Entrepreneur
Miami KAOS :H 2006 SEA A ardcore Design CEO // ward Winne 2 r “Best Mixta 005 Justo Award Win ner pe Graphic s”
T
he artist and mastermind behind some of your favorite mixtape covers, Miami KAOS has taken Hip Hop art to new extremes. He was worked with virtually the entire industry. If you don’t know who Miami KAOS is, you know his work. As the CEO of Hardcore Design, KAOS is drawing the portrait of success everyday. How did you get started with Hardcore Design? At first I was just trying to get on, like most people. I worked at The Source before, and I tried to reach out to the record labels. It was almost like the whole Jay-Z-Roc-A-Fella thing; no company would hire me, so I said, “I’ll do it myself.” Then I had Tigger, who luckily was in my corner. How did you first meet Big Tigger? Before they moved [the show] downtown, 106th & Park was really 106th & Park - the Graffiti Hall of Fame, and my niece went to school there. She liked Tigger and I was airbrushing a drawing of Tigger and she got it. He saw it and was like, “Yo, who did this?” and she was like, “My uncle,” and he asked her for my number. One day I was at the crib and dude actually called me while I was watching Rap City. I didn’t believe it was him. I was like, “C’mon, you’re on TV right now. How can you calling me?” He was like, “Yeah, this is me. I’m gonna put you on. I’m gonna make you famous.’ What has been the single biggest moment in your career? I met Aaliyah once. I had done a picture of her and when she saw it, she said it was breathtaking. She called my work “breathtaking.” For that quick minute or two that I spoke with her, I was literally like one of those cartoon characters that start stumbling on their words and can’t speak. A few minutes later, I was walking away like, “Thanks, I like your music, too.” Literally, I couldn’t say anything in her presence. She was so humble and everything, she never gave off that “I’m famous” type-vibe. She had an amazing spirit. How long have you been doing art? I’m 32 years old, and as far back as I can remember I’ve been drawing. I’ve been drawing at least 27 years, every day. Why do you think your company has been so successful? Well, first, it’s the cats that I got on my team; my man Kurt McGurt, Ali, Ben Jacobs, all my dudes got original styles. We don’t look at other mixtape designs, because if you look at something else, you’re gonna be influenced by it. Our goal is never to let our stuff look like anybody else’s. I don’t care what it is, if you put of our work next to anybody else’s, our work always stands out. If you just need a picture of Young Jeezy standing in front of a car, then you don’t need us; but when you need a picture of Young Buck smacking somebody in the face with AK in his other hand, that’s something we’ll draw. How long does it take you to design one of your cartoon covers? It depends on the concept. If it’s just one character on the cover, it would take me about eight or nine hours. But when it’s like two or three people on the cover and each of them is doing something, then it takes a lot longer. It could be about two or three days. How many projects do you work on in a month? Flyers, logos, DVD and Mixtape covers combined, I do about 40 to 50 projects
Profile
a month. We do everything; we’ve done designs for clothing lines, furniture, jewelry, tattoos, pretty much anything you need custom designed. Who are some of your biggest clients? Where I’m at right now, honestly, at some point every cat in the industry has reached out to me. But I turn down a lot of work, too. If you come at me the wrong way, or if I don’t like the idea, I’ll turn down the job. By me being a Christian, I don’t do things that portray people like Christ. People ask me to put them on a cross and all that, and I’m like “No.” I’m not doing that. Just cause some cat is hating on you, that’s not equal to being crucified. So what is the hardest thing for you to draw? Hands, and a woman’s hair. The hair is very detailed, and you’ve got to make all the strands look real. Sometimes I’ll spend hours just working on the hair. The hands are the same way. What’s your favorite thing that you’ve ever drawn? I haven’t done my favorite yet. Honestly, it used to be more fun when I got to freestyle a lot, but now it’s gotten so precise that people tell me exactly what they want. In the old days it was more fun, but back then I didn’t really charge the way I do now. What is the average price of the mixtape covers you design? The average price starts off around $250, but that’s just with one person on the cover. That is still pretty affordable for the quality of work you do. It’s affordable for the South. That’s why I really embrace the South so much. The average DJ in New York can’t afford that price, because the market is so oversaturated that it doesn’t make sense for them to pay $200 just for a cover. You’re originally from New York. How did you get the name Miami KAOS? Like most cats, I used to be out in the streets and I used to make runs to Miami all the time. I made a little money back then, and I always dressed fly. One day one of my boys said I looked like Miami Vice and it just stuck, people just started calling me Miami. My crew was called KAOS, which was an acronym for Kick Ass On Site, so I would write Miami and then KAOS to big up my crew. People started calling me Miami KAOS. I would always correct them, but my manager Isis was like, “Miami KAOS sounds kinda fly.” Now that you own your business, what is the best part and worst part about being an entrepreneur? Well the best part is that I get to make my own hours; I get to come and go as I please. Being the boss, I could go on the beach and work with my laptop if I want to. The worst part is that I have to set an example. I can’t blow stuff off or be irresponsible because I expect a high level of professionalism from everybody I work with. Another problem is some of the clientele. How can people get in touch with you? They can reach us at (917) 806-5079 or at miamidesignz@yahoo.com. // - Eric Perrin
OZONE MAG // 97