Allan Kingdom is a firecracker. The rapper talks a million words a minute, yet does so eloquently with wisdom that belies his youth. At 20 years old, Kingdom has quietly blown up on the local scene thanks to his album “Talk To Strangers,” garnering comparisons to Chance the Rapper. A&E sat down with Kingdom at Gingko Coffeehouse and bantered about words, sounds and guiding principles.
Did you listen to anything on the way here?
AK: I listened to this guy named Fat Man Key — his name’s just Key; he’s from Atlanta. And Dom Kennedy.
I know Dom, but who’s Fat Man Key?
AK: I’m trying to think of what to call [his music]…you know how when you listen to a hip-hop album that’s kind of trappy. He uses Auto-Tune a lot, but his delivery is on point.
(looking at Allan’s shoes): I like your monk-straps. Where did you get them?
AK: These I got from some thrift store — I got these a while ago. This [pointing to his printed shirt] is from Tanzania.
So you grew up in Winnipeg?
AK: I grew up most of my life in St. Paul and Woodbury, but I was born in Winnipeg, and I moved to Wisconsin in third grade — Madison — then moved to St. Paul.
You come from an untrained background. Do you feel there’s a big difference between trained and untrained musicians, especially since even pop musicians go to music school these days?
AK: I think being a trained musician is pretty overrated. I feel that if you’re going to learn something, you can just learn it by yourself. If you’re really interested in it, that’s where natural discovery comes from … like somebody going somewhere. I don’t think pioneers and settlers took geography class and went somewhere; they just went somewhere.
How did you get into rap and decide to start rapping?
AK: Poetry. I wrote poetry when I was younger a lot, and I discovered hip-hop later on; I discovered rap kind of late, and then I started rapping.
Were you writing poetry because you felt it or had you read some [poetry] books before?
AK: The only poet that I remember reading was Shel Silverstein…and Edgar Allan Poe. I remember I read Edgar Allan Poe because I didnmonkk ’t want to read any poetry, but I was in third grade and my teacher was like “this poet has the same name as you!” And I started reading him after that; I read “The Raven” and it stuck out to me. Those are the only two poets that I sat down and read; I just like writing.
What did you write about?
AK: I would write about a lot of feelings; what life experiences do you have when you’re a single-digit age? I would write about abstract topics, and I find myself doing that a lot now.
What rappers did you initially get into? Was there someone whose writing felt simpatico with yours?
AK: Andre 3000. He was one of the first — at first I just thought it was cool, when I first heard Andre 3000’s, Pharrell’s [and] Lupe Fiasco’s early work. It spoke to me — it was the first time anything that was hip-hop touched me on a deeper level.
Any albums specifically?
AK: Lupe Fiasco’s “Food & Liquor.” “The Cool” … I used to play “The Cool” over and over again on my PSP. Kid Cudi’s “A Kid Named Cudi.” Those projects spoke to me really early.
You mentioned Pharrell. What do you think of his new album?
AK: I haven’t had the time to dig into it. I usually don’t listen to full albums; I listen to tracks one at a time ‘cause I feel like it’s unnatural to sit there and listen to a whole [album].
Do you listen to your albums when you’re done making them?
AK: Not really. I listen to them a couple times and then move on to the next thing.
What new music sticks out to you?
AK: I’ve been listening to Spooky Black [from] St. Paul. Have you heard of him? He’s really dope. When I’m in my creative modes, I listen to what I’m making over and over. But when I’m not making stuff is when I discover stuff — I’ve been listening to “Yeezus” still.
So many people hated that album. I feel like one of the few people who loved it.
AK: I loved it.
What made you love it?
AK: The emotion. No matter what you say about it, you can’t say there was not a lot of emotion in that project; there was an extreme amount. It’s about provoking people; if you feel comfortable when you listen to it, that’s cool and there’s music for that. I don’t believe “Yeezus” is for that.
Then there’s the problem where you become comfortable in the provocative. For me, “Yeezus” is almost easy listening at times.
AK: That’s exactly what happens. But it becomes the new norm — in a couple more years it’s going to be a normal album. [Kanye] already pushed it, and someone else is going to push it farther.
You recorded “Trucker Music” while you were at the Institute of Production & Recording. Was it a concept you had before?
AK: “Trucker Music” was a concept I had before attending – I’m trying to think if I had started going to IPR at the time of making it. “Trucker Music” was something I had outside of IPR. IPR helped in the production.
Do you still do much on the producing side?
AK: I produce everything.
What benefits do you feel there are to producing your own music instead of having someone else do it?
AK: You create your own world. I just started working with other producers.
Like Ryan Olson…
AK: Ryan Olson, Plain Pat…
He’s the driving force behind the music scene in the Twin Cities.
AK: Yeah. I honestly didn’t know his name, ‘cause he’s so low-key. I didn’t know his name until he wanted to work with me.
I talked with him for a piece on Marijuana Deathsquads in February. He’s the most humble guy you’ll meet.
AK: He knows how to put everything together.
What’s your favorite social media platform?
AK: Probably Twitter. I feel like if and when Twitter isn’t cool anymore, I feel like it’s a historical platform — people all around the world [write] random thoughts at all times. It’s like a global stream of consciousness, and I feel like it’s a modern day manuscript. The people of our time that we look up to — the artists of our time — we’re going to look back at their Twitter and get quotes. It’s going to be greater than what it is now.
How did your latest album, “Talk To Strangers,” come to be?
AK: It was a very transitional period in my life — getting older, transforming social circles. I made it in my room [and] people received it well. My thing with that was “I’m just going to make a project where I’m being super honest.”
Does honesty come easily for you?
AK: There’s no other option.
Really? It seems like so many people put on fronts.
AK: Maybe it’s because my mom raised me like that; I feel like you can only put on a front for so long. You put on a front, and then it ends, and everything that you worked for is done.
What’s your next album called?
AK: “Future Memoirs.” That’s the stuff I’m doing with Plain Pat. [He’s] worked on a lot of Kanye stuff — working on the new Yeezy album, Drake, Alicia Keys. He’s someone I really looked up to, so for me to be working with him now is like a headshake — in a good way.
How did you get hooked up with him?
AK: He found out about me on Twitter. When I was 17, he sent me an email and was like “Hey, your production is really intimidating.” I was sitting at my computer like “Is this really happening right now?” I grew up on the music he created with Emile, and now that I’m finished working on a project with him, it’s surreal.
What: Allan Kingdom opening for Heiruspecs
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Amsterdam Bar & Hall, 6 W. Sixth St., St. Paul
Cost: $12-14
Age: 21+
