Lil Meek

“I really want you to take the time to really listen to my music and really just see what I am about. ”

Lil Meek

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Hey, my name is Lil Meek and

I'm currently a rap artist out of

Summerville, Alabama. I make

T-shirts and I do shows, I perform all around.

Q. What made you want to be a rapper?

A. Oh, I always was fascinated by 2

Pac. I was fascinated by the image that he held. Because my mom used to always play 2 Pac all the time. And I was like, man, that'd be really cool if I was one, one day.

So, I always had that passion.

Q. Tell us about your new single you have coming out?

A. Oh, okay. Yes, the new single is

Trying. And I make heartfelt music.

When people use the word rap, I don't really use that term. Because

I'm an artist. I make really heartfelt music if you're going through some things. But my single Trying that is encouraged. It's anybody who just going through this COVID mess, who's losing family members to this COVID, as long as you keep trying this effort that you bring. But that was a really hot single. I had a homegirl cry. She said she cried when she listened to it. So, it's really heartfelt, though. And it's going to be on iTunes in a couple of weeks.

Q. Tell us about the show you did with the Ying Yang Twins?

A. I had just turned 25 and at my normal spot that I do my shows at

I wanted to do something epic. So, the owner and I kind of went in and we looked up the Ying Yang Twins, they were free. And I brought the

Ying Yang Twins out to perform and

I opened up for them. The show was just kind of crazy due to the fact that, when I got on that mic and spoke, a lot of rappers as I said, I’m an artist I speak. The last person that spoke on the mic that spoke from real stuff was 2 Pac Shakur, at this age. He's no longer here with us. So, I figured that a lot of people got to really expand and open their horizons. I'm doing this by myself.

I got no manager; I have none of that. I booked my own shows. But that show was crazy. I felt that it opened a lot of people. You are talking about, I got the hoodest people, the most gangsterest people walking up, stopping what they're doing and just listen to what I got to say. And I got a lot of plot for that. So, the show was very amazing. And we plan on doing some more. Doing some more with artists, bringing some more artists out in the city.

Q. So, you say you're a big fan of 2 Pac.

With that being said, if you had the opportunity to work with anybody in the music industry, who would you pick?

A. If I had anybody in the music, it would probably be Wiz Khalifa or somebody. Just to kick it with. Just to catch a vibe, a real calm, cool collective vibe. It would probably be

Wiz, though.

Q. Now that you're kind of gaining traction and you're getting exposure with your music.

What's the ultimate end goal for you, where do you see yourself going in the next couple of years?

A. The next couple of years, honestly,

I really see myself as my own boss, like being over an independent label. And helping other artists, and just being really successful. I see myself being a businessman. I see myself being like, Master P, or

Birdman.

Q. And just to kind of go back to what you said earlier... you say you also made T-shirts. How do you incorporate your T-shirts with your artistry, and being a musician and being a musical artist?

A. Well, my logo and my brand are Team Meek. Team Meek is basically a movement, just basically saying that you believe in me. I came up with that idea when I was in the 11th grade, like in 2014... 13, somewhere around there. And I'm always just said I was fascinated as

I said about Whiz, I was fascinated about the T-God, he always had his T-God, always written on the hoodies and I just said, "Man, it would be dope if I just had my own thing, had my brand." And so, when I did it, that's when I really sparked. Then I started rapping, so it’s kind of just fell into place. And that's when I got the name, Da Real Lil Meek, that's kind of where I got the name. I got the name Meek through my aunt. She used to call me Moo Meek, but I dropped the Moo and I just kept the Meek. I'm a fan of Lil Wayne so I put Lil in front of it. And I was a really big fan of Da Real Gee Money, R.I.P to him. But I was a huge fan of G Money and I just kind of put the Da Real in front of it. So that's kind of how it all started. It's really, really a good brand, the tie-dyes was a really big sale. I learned that people in the south, love tie-dye. You get on there and just show some tie-dye... I sold a lot of tiedyes and I'm really not a tie-dye type of person... I don't even rock tie-dye but when I did that, I was like, man... So, I sparked that then I did the cameo, then I did the pink camo for breast cancer awareness because I had this fan, she's a breast cancer survivor and I just kept her in mind. I was like, you know what we're going to do all pink for October. So, I did the camo for that. So, that's what Team Meek stands for, it's a lot more to it, it's more than rap, it's more than that, it's really a movement.

Q. Do you have any events or any projects coming up?

A. Yes, I'm currently working on that single, Trying. That is on my Meekology album. I named it Meekology because I'm so misunderstood, so you have to

get... like biologically. It's going to be tight though. It's real tight. I work really, really hard on every project, I do. I just got my second royalty check and it was bigger than the last. I sold some units overseas, some songs. So, I'm definitely going keep my foot on the gas and just really show these people and show these young black men, these young men period, that there's more than just rapping about I'm going to shoot this, I'm going to kill that. I really want to be different. I want to be that label, like, okay, well, he wasn't really about that. He built his movement of love and peace, that's how he built his movement, not off beef, or none of that. So, that's the main thing.

Q. So, on this new project, who are some people that are going to be on it?

A. Honestly, this one, I'll probably just do it solo because I've learned that my fans really like to hear me alone. They really don't like to hear other people and I respect that. I'm more of an independent artist, so

I kind of just doing my own field, buy my own beats, and just kind of produce by myself. Don't get me wrong, eventually, when everything comes together, I will get somebody in the industry to feature on my album. That will probably happen soon, I just don't know who yet, but I got a few ideas. That is for sure. A few other people that I'm actually close with is Hot Boy Turk.

I don't know if you know him off

Hot Boyz way back in the day with

Wayne, Juvie, and B.G. He shows my love to my mother's radio station. I'm kind of just different but these people just tell me to keep going... don't stop young blood, don't stop, and just keep doing.

Q. You said your mother has a radio station. So how does that benefit you with being a music artist? Are you able to work with her? Does she kind of give you the ins and outs of how radio you play certain music or how things go into syndication?

A. Yeah, she does. I'm the type of person that really likes getting it on my own. I saw my mother, she got it on her own. She was an independent woman, she raised three kids. She didn't have help from anybody and now she's the businesswoman that she wanted to be. I do come to her for advice like Hey, mom, what should I do? What should I do in this interview? What should I talk about? But as far as radio, I kind of let her have that on her field, and I just kind of run like the artists' standpoint of the field. I really don't ask her for a lot because she already got a lot going on as far as businesses. She has soul food; we opened our own soul food restaurant in a small town and that was pretty big. Me and her both were in the newspaper, rocking our Team Meek shirts. So, that was a pretty good highlight that was pretty big.

Q. So, by you being a new artist, what has been the biggest challenge for you?

A. The biggest challenge is probably,

I'll personally say giving these people music. Because they're asking for so much music. They love my music; they love my voice.

It's basically that. Stuff isn’t cheap but I'm really into my craft. I'm really into perfecting my craft. Giving these people music because they want a lot and they want to hear more of my story. I have a very fascinating story. I was the only one going through it, so I put out “You

Ain't Gotta Worry” and that one cut deep because that one I talked about abortion, SIDS, miscarriages

I talked about all that. And that was for my ladies. That was like my keep your head up off that album for the ladies who have lost babies and had miscarriages and woke up to their babies passed away.

This stuff and miscarriages it's real. People don't talk about it. But it happens every day. But nobody really highlights it. And nobody really talks about it, music-wise or news-wise. So, like I said, I wasn't too tough. I wasn't too hard to really speak on that. So that's when I say when people want music because they want more of my stories. Okay, he said this, like, what else has he went through? And people get really excited. And when they buy my T-shirts it's like okay this kid has been through hell. This has not been an easy ride at all. I keep focus. And I keep it going. That's what I'm here for, is to get these people good music. But that's the hardest thing because they always want something different. Whether they want me singing or they want me rapping. Or they just want me on some trap stuff.

Q. Is there anything you want to say to the audience?

A. If anybody who's reading this interview, whether you're famous, whether you're not, I really want you to take the time to really listen to my music and really just see what I'm about, just speak what

I'm about. And if you're really interested or booking me for any other occasion please don't be afraid to hit my inbox or my DM, thereallilmeek on Instagram. On

Facebook, it's Lil Meek. YouTube it's Lil Meek. I am on Pandora. I'm on Spotify, iHeart Radio, all that.

It's all on me. You will see it. You will see me in black and white and in my all eyes on me cover. I had short hair dreads back then.