KT The Terrible. Photo: © Jonathan Tate / SUSPEND Magazine.
How do you pronounce "gif"? Jiffy.
Do you consider yourself nostalgic? My music is. I don't think much about myself.
How do you feel about the internet? The internet is an amazing and awful place. I like that there is a lot of information being offered that I don't like most of the time. I don't use it for information.
How much time a day would you say you spend in front of a (tv, computer, phone, etc) screen? Sadly, like 15 hrs a day.
Making instrumentals from scratch isn't easy. How did you get into it? My choir teacher got me into and let me know I could make a living from making music.
What was the first song you made like? First song I made, I hated it. Deleted it immediately.
Do you listen to the radio when driving? I was listening to the radio when my CD player broke.
Do you have any favorite party memories? I don't like parties. The homie took me to an outdoor Hispanic house party with the grill going, red cups, and kegs. What I thought was dope is that they had a Mariachi band in full dress playing. The horns and just amount of sound was beautiful.
What hand do you write with? Do you throw with the same hand? Right hand and yeah. I dribble with my left though.
Where did you grow up? Inglewood, California.
Do you ever wish you were born in a different time period? Well honestly, I would have probably been a slave in any other time. If I was royalty then Egyptian times before Alexander the Great.
Have you had any good reads lately? I read comics. So, there's this tight series called "Saga" and "Flashpoint" is tight.
We got to have a cool conversation a little while back about "Cowboy Bebop" and "YuYu Hakusko". What other animated series are you a fan of? "Darker than Black," "Death Note," "Soul Eater," "Kill La Kill," and I just started liking "Ghost in the Shell."
KT The Terrible (Los Angeles). Photo: Jonathan Tate, SUSPEND Magazine.
Do you know how to play any instruments? I play the piano, drums, and cello.
Do you have siblings? I have one little brother named Michael.
Is there a meaning behind your name? How did it originate? Uh, well my approach to music originally was all evil eerie sounds but still dope; the "Terrible" from Ivan the Terrible who was evil as fuck. He fascinated me at the time.
Can you name a few people you've had the pleasure of working with? Alexander Spit, Caleb Stone, Ommas Keith, Left Brain, Black Spade, Coultrain, DP.
Have you seen the virtual reality porn headsets? What do you think of those? Def seen them aaaaaaaannnnd awesome!
How old were you when you got your first cell phone? 16. I have the same number.
Can you summarize the last movie you saw in one sentence? MindFuck.
Do you believe in love? I believe there's Love.
What songs bring you back to your childhood? That's tricky. From my mother, songs like Mary J. Blige's "My Life"...the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack (but only sometimes just to say I learned to have an appreciation for R&B). But I think my mom was the first to ever play Suga Free and be like, "You better listen, boi!" Both my parents had me on Dj Quik, NWA, RBL, Spice 1. And then oldies like George Clinton, Cameo, Rick James, the Isley brothers. I mean, everything honestly. My dad made sure I knew who produced what or who played what instrument. It was crazy: I could hear the difference but he got me really listening to music – the deliveries, tones, voices, content.
KT The Terrible (Los Angeles). Photo: Jonathan Tate, SUSPEND Magazine.
If you aren't "here", then where are you? I'm in a trance-like state in between the living and the unknown. I usually tap into that mindstate if I'm truly one with myself.
Do you remember your dreams? Describe the last dream you remember. I smoke too much unfortunately.
What was the last solid piece of advice you received? The last best advice I received was random because it came from a stranger. I was walking down Crenshaw looking for a fruit cart man and this random lady stopped me, grabbed my hand and told me, "Don't be afraid of your talents" then put her hand to my stomach and said, "You were given these talents for a reason. Don't be afraid to show it." Anyway, she also blessed me and was from a church. What was crazy is I was struggling with a question she answered.
When creating an instrumental, is there a favorite sound or instrument you use? I used to have favorite instruments. Now, I just go by vibrations. I just feel the sounds out now. I go with any sounds that give me literal goosebumps.
What is the best compliment you've ever received? Best compliment would have to be any compliment honestly. The ones that standout are any compliments comparing me to Madlib or the late great Dilla.
KT The Terrible (Los Angeles). Photo: Jonathan Tate, SUSPEND Magazine.
How do you work? Is there a certain setting you need to be in? I usually work alone. My best work I've done alone. I'm learning to collaborate. The setting just has to have weed and flowing energy. I hate when I'm in a room full of people but it feels like I'm the only one contributing.
Where have you had the most fun performing? Probably Low End Theory, the sound system is banging and it's the right crowd to introduce new music.
What scares you? Success freaks me out.
Is there any music you're looking forward to hearing this year? I look forward to anything Flying Lotus, Madlib, The Alchemist, Alexander Spit - and whatever I've made that will come to play.
Where have you traveled outside of Los Angeles? I think the farthest I've been has been New York and Louisiana. Loved them both for different reasons.
Do you share your music with your family? I used to more often when I lived at home, but now my family has to wait when I put out stuff. They usually are on too of everything I make tho. Family has always been supportive.
How do they feel about the sounds and vibrations? Sounds and vibrations are everything. The right vibrations can make anything possible in and outside of music.
What was the last album/EP you listened to from start to finish? That Kendrick and that SBTRKT EP.
Listen to "Smoke With Me," an exclusive mix produced by KT The Terrible for SUSPEND SOUNDS:
RELATED POSTS
