Exclusive Interview with Thaitanium
Thaitanium has been a household name in hiphop for over a decade in Thailand. Siam2nite had the opportunity to sit down with them while attending It's The Ship 2016 to catch up about what is going on with the crew and how things have changed since Khan, Way, Day, and Big Calo first started off. This is their story.
So now that we’re on the ship, how does it feel for you guys to be like one of the only Thai artist on the ship and how does it speak volumes about what you guys have done?
Khan: We’re humble man, we are humbled by it and we’re happy to be here and really happy to be on this boat full of ladies *laughs*
So that’s on the record?
Khan: *laughs* yeah you can say that, there’s no denying!
Day: I have to say I’m honored to be here, it’s our first time as Thaitanium on the boat. It’s The Ship! We’re going to bring the best show!
Calo: It’s an honor to be here, representing Thailand especially in front of many different countries like Malaysia. You have Singapore here, you have people from Australia – so it’s a really international event. It’s an honor to be here to share our music with different people so they can kind of feel our vibe. It’s us here plus the Bangkok Invaders – they’re from Thailand too.
So the full crew is here right? Everybody is here!
Calo: Yeah! So we’re super excited.
Khan: Southside is here too!
Calo: Yeah, Twopee is here.
How do you think it’s going to be different from when performing on a boat compared to like a stage in a club?
Calo: Uhh, maybe you can fall off the damn boat *laughs*!
Day: Man, I think it feels the same! As long as the crowd is with us we’re going to go all out!
Yeah, I think that’s amazing because one of the cool things about It’s The Ship is that you see a lot of DJs out here playing electronic music. So, as pioneers of hiphop in Thailand, is that fact going to make the show any different for you? Do you feel like that makes you have to change the style you perform?
Khan: I mean lately I’ve been doing the Bang Bang Bang thing which incorporates the electronic side which I love too. You know what I’m saying. It’s all music and all good crazy energy. So, we incorporate some of that into our set for this show definitely. Definitely some Bang Bang Bang sounds and Thaitanium. But we’re keeping it hiphop! We’re slowing it down to the hardcore hiphop but we still got that turn up stuff!
Calo: We definitely still have that edge too. I think it’s almost to our advantage because there are a lot of EDM acts, but I think there are a lot of hiphop heads that are on the boat. I think it would be refreshing to hear some hiphop to slow it down a little bit.
Day: I have to say that this set is going to be an international set. For international people. But there is one song it’s our new single called “Mai Guarantee” we’re going to be playing it tomorrow night
So is this a premier?
Khan: Second place! We’ve done it in Africa last month but this is the first time in Asia.
So how has the touring life been like this year? Has it been pretty international then?
Khan: We’re looking to do more international stuff. And I guess everybody has kind of like branched out to do their own thing, but we’re coming together because we got a new album coming out.
OK, so when is that coming out?
Khan: It’s going to be some world sounding music. We were supposed to drop it within this year but we moved it to next year due to the passing of His Majesty the King.
Day: Actually, the album was supposed to drop this month.
I understand. So is there a date yet that you want people to look forward to or let’s keep it on the DL first.
Khan: You know, my thing is the King comes first. And when the time is right, we will come up with a new release date.
I mean you guys are no longer a local crew – since way back in the day of the AA Crew stuff. Now it’s like you guys are global! How does that feel to be standing here? Did you ever expect this to happen or…?
Khan: No. No. I can truly say no!
Day: Fun, fun is the word! Because we get to travel around, see different people, see new people, see new crowds, see new countries, and drink new drinks *laughs*!
Calo: It’s fun, it’s a blessing also you know to be able to tour around the world and do what you love to do. Not many people can say that they do that. We always stay humble and realize that you know, like we’re blessed to be able to do that.
Khan: I mean, when you do it for so long you feel like it’s a blessing more than anything else because like people could turn their backs on us. People could be like, “oh yeah they were big back in the day, but what they doing now?” But it’s a blessing to still be able to put out music and people still care you know, 16 years and counting. So, it’s really a blessing. Everything beyond this point is just pure fun.
Calo: Yeah…we’ve been doing it for 16 years man!
Have your lives changed you think?
Day: Yeah! *Laughs* it’s changed A LOT! We got older!
Khan: Can’t party as hard, but still…
But you still go hard!
Day: Our music is growing. The way we talk. We can’t say the things that we use to no more. So, we have to talk about now, today, and tomorrow.
I mean I think a lot of things that you talk about in the music currently is a lot of stuff that you actually experience, right?
Khan: It’s always that! It’s always that because, you know, like us as an artist we can’t make up stuff and say it because when you don’t feel it and you don’t experience it then you can’t put it in the rhyme. That’s one thing about hiphop. Like if you don’t live it, then don’t say it. You just talk about what you see, you know?
Calo: I mean even from when we were in the first studio in Queens.
Khan: Yeah, when we were broke we talk about being broke-*laughs*!
Calo: Yeah, like we use to have this big saying on the booth that says “speak the truth when you in the booth”. So, you couldn’t enter the booth and not actually do that.
Yeah that’s real talk.
Day: But now we are living in out our dreams! And we are going to go forward.
OK, so I mean that’s your dream. But other than the Thaitanium music, what do you guys have going on? Like I know you got restaurants…I mean is there anything you want to share with the fans what else you have going on?
Khan: Yeah, too many things. Well, definitely Bang Bang Bang for me which is coming pretty strong. This new Thaitanium album is produced by Bang Bang Bang so that would bring the Bang Bang Bang sound in another different way man. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a new sound that we reinvent ourselves as Thaitanium and Bang Bang Bang and you know, I think this is the new sound that people are definitely not expecting from Thaitanium.
What about you Calo you got anything on the side? You had a Café right?
Calo: Yeah, I did have a café. But you know I stay into food, you know. I have my own food blog which is www.caloknowsfood.com you can check that out. And on the music side I’m working on my own project right now it’s called Overstayed.
Khan: He’s doing it tomorrow. He’s doing a new song.
Calo: Yeah, and my new song is called “Stargazer” actually featuring my mom. My mom is a jazz singer, so she’s singing on the hook. It’ll give it a jazzy, oldschool, hiphop type of vibe.
What about you Day?
Day: I got my own side project too. I’m doing a little solo album, but it’s not an album yet. It’s called Believe and there was a new single that just came out. And another one is called The Bling Kitchen, it’s all about the food.
Yeah I watch your show on YouTube.
Day: Yeah, we do a lot of like food channel and a talk show stuff with Chef Charlie. I was also in a lot of movies. Next year I think I’m going to be doing another movie in Myanmar. It’s going to be a Thai production and a Burmese production doing it together.
Khan: And your restaurants!
Day: Yeah, the restaurants are Smith and Bonsai. Bonsai is Japanese and Smith is American food. Smith is on Sukhumvit 49 and Bonsai is on Thonglor 17.
Khan: And one more thing, we just started a crowdfunding platform called Asiola. So that you know, anybody who has a good idea that needs funding, and needs a platform to promote it – then come through to www.Asiola.com and we’ll make it happen.
You guys do so much on the side, and yet so much together. One thing I’ve always wondered is how do you guys stay tight as a crew? That’s something that amazes me because a lot of hiphop groups they’re together and then they break up to do their own thing.
Khan: We talk man. It’s all about that talk. You just have to sit down and talk because the more you do outside of what you do as a crew will separate you. But as long as you can have that talk, it will bring you back together you know. I mean we’re brothers. We went through hard times together and if we are in a good time, there’s nothing much to complain about you know. I mean we went through the worse! So, it’s all good from then you know?
Calo: I mean it’s not easy. Sometimes we fight of course, we fight but we get over it. We yell, we scream, we get over it, and then we boys again. It’s not easy, but we stayed together this far why break up now you know?
Khan: Yeah man. Also, I want to add one more big thing we are coming out with. As Thaitanium, we’re dropping “hangover pills” called Turnt. I have some on board in case someone gets too f**cked up tonight! I brought a few packets *laughs*!
So how do you get these?
Khan: It will be out everywhere soon! So, that…it worked out for me. I’ve been trying it out for the past year. One year of testing and it works incredibly.
Calo: You heard it from KH *laughs*!
Khan: I couldn’t last this long without it!
So, 2017 is right around the corner with 2016 almost ending. What were some of your most favorite memories of 2016?
Khan: Man, it has to be reunion island, right?
Calo: Yeah that was fun!
Khan: Recently we went to reunion island off of Central Africa near Madagascar. First time in that area for all of us. We went and filmed this music video for a song with did with Lomosonic called “Friend”. So, we did this song as a statement that we’ve been friends and we’ve been through thick and thin and we’re still here. After all this. So, we went there together as a group and travelled and we didn’t know what the hell we were going to film, but we went. We spent one week there. One music video, we never filmed a music video that took that long. So, one whole week we were just filming the music video together and it just brought us closer together. And that’s what it is you know. You need that kind of trip and like this trip on It’s The Ship too tonight.