
My real name is Trey Gibson but in the music world I go by the name K.O.N. I was born & raised in Nashville. I came up with the name when I was in high school but never actually planned on being a rapper at the time. I rapped a little bit in high school under the name T.Gibbs but It wasn’t anything serious. Music had been something that seemed unrealistic when I was younger. I started making music with one my childhood friends Jyou after our Sophomore year of college. It was honestly a big turning point because we had both been looking for people to take that next step into making music with and until then had been unsuccessful. After that we dropped a couple EPs. The rest is history.
So we’ve interviewed a bunch of artists from NASHVILLE already, and we love this area. Tell us about your experience in NASHVILLE so far, I was this area influence you in your music, what artist have you worked with from the area, and what’s the scene like here for underground artists?
I feel like a majority of my career so far in Nashville has been trying to make a name for myself. There’s so much noise going on in the music industry here that It can be hard to find a consistent footing especially when you’re starting from scratch, which most of us are. It’s inspiring though being around so many creatives because it makes me want to stay consistent and work through the noise. As a HipHop/ RnB artist it can be tough in this city because you really have to earn every opportunity. The beautiful thing about the Nashville Hip Hop Scene is that it’s so diverse and unique. Everyone has a unique way of approaching music composition. It’s hard not to wake up thinking about music because you know someone else in the city is. I’ve been blessed to work with some of the amazing artists in the city. Jyou , Ron Obasi , Yours Truly Jai, Demo, Jordan Xx , $hrames , Dimestate Don, Lina the list goes on. Extremely blessed.
In addition to your location what artists would you say have influenced you and your music and who are you currently listening to right now?
If you looked at my Spotify right now you would find a lot of Isaiah Rashad, Drake, Kanye, Smino, Deangelo, Mac Miller , and MF Doom. As a kid I listened to a lot of Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Lil Wayne, and Big Sean though. Out of all those names I would probably say one of my biggest inspirations is Isaiah Rashad. It’s something about making “music for the vibers” that relates to me heavy. A long with that I’m highly inspired by the lyricism and flows of the likes of Andre 3000 & Kendrick Lamar. I always like to study their decisions when approaching composition.
So let’s talk about your music, what would you say is the most challenging thing about being an artist, what is your creative process like, and if you could give any new artist some advice what would it be?
One of the hardest things about being an artist is consistently believing in your art regardless of how the public responds to it especially when you’re first starting off. I find trying to be consistent as a big remedy for that because it’s something about knowing you’re always getting better that helps you remain confident. My creative process consists of finding or creating composition that I feel is moving and then laying down lyrics & Melodies that match the vibe. Writing a song can take anywhere from a hour to a week or two. I find letting ideas sit and coming back to them is what’s most efficient for me. I can usually tell within the first 20 seconds of a beat if I’m motivated to write to it.
Sometimes a beat will hit you differently depending on what you’re going through at the time. It can be a pretty emotional process. If I could give advice to new artist I would say simply find what you like, figure out why you like it, and apply it to your music to create your sound. Be kind to everyone and move with genuine intention. How people interpret you and your intentions are out of your control. Most importantly if you really love what you do practice it everyday.
Not too long ago you released Your new album Kids being Kids! So just tell us about this new album including what’s The meaning behind the title, how long have you been working on this project, and what was it like working with WowJus7in?
Kids Being Kids is a tape for all the groovy kids who love themselves and want to move their feet around . I feel like Kids being Kids was me taking a detour from my typical lyrically driven route and trying to just make fun music. I started working with WowJus7in last summer and it was one of those things where we kind of just clicked as far as music we liked and what we were aiming for. It only took the first few beats he showed me for me to know that our sounds would mesh. What was crazier was he’d only been making beats for about a year.
It wasn’t until October after a lot of crazy shit had happened in my life that we decided it was time to make a tape together. But by that time we already had chemistry and it was just a matter of making the music. His girlfriend Teresa, owner of No Use Market, played a huge role in putting everything together as far as visuals and everything that went with the music such as cover art and tracklist. I could go on a whole rant about everyone involved but just know it was a team effort. Starting and finishing things with people has a way of bringing everyone involved closer.
On your new album you got some amazing features from some Nashville natives including: Jyou, Demo, Dimestatedon, and Lina. how did you get them as features on your project, what was it like working with them, and who is your favorite artist to collab with on this project?
The main goal for Kids Being Kids was to have everyone on it Nashville based. Me and the team brainstormed who would sound good on what and hit up people to see if they’d be down. Amazing that folks came out to support me & the project. I honestly can’t pick a favorite. If I had to it would of course be jyou cause that’s my brother. But working with all of them was definitely an experience. Everyone was so extremely talented and you could tell from the energy that everyone came in with that they wanted to put their best foot forward which is ultimately reflected on the project. I don’t think anyone really knew off bat what they were signing up for.
So what’s next for you in 2022, where do you want to be by the end of this year, as well as the end of the decade. And what’s the biggest goal you have for your career?
By the end of the year by the grace off god I want to further increase my presence within the Nashville community and the surrounding areas and extend to other major cities while continuing to perfect my craft. What all we have in store I can’t tell you or it’d ruin the surprise. But if this was a book Kids being Kids is the prelude. Me & the team are aiming to crush all expectations, break all boundaries , and prove all doubters wrong in these next 10 years. The goal will always be to try and make timeless music and be expressive based on who we are.
And addition to New Goals are you planning on dropping any new music this year?
There is a great possibility that there will be more music dropping 2022. Just sit back relax and enjoy the show.
Who should we interview next on Nefarious Supply? Drop some friends below!
You all should definitely interview WowJus7in.
Any last words?
Thank you all for the interview. I very much enjoyed the intriguing questions you all presented. Go stream Kids being Kids its a great listen and follow me on Instagram.