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Artist Interview// Chicago Rapper Killa Klan Jeda talks life in prison and his upcoming Mixtape

Chris R.
Dec 19, 2016
7 min read

Location: Chicago, IL. Most commonly recognized as "Chiraq", or Americas murder capital. Chicago is home to artists' such as Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Fredo Santana, Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, and Common. In the recent years, the popular drill music coming out of Chicago portrays the violence, poverty, and rough lifestyle people in these neighborhoods face. Despite the hardship of violence, poverty, battles with police, and a high imprisonment rate, there is always the will to find a way to success.

Perhaps an inspiring example would be Chicago rapper KIlla Klan Jeda, who speaks about how rough it is to grow in Chiraq and the problems his city is facing. Jeda returned home earlier this year after serving 4 years in prison. He was faced with doing life, but as he mentions in this interview, he was blessed to return home. Perhaps a life changing experience, his incarceration made him reflect on the issues his city, friends, neighbors, and state is facing, thus the title for his upcoming project "Pray For My City". The mixtape is hosted by Chief Keef's personal tour Dj, DJ Amaris along with well known Chicago artist Bo Deal. The project is set to be released on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2016 at 6 pm.

Listen and check out the interview with Killa Klan Jeda for more information and a Special Message to everyone.

Enjoy!

Can you give us your name, for those who haven't heard of you yet?

Man, I go by the name of Killa Klan Jeda, but all my friends and people that know me just call me Jeda for short

You're from Chicago, what part of Chicago you from Jeda?

I'm from 1100...That's on Division and Noble. Down the street, like a block or two from the infamous Cabrini-Green projects, where my mom was born and raised. You know, but on my side of town, my city is rough & violent, and you gotta move a certain way in order to be as productive as you can be in that environment.

Yeah, I feel you, I feel you. So you just got out after doing four years in jail right, and beating life?

Yeah, yeah. I had went to jail for four years. I was waiting trial on my first degree attempted murder that I caught in Chicago in my old neighborhood. They basically had me sitting in there man for four years just to finally prove my innocence and prove that I was not guilty by a way of self defense you know. God is good, that worked out good for me. I learned a lot after I was sitting in there. I worked on my body, worked on my mind and really just focus on my career and prepare myself for what I was gonna do, if he[God] gave me a second chance, which he eventually did. So right now, basically everything that you see and and other people are seeing are things I already thought about for years just sitting in there and being incarcerated and working on becoming a better overall person.

How do you feel this changed your thinking, like your attitude. Did you come out inspired, ready to change your life around?

I mean, well you know it was good, it was great for me, I needed that. I mean if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything because it helped make me who I am today. It gave me more to write about, it humbled me, it made me take the gift God gave me seriously and not take it for granted cause I've been rapping, but I was more like in the streets and stuff, I wasn't really taking this as serious as I should have and putting all into it that you need to get to the level that you want to get to. There's a lot of artists that come out with songs and you know they might get them a hit record and they never really had the passion for it- they were chasing the money. I never wanna be like that, I never wanna be like them. I wanna work hard. I don't chase the money, I chase the dream. I wanna be great at what I do. I want people to hear my music and I want them to leave with something, and make something from my music. I always try to put some type of message in the music. You know, it's all about when it's all said and done, I wanna be in that conversation when they say "who's some of the best artist of all time?" Whether it's Tupac, Biggie, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Jay Z, and you know, all these greats. I wanna be in that conversation. I know it takes a lot of hard work so you know that's what I'm trying to do right now, work and make great music man.

We've heard your songs, they're dope man. Were you writing lyrics in jail or something?

Thanks, I appreciate that. Yeah, definitely. When I was incarcerated, I was doing a lot of writing, reading, and working out. I wrote about things I went through, things I saw, the way my case made me feel-waking up every day- and be faced with the fact that I could possibly be spending the next 40 years of my LIFE in JAIL, just for simply protecting my family. That was big for me at the time, being a college student and to have to go and sit there and wake up everyday being my first case.

Ah man, well congrats on your return back home! Can you tell me about your new project "Pray For My City"?

Ahh yeah, "Pray For My City" we tryna take music to next level. You know my manager is a well known artist in Chicago named Bo Deal. He's not just my manager, that's like my big brother. That's how we carry with the Klan, the whole Killa Klan period. That's my Family. Whenever i'm wrong they correct me, they uplift me, they keep me focused. So basically, I try to keep them around me cause like I tell you, it's family. When I started working on my CD "Pray For My City", like I said, I want to bring music back. When i came home I heard a lot of new artist, I heard the new style of music and i just felt like that's not my lane, that's not me. I'm more of a Jay Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Wale type rapper. I want to get on the beat and tell some stories, tell something. So with "Pray For My City" I just try to stay on my own lane, I try to really focus on the pain of what's really going on in my city. As opposed to trying to glorify the violence. I came and introduced the world to the pain and what's really going on in my city, which is hard to see by just watching CNN. I felt like this CD will kind of get a mindset to how we think and how a lot of people think in Chicago. I also wanted to give people the mindset of the man behind the gun as well. A lot of people see these people labeled as gang bangers, thugs, and killers but they have feelings, they have family, and they're somebody's son, nephew, father, brother, uncle, and friend. So I wanted to get both perspectives, I wanted to get a victims perspective and the people whose losing people to this war in Chiraq, to the jail system, to life living in the city, period. I wanted to give the perspective of the actual defendant, the thugs, and the gang bangers who they say are responsible for all these killings. I wanted to give people that and still mix it up with a little bit of the new style and couple club bangers. So I reached out and I went on and threw DJ Amaris on there, which is actually Chieef Keef's personal tour DJ. I got him hosting the mixtape, I got Bo Deal hosting the mixtape. I went and through Queen Key on there which is like one of the hottest artist in Chicago, if not the hottest artist coming out of Chicago right now. So you know, it's just working man, trying to make a stretch from Chicago to Cali foreal you know.

Alright, let me ask you this now. If you could have featured anyone dead or alive on your project, who would you have chosen?

Ah man I would have had to get Pac on there. I would have needed Pac, Jay Z, and Biggie. I would have thrown them 3 on there.

Is there anything you would like to tell your supporters?

Yeah definitely, just keep rocking with Killa Klan Jeda. Keep rocking with me man, if you're not on me man, take the time to check me out on YouTube, follow me on Instagram and Twitter, my Soundcloud, Facebook. They can go to MyMixtapes, Live Mixtapes, Datpiff and Spinrilla for any Jeda mixtapes. I'm dropping my first mixtape since I've been home entitled "Pray For My City" hosted by Dj Amaris and from Chicago, Bo Deal. Im dropping that Christmas Eve. That's definitely gonna be big for music, for overall Hip-Hop period. Im just tryna bring real music back, im in my own lane so hopefully ya'll tune in and rock with your boy.

Well, we wish you the best on your artistic career and we thank you for giving us your time to conduct this interview and we will be getting that "Pray For My City Mixtape" on Christmas Eve.

Ah yeah definitely, 6 PM it drops for Free download on Spinrilla, Live Mixtapes, MyMixtapes, Datpiff, man support the movement, support real music. Shout out to ya'll man, I appreciate ya'll having me on this interview. Ya'll are out in Cali rocking with me and that's big, Im gonna count that as a blessing. Every single individual, every person that listens I consider that a blessing. I just really want to let you know I'm appreciative for that and i'm grateful and humbled by the experience. I look forward to doing bigger and better interviews with you, six months down the road. We should have even bigger things going on then we'll flash back on this so that's a blessing and like I said I got love for CALI man. I love ya'll out there man!

Keep an eye out for Killa Klan Jeda's Mixtape, his perseverance, dedication, ambition, humility, and talent are the ingredients to success. Stay connected with him on Instagram, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Twitter.