Rapper “Down” AKA Kilo is “Str8-U”
People You Should Know — By Buddy Sampson on May 23, 2010 at 6:06 pm
"Down" AKA Kilo
Rapper “Down” AKA Kilo is “Str8-U” in everything he does, from the way he talks, how he produces his slammin’ tracks, his work ethic and his commitment to his Latino roots. Born Juan Martinez, Down, who grew up in Oxnard, California, learned the value of hard work at an early age, having a father and mother that picked strawberries on the torrid lands of Ventura County for hardly any “chips” or cash. “We were straight Section 8, welfare style,” said Down.” We had three families living in one home with five kids each.” With those kind of living conditions, you’d better learn how to rise to the top and be counted.
A proud Mexican-American, Down taught himself music and had an unshakable belief that he’d be successful someday. His tracks are on the “real”-raw stuff that translates into what’s happening in Latino backyards in Los Angeles, Oxnard and many other communities. “I do grown up gangsta shit without going overboard with it,” said Down. “I don’t want to come off fake. I want my own people to respect what I do.” And people give mad respect and props to what he does. His mega-hit “Lean Like A Cholo” was a chart-topping smash that crossed over into multiple genres.”We went double platinum on downloads and ringtones and sold 200,000 physical CD’s,” he explained with the humility that defines the inner depths of his true personality. One of his homies suggested that he should do a tune about the Cholo Lean. “If you look back, all the homies do a little two step,” said Down about the dancing that goes on in backyards everywhere. So he got together with one of his crew, Fingers, and the rest was, as they say, history.”Fingers made the beat and we wrote the whole song together- elbows up, side to side,” he laughed. The track put Down on the map.
Next month, in February, Down will start filming a movie, a comedy with the same title of his smash, “Lean Like a Cholo.”
“It’s a Latino comedy,” he reveals. “It features Vida Guerra (playing a hood rat named Daisy). Along with bombshell Vida Guerra, the movie is also slated to feature John Amos, Tommy “Tiny” Lister and Demetrius Navarro. You may remember Tiny Lister and Demetrius Navarro from the hilarious Ice Cube movie “Friday.” With that cast, it’s sure to be one funny movie.
Down is now releasing a single, “Cholo Skate.” “When I was on tour, we had a guy named OG Geko and he was doing poplocking, ” he said. The old school dance inspired him. “We got a dance called Cholo Skate,” said Down. “We thought it would make a great single.It’s positive and you can check out how Latinos really live.”
Of course Down, like everyone else in the country, has been following the rise of Barack Obama to the presidency. “I was rooting for Obama,” said the rapper, who sometimes can be seen chillin’ in his vintage Chevy Impala. “I’m trying to see something good.” A Latino president someday? “That would be crazy,” he beamed. “I think we would feel great pride. I think Villaraigosa’s(Antonio Villaraigosa-Los Angeles’ mayor) is headed that way.”
Down knows that he’s become a role model and realizes the importance of how his rise to fame can be beneficial to his community. “By me just changing and being positive, I made it out of the hood,” he said. “I think that anyone can make it out the hood. When you want something real bad, you can get it. I’m living proof of it.”
Music can have its ups and downs. Like many in the business, Down has a second career- a very lucrative one. “I started my own Mexican Bakery,” said Down, the owner of Vanessa’s Mexican Bakery. He gets up at 4AM most days and makes his business happen. “That’s just something to do, rap music doesn’t promote a check every day.” Success in the rap game isn’t a sure thing. “It’s like winning the lottery,” he said. He also started his own label, Cholo Enterprises. But with all of his ventures Down still keeps it real. “I keep it positive, but I still keep it “G” because you never can take the “G” out of a real S.A.” ‘Nuff said.
Check out Down’s tracks and see what he’s up to. Visit
www.myspace.com/kiloakadown.
Down AKA Kilo is one of the People You Should Know.
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