Welcome to today’s edition of Kreyolicious Music…Today’s episode? Presenting Kertasy, a rapper based in New Jersey. His latest mixtape is entitled “‘Bout My Bread”, in which the rapper chronicles his overcoming obstacles to get to the rap of the rap game. While he’s increasing his hold on the streets, few know what he’s really all about. So, let’s get into the mind of Kertasy.

Kreyolicious: Tell us about Kertasy the talent.
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been doing music since a ‘lil boy. My first live performance was in the seventh grade with an old classmate friend of mine, whom I convinced to participate with me in doing a rap song about Harriet Tubman’s history and accomplishments for a Black History Month project. [This] landed us in the Star Ledger newspaper. My father passed away when I was in the first grade and left behind me, my baby brother, and my mom. The death took a huge toll on my mom—which led her to numbing the pain with drugs—which of course turned her into in addict. She never remarried. But, as the years went by, she had my other four siblings after me and my brother. But the drug use never really stopped with my mom—to the point my grandmother had to take me and siblings in and raise us or else DYFS [children welfare agency] would of took us away and separated us. As I entered high school, I was going harder with my music, and I started throwing teen parties to help build my name and buzz in the streets. Since then, I’ve met some great people from networking. Did big tours, opening up for some well-known famous artists. Been featured on BET and MTV, Music Choice, [and] popular blog sites. I had a single deal, and everything. Now, I’m totally independent. I manage and fund myself.

Kreyolicious: Kertasy…I like unique names. Does your name mean anything?
I got my name because of the reputation I had with the girls for always being flirtatious, but also polite and the synonym for courtesy is polite and being nice. So, I put a twist to it and spelled it K-E-R-T-A-S-Y, and the meaning is that I’m just nice at whatever I do. [It also means that] I’m [very] involved especially when it comes to anything pertaining to my music career. [And also], it’s the way I sound and deliver my flow on tracks or my live performances.

Kreyolicious: When you were in high school, were you the shy type? Or did you used to rock those talent shows with no hesitations.
I broke out of my shyness my freshman year in high school after I started to get attention from all these different type of girls. And when it came to the talent shows, I was most def tearing them stages down which helped get me more popular in high school. Then when I started throwing parties, forget it, that shy sh__ was out the door. [Laughter].

This concludes PART ONE of the interview with Kertasy. Next up, the rapper talks more about his music, his craft, and the hip-hop industry. So, watch out for PART II.

CLICK HERE to follow Kertasy on Twitter | CLICK HERE to check Kertasy out on Instagram | CLICK HERE to visit Kertasy’s website.

“I didn’t work this hard/not to show it off,” rapper Kertasy raps on one of his trademark tracks. If he’s going all out on everything, it’s because he’s toiled, sowed, planted and cultivated. So, when it’s time for him to eat off his labor…well…you shouldn’t mind if he helps himself to it all!

The Wick-based rapper is part of a new legion of MCs coming out of the New Jersey area. His marketing savvy is as lethal as his game as a spitter. Working with street-pipers like Producer T, Pierre Hugo, D Ron That Track and others, the rapper has created a sound that his fans readily identify.

Kreyolicious: That track…”My Hair”…how did it take shape?
Me and my close friend Devin, who’s featured on the track with me, was in my crib coolin’ as we usually do every day and I was going over some beats this producer I knew emailed me. Around that time, Devin always recorded in my living room ’cause he always traveled with his book bag packed with a Macbook, mbox, mic and mic stand in his trunk of the car to record vocals anywhere he pleases. We always hung at my crib, so of course everything was set up already and I suggested we do a collabo on the beat. Were both creative writers so instead of your regular lovey-dovey girl record, we thought bout making a sexy/fun song addressing the warnings females usually give to us men about not messing up their hair after just leaving the salon when we tryna have sex. Like what girl, especially a black women, after getting her hair done haven’t warned their man or significant other before they get it in with—“Don’t mess up my hair”? [Laughter] It’s very relatable to a lot of women. And plus, when [was] the last time you seen two rappers collaborate on a record strictly for the females, which wasn’t a remix & the type of music we like doing, the collab made sense. Then a year later, we shot the video with Itchy House Films and released it thru my VEVO channel and the feedback been great.

Kreyolicious: Who would you say has influenced you the most where music is concerned? Or do you have multiple influences?
Of course beside the greats who I grew up listening and watching: Jay-Z, Biggie, Nas, Fabolous, Mase, Pac…I’ve also been influenced lately by a lot of the other indie artists who put in the same similar grind and route I’m currently taking who made it & broke thru with the new wave of gettin discovered which is the internet. So that really influences me to keep pushing. Like, if they did, I can too as long I remain focus..

Kreyolicious: Let’s talk about your song “Your Love”. I noticed that on the art for the single…there’s this weighing scale, and on the scale, three…no two scantily-clad women are piled on there like clothing store mannequins.
That artwork cover is visual metaphor ’bout how the girl’s love for me outweighs all the other pretty—or as you put it—“scantily-clad” women that may come around me or are in my face.

Kreyolicious: You ever been to Haiti?
I went back to visit at the age of eight for like a week and I never been back since. So, my goal is to definitely go back as a major artist and perform where I was originally born at and really check it out because I don’t remember too much about Haiti personally.

Kreyolicious: What should we expect from you in time to come?
Well, I just dropped my new mixtape/album Kertasy Of... [which] you can stream now on my Souncdloud page. Along with a music video for a record off the mixtape titled “Timber”. I went a different creative route by shooting a three-part music video series strictly for Instagram only. Not youtube, not vevo, but only my IG page you can see this video (@Kertasy). Also, more videos will got shot and released summer while I’m currently already working on the part two of that mixtape which was a way bigger rollout release this fall. So, I’m excited and can’t wait ’til ya’ll hear all this dope new music I’m currently working on.

CLICK HERE to follow rapper Kertasy on Twitter | CLICK HERE to check rapper Kertasy out on Instagram | CLICK HERE to visit rapper Kertasy’s website| CLICK HERE to check him out on Soundcloud.