Rapper/ folk singer/ reggae artist KO or Ko Kapeches has lived a lot of life in his 25 years. And not all of it good. Life is still a struggle for a young man, who grew up in a middle class Greek family in Toronto, but who still battles drug addiction and ended up living on the streets of San Francisco and his home town of Toronto.
“I had to cancel shows in Thunder Bay and Winnipeg (on this tour). I saved myself a lot of driving, but I’m 100 per cent good to go for Edmonton,” said Ko, who felt bad about canceling his shows because of dental surgery.
He will be returning to Lethbridge May 21, at the Stone with Daniel Wesley and the Rebel Emergency. It will be a fundraiser for the victims of the Japan earthquake as the Red Cross will have a booth on site to take donations. KO was last here years ago with Ill Scarlett.
“I spend my whole life now preaching about taking care of yourself, and I had to cancel the shows because I didn’t take care of myself. And I really wanted to play those shows,” he said of canceling them.
His CD “Blaze Up” was recorded in 2009, but sat on the shelf of Warner Brothers Records for a while before that due to record company issues and his A and R rep leaving.
“ I got signed to Warner Brothers at 18 or 19. But I don’t think I could have handled success then because I was always drunk or on drugs,” he said.
“Drugs are good. People do them for a reason, because it makes them forget about everything. That’s why they get addicted to them. I’d love to be doing drugs all day, but I don’t,” he said adding they took a pretty savage toll on his health.
“I still preach herb,” he said.
“I can’t smoke before my surgery, so I’m sure I’m going to be grumpy. My girlfriend’s in the room and she’s nodding I will be. But it isn’t as bad as the other drugs,” he said.
Now his main drug is music, what with transforming the basement of his Toronto house into a recording studio, where he not only records his own material, but those of other Toronto rappers and reggae dub artists.
“I’m even teaching my crack dealer to sing. I tell him, ‘you can do this. You should just make up some words. It’s fun.’ That’s the best drug there is. When you sit back and listen to a track you’ve created. I’m giving him options,” he said adding he is also recording a new project of his own— Fugees style group with a female singer and original beats.
“I’m always making music, all day. I lay down some basslines and that’s a great day. Before I’d get a call to go out to a club and get fucked up. Now I say I can’t, I’ve got work to do. I want to stay on the top of my craft,” he said.
“I want to be doing this when I’m an old man. Like Willie Nelson, getting arrested at 70 with six ounces of weed. Now that’s gangster,” he continued.
He is pleased with his CD “Let’s Blaze.”
“It came out in September 2009, but didn't start getting played until 2010. Now, 10,000 units and it’s still going,” he said adding he must face his temptations in the music business.
“Drugs are not hard to find in the music business. I need oxycontin just to sing. And guys will say ‘hey can you break me off a piece of that.’ And I’m like ‘no, I need this just to be able to sing, you just want it to get fucked up,’” he said.
He is enjoying the tour, which features the Rebel Emergency behind him, which he shares with Daniel Wesley.
“I’m a hip hop artist, but I have the full reggae band behind me. They make me sound big and badass. We are very tight little crew,” he said.
“We’re like friends. It’s always more fun to tour when you are with friends.”
He will be playing rhythm guitar.
“And Daniel Wesley is great. After my show I get to just sit back and listen to him,” he said.
“It’s reggae, rock and I’m still like doing the rapping thing. It’s going to be dope,” he said.
Advance tickets to the show at the Stone, which begins at 9 p.m., cost $20