TK N Cash Talk Signing to Columbia Records, Inspirations and Success of ‘Mind Right’ [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

With the summer turn-up behind us and winter a little over a month away, you may think it's time to move into cuffing season tunes. Not quite. Standing adjacent to the club dynamism of Rae Sremmurd's tracks and within the dominant south is TK N Cash, a duo comprised of 21-year-old Tevin Thompson (TK) and 20-year-old Derrin Towsend (Cash).

TK N Cash may already have a hit on their hands with 'Mind Right.' You could attribute its catchiness to the instantly memorable hook or the intimate production. But at the core of its charm, 'Mind Right' substitutes the adrenaline of 'No Flex Zone' for a sense of that twentysomething justified narcissism: "I had to leave that hoe alone and get my mind right." That focus might lead to some damage on the charts -- at least Cash thinks so.

"The new ‘Mind Right’ video gon’ [pop up] at MTV, MTV Jams, BET, '106' -- all that," he tells The Boombox. "By next year, 2015, ‘Mind Right’ will be No. 1. And ‘No Handout’ will be out."

This may not be blind optimism. Although TK N Cash only recently appeared on the radar, they've been working within the music industry since they were teens. You may have even heard their work; the duo wrote for the likes of Kevin Gates, Juicy J, Meek Mill and Trey Songz.

The pair clearly aren't satisfied with the supporting role though. After splitting with Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace label (the label they were first signed to) and joining Columbia Records this year, they're preparing their debut album -- a star-studded project with 2 Chainz, Ty Dolla $ign and August Alsina -- for 2015. The wait shouldn't be too bad, though, because they're planning to drop a project called 'No Handout' later this year. For now, check out what they have to say about their recent strides and inspirations below.

The Boombox: I take it you guys were excited when you first linked up with Ludacris’ label.

TK: Yeah, man. We grew up watching those cats do their thing. So to be part of it was a blessing. From there on, we started to do our own thing and hit the studio. Now we’re doing our thing at Columbia Records. Now, [it’s about] keep blowing up and working hard.

You guys have any current inspirations, especially with the "turn-up" kind of artists like Rae Sremmurd and DJ Mustard making waves?

TK: Not at all. We stay doing our own thing. We didn’t just pop up in this industry. We’ve been in this industry since 15, 16 years old.

Of course, there’s the Jay Zs, the Pacs, the Biggies … and J. Cole as well. I would say those are the inspirations before anything else.

Did August Alsina give you any advice since you guys are around the same age?

TK: You gotta realize that we’ve been doing this around the same time he got started. It’s just mutual conversations. So it’s not really advice but more … mutual conversations.

What makes you both stand out from the crowded Atlanta market?

TK: That’s a trick question because what makes us stand out is being comfortable doing what we do. I think when people try to be different, they’re not being different -- if everybody start being different then we end up doing the same thing. All we could really do is do us and be true to ourselves. So I’m not sure what makes us different. People would have to tell us that.

At the same time, we don’t talk about nothing except reality and everything that we’re really going through so people can say, “Hey, I’m going through the same situation,” or, “I understand what you’re saying.” We’re going to give you all of us: What we’re going through that year, that day, that moment, anything. We’re going to put ourselves inside of a song.

You guys wrote the song 'What I Be On' that made it to Trey Songz’s 'Inevitable' EP. What was your reaction when it made the cut?

TK: Those are A-list artists. So to be mentioned with that field of artist it’s just letting us know that our time is coming.

How did you link up with Columbia Records?

TK: We was just out here grindin’ and the songs kept picking up. There was actually a couple of different labels, but Columbia seen the vision. They heard more songs after ‘Mind Right’ and said they loved us and loved the vision we had for our careers. Throughout the whole bidding war with the labels, that was the best decision for us to go. It’s a blessing to be part of the team.

Watch TK N Cash's 'Mind Right' Video