Issue 081
November 2011
‘The Monster’ may just have turned 40 but he’s got an affinity with Eminem and is using music to inspire his journey of redemption
FO: So are you a music fan?
Kevin: “I love listening to music, in fact music sets the tone for the rest of my day.”
Do you like to listen to music while you train?
“Yes, when I am in practice and I am hearing something that I like – Eminem, Drake, Lil’ Wayne or something – it doesn’t matter whether I get hit or if it’s the sixth five-minute round, I just feel filled with emotion and it gets me so fired up. I can take the punches and throw more back.”
So you wouldn’t feel comfortable training in silence then?
“No, not at all. I like controlled chaos. I like a lot of things going on. I like my iPod going while I’m playing chess. I guess that’s the ADD in me, you know? I like being busy.”
What kind of music do you listen to when you leave the gym and you’re heading home?
“I listen to Eminem, ‘cos he tells it how it is. He has gone through life as a white boy with blonde hair and I’m a black guy with blonde hair. I’m the whitest black dude from my neighborhood. I speak differently and dress differently, but that’s what makes me Kevin Randleman. When I am having a bad day I slap on some Drake too, it calms me down. To me, it’s like listening to an opera or an orchestra.”
Did your family listen to a lot of music growing up?
“Music was always on in my house. My sisters were always listening to it. When MTV first broke, I was on it. From Run DMC right through to the Sugar Hill Gang, I was on it, and we used to be singing even before the bus came in the morning.”
Do you have a signature walkout song?
“My favorite walkout music is Eminem. I remember when that white boy first came out and everyone was like, ‘Ah, I don’t know,’ but I remember saying, ‘that motherf**ker is hard.’ His story reached out to me. I wasn’t born in the trailer park but I was born in the ghetto, the projects. Each house had four to five kids so I know what struggle is. My walkout music will always be Eminem. He gets me ready to bang!”
SHUFFLE
HIT SHUFFLE AND NAME THE FIRST FIVE SONGS THAT COME UP. NO CHEATING
Eminem Space Bound
“When I hear Eminem in general it inspires me. People used to always tell me that I couldn’t do s**t. So I would make my goal even higher. And I’ve always attained every one of my goals. But after 16 surgeries and two years of painkillers I had to come through some dark times, and music, like Eminem, helped me through it. I am space bound, the sky is the limit.”
Eminem W.T.P.
“This is one of those songs that really pumps me up, it’s great for lifting weights. It makes me feel powerful. I’m ready to fight, I’m ready to bang. Like today, this song came on when I was on the elliptical, which is much harder than just running. The record is 21 minutes. Today I broke that, I got it down to 19:30 and I feel in great shape. And it’s thanks to songs like this. I get zoned in.”
Ice Cube Jackin’ For Beats
“This is from back in the day. Early nineties baby. This is a riding song. When my ’67 Chevy Chevelle is done I’ll be riding with this rolling. Totally old school.”
DJ Ill Will and DJ Rockstar Mafia Music (Remix)
“All you got to do is listen to this to know why this song is on here. This has got everyone on there. When I was younger I listened to a lot of music that was degrading, to people, to women, but now I listen to more positive music. Life is a struggle, but if you make that struggle into butter then you can have cream and cake all day long baby.”
Eminem Almost Famous
“I told you I listen to this guy a lot. This song is me. I’m an orthopedic surgeon’s dream, any insurance company’s nightmare… I had it. I was famous once, that’s how I feel, and I will get there again. It’s one of my goals. But I could do it all without the fame, you can keep that. I want to achieve everything I can.”
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