A classy figure -- we've witnessed him at a beat battle sipping a martini out of what must have been the only martini glass to see the light of day at Spillway Grill. He enforces a strict "no glasses" rule when passing around bottles of Rose' to friends and guests lucky enough to party with the man; and at the end of the night, he not only good naturedly roast the guests out the door from the deejay booth's microphone, but he will also most likely beat them to the door to hand them a flier promoting the next event.
The head man in charge of KevinKain ENT, Kevin is a hustler. We know him as the entertainer. The hospitable gentleman whose rants on Facebook and Twitter provide for half of the night-life fodder we witness. It's hard to imagine him doing anything outside of the club structure. Even so, the outspoken Denver native is well on his way to a life of law and jurisprudence.
Westword: We talked about you going into a facet of environmental law that is relatively rare [Domestic Policy... Command and control legislation]. Can you give me some background on your aspirations of jurisprudence and how it has shaped your business style?
I wish I had some great story to tell or a defining moment in my life that made this choice obvious! The majority of my life's successes have been by complete and total accident. I think I am blessed with a very open mind, always willing to consider even the strangest of options. This is one of them. I don't ever want to be typical. I don't have the typical job... don't have the typical girlfriend, and I don't want to be the typical lawyer. This was both a gift and a curse growing up. But now, as a man, I've learned how to make it work for me.
Most of us in the hip-hop world know you as Kevin Kain the concert/party promoter, overall comedic shit talker. Who is Kevin Kain, the future attorney?
I'm a thinking man. I believe in independent thought. New ideas. I make a ton of statements that most would consider reckless, but if you listen carefully, there will always be logic behind my words. I believe in honesty, whether polite or brutal. I believe that opinions should be embraced. I want my thoughts and intentions felt in your chest! [laughs]. I believe in being passionate. If I have an opinion on a subject, I want a total stranger to leave questioning their own opinion. This is me as a man, and I hope it will be me as an attorney!
How do you balance and maintain the pulls of both of your professional lives?
That's hard. When I hit school again in August, I'll be much better prepared. The late nights and long days can weigh on a person. I just try to keep my goal in mind and remember that it must be done. You may be seeing me less in the next two years.
Are people surprised to learn that you're in law school? Or does it fit well into the persona you've built as a business man in Denver?
Actually, everyone says I'll make a great lawyer. I think they're making fun of me! We know that I love to talk and bullshit. I love to play with words. I think the persona I've built has grown over the years. In this natural progression, the next step to me would be either law or comedy, and I'm not interested in comedy! I want to do something that my mother can brag about. She loves me and is happy that I'm in the business I'm in. But you know momma's... They want they baby to be a lawyer... Passing out they baby's business cards at church to the Deaconesses she don't like!
Give me a little background on how you came up in the promotions game. What all does KevinKainEnt do, as a company?
It all started in the woods right outside of Grambling, Louisiana. Some friends and I rented nights at convention centers and threw parties that were insane. At 22 years old, we owned two nightclubs within two miles of each other as undergrad and grad students at Grambling State University. Moved back to Denver, got a day job for about eight months, HATED IT. Met Francois Baptiste and Alvin LaCabe of 3 Deep Productions, and we took off! This was 2001.
We've done parties with P.Diddy, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Shaq, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Lebron James, Ludacris, Kid Capri, Dave Chapelle -- the list can go on for days. Francois and Alvin have booked and worked with the biggest names in the music business. And not just hip-hop. Shit, pick a genre! They've done it.
Our companies work well together because we actually get it. We know Denver wants MORE. I stopped trying to just throw "cool parties" back in college. Our goal is to bring entertainment that some people in this city will never see face to face... Bring celebs that people in Denver love! Something more then "come party with me because I think I'm cool" [laughs] -- cause I'm not really all that cool!
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