I got an email for a chance at a last minute interview with Kids in the Hall at a recording studio in Santa Monica a couple days ago.  Last minute interviews aren’t uncommon, but in the hurry to work out the scheduling and what not, I believe there was born a typo…it should have read Kidz in the Hall. Which I now know as Naledge and Double-0, a black Ivy league educated hip-hop duo.

First and foremost, the two of you are not five white middle aged Canadian comics, correct?

Double-0: No. We do not sometimes dress in drag either.  I have to look at our name again.

Alright. Let’s get rid of these two pages of notes and wing it…so, what brings you to the studio tonight?

Naledge: Well, we’re in the process of recording an entire EP in just one week.  And with this one, we’re filming the whole process so that you will be able to come along for the ride. It’s our take on a reality show.

Double-0: Including the Shenanigans that come along…

I do love that word: Shenanigans. (Fell right into what sounds like might have been a setup for a paid advertisement for Ireland.)

Double-0: I actually don’t know where the word is from, but I’m assuming from our visits to Ireland and the fact that much of it seems to be one big crazy fun filled college town, it’s Irish. We’ve been involved in quite the amazing Shenanigans when there.

Are you guys big in Ireland?

Double-0: Naledge, What’d you say in that “Jesus Wore Magnums” song?

Naledge: “How much mo Jame-o till I feel like I’m in Ireland?” Yeah.

You guys traveled to Ireland via where? What hometowns do you represent?

Double-0: Naledge is from Chicago and I’m out of New York City.

How did you wonder twins unite?

Naledge: School. We both went to the University of Pennsylvania. I was studying Communications.

Double-0: Engineering

So, did you guys meet sharing a locker or is there a more intriguing tale?

Double-0: I’m a couple years older and I was really into the Student Committee scene and ran the sound at a lot of events. And one of the events we did was a talent show for all of the incoming freshmen one weekend that Naledge actually entered in.  He was 17, fresh outta high school, but I heard him and he was really dope. So we exchanged #’s and when he got to school after that summer we immediately hit the studio in my house and started recording.

So, how long ago was this that you were Captain of the AV Squad?

Double-0: Ahh, hell. (laughs) there was no video. That’s like 10 years ago now.

About how long after you met was it until your first album dropped?

Our first album, we’re 3 albums in now, came out way back in 06’- “School is My Hussle” with Rawkus Records. That’s when (laughs) we kinda got big in Ireland.

Your bullshittin…

Double-0: No. We actually had a great reaction from the U.K. and so we spent a lot of time over seas from which came a lot of the ideas for our second album-

“The In Crowd.” (08’ Duck Down) We got a chance to perform at a lot of festivals which made us want to record songs with more energy and create music that we could perform well live. Not just sound good in the studio or the corner of my bedroom as it was.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a hip-hop act say that they are focused on what their live sound is. Sounds like it was a game changer.

Double 0: It (The In Crowd) really broke the mold for what independent hip-hop could do.  We were like #6 on TRL, we were on 106 & Park, and that leant us to a whole new set of festivals and such.

Wait, did you say #6 on TRL? What song was this?

Double 0: #6. I would argue to say that we were the first independent rap act on there with our song called, “Drivin Round the Block”.

Being there made us realize that we had quickly outgrown a lot of the scenarios we were in.

Explain.

We were on a push to get a major label deal, but we were still in a deal.  So that really wasn’t gonna go down., which led to a lot of frustration and a little bit of angst with us as we were going into the third album. The “Land of Make Believe”, in 2010. It’s still a great album, but uh, it’s about the facade that is real life in the industry and all of those things. And now here we are…

Keep up with the kids in the hall on their facebook and twitter and look out for the new CD out ????