Bronx MC Kid Daytona closed 2011 on a roll. Riding the momentum of December’s The Interlude II, he’s now one of many young rhymers expected to grab the attention of the masses in 2012. As one of 50 artists nominated for XXL’s 2012 Freshmen list, Day should be on track to meet the lofty expectations if he continues to grind in the new year. In 2010 the stylish lyricist hooked up with clothing company LRG for a sponsorship and released the first installment of his Interlude series on their website. That same year, Daytona was selected to be one of the artists to join BET’s Music Matters program. Of late, collaborations with fellow upcoming artists like Action Bronson and Melanie Fiona have also helped him build his fan base as his career gains momentum. BET.com caught up with Daytona to talk about the XXL Freshmen list, his plans for 2012 and why Hot 97 radio personality Peter Rosenberg will be A&Ring his next project, this summer’s The Interlude III.

BET.com: You were one of 50 new artists that fans were able to vote on for XXL’s upcoming 2012 Freshmen cover. We’ll get to see the results soon, but how did it feel to be nominated for that honor?

Kid Daytona: It’s just cool. Me being an independent artist and doing my thing for all the time that I’ve been working at this and trying to achieve so many goals, just to be recognized means a lot. It means all the hard work I’ve been putting in isn’t going unseen and unheard. I was just glad to hear my name was up for that.… I think it was cool [to let the fans vote] so all the fans feel like they had their say in the whole process. I think it’s dope gettin’ everybody involved and it definitely got their website a lot of looks, a lot of views. People was telling me they was voting for me everyday. Things like that is just cool. Just how social media and everything is working now, why not do it like that?

You got a lot of new fans from your latest project The Interlude II. How is it different than the first one?

The Interlude II is something I started working on sometime around April or May of last year. It was just a bunch of records that we went in and did and it’s different than The Interlude I because these records are truly bigger. I wanted to show growth as an artist. And I think we achieved that goal because a lot of people have been talking about it and as far as every project that I’ve put out, this is the one that has gotten the most notice. Now that we’re moving I think people are appreciating the music.

Your homie Aloe Blacc has really been blowing up lately. You guys recently did a video with LRG for your song “New Yorker’s Ambition“ off of The Interlude I. How did you two first hook up?

I had met him on an LRG photo shoot that we had did in Washington. This little island off the coast called Friday Harbor. We was just out there for like 11, 12 days, just vibin’. Cookin’ food, building off music, just vibing off that trip. We just became really close off that and as soon as we came back we was like, “Let’s do somethin’.” He sent back that record and that’s how that was birthed. Now every time he comes to New York I go out and check him and build with him. (He’s) real talented, a really good dude. He has a really good heart and I’m glad to see him takin’ off the way he is like I’m seeing him on billboards and stuff.

After the success of The Interlude II online, what’s next for you moving forward?

The next thing we’re doing right now is The Interlude III. We’re gonna end it off on a trilogy. We’re gonna put that out independent. We’re gonna sell this one. Peter Rosenberg, he’s A&Ring the project. We just started off crazy so far, so we lookin’ to put that out sometime like late spring, early summer.

I first heard your name on the Juan Epstein podcast that Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg and Cipha Sounds did a few years ago.

Aw dang, that was a minute ago.

Yeah, back then you were just working with Ciph, not Rosenberg. Are you and Ciph still making moves together as well?

Ciph, he’s definitely always the homie. As far as musically, I don’t have any musical ties with Ciph anymore. But that’s my friend. And Rosenberg, when I actually did that podcast that was the first time I ever met Peter. He’s actually been a huge part of my maturation as an artist overall. He’s done all this groundwork and he just wanted to be a part of it. He came through with a lot of dope ideas and he wanted to A&R this next project that we put out. So that’s how that came about. He’s just a big supporter of my movement and brand and everything I do.

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(Photo: John Ricard / BET)