Lil Keed

from Issue 22 : RDCWORLD + Mariah The Scientist + Druski + Lil Keed

by Preme Magazine

Druski

LIL KEED

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Lil Keed is Atlanta’s most recent incarnation of the eccentric and unrepeatable style that has ruled the region since its establishment. Keed’s ever-changing flows and continual strides toward further ingenuity make him a fantastic representative for the current monumental moment in trap music. Though his past projects have displayed not only his talent, but his potential, on his most recent project, Trapped On Cleveland 3, that potential was not only fully realized, but perfectly capitalized on. Lil Keed is a superstar, not only in his own city, as we saw with his recent selection in the coveted XXL Freshman Class for this year, but world-wide. This has been nothing short of a break-out year for him, and judging by his recent output, this is only the beginning.

How was the experience of being featured on the virtual XXL Freshman cover this year? Was the “XXL Freshman Cover” something you admired growing up?

It was an honor, you know, to be recognized. I saw that a lot of the rappers that had been working hard and grinding hard had been featured on it. The first person I saw on there that I knew was Gunna, so when I got featured it felt like my hard work was being recognized.

How has the quarantine affected your creativity?

It’s given me a second to slow down and work on everything. A majority of the album was recorded at home because of the pandemic, so I was really able to lock in and record this album.

What was the moment that you knew you had truly “made it”?

“Nameless”. When I heard that I knew I was about to go up. Once “Nameless” started blowing up, that's when I did my first Rolling Loud and bookings and I was able to get into a lot more rooms as well.

Have you ever been star struck?No. Never.

What are your future goals for the year now that ‘Trapped on Cleveland 3’ is out? What can fans expect from the deluxe version of “Trapped on Cleveland 3” ?

Well I’m gearing for the deluxe version of the album to come out. It’s an entirely different body of work. If the pandemic ever ends I would love to go on tour to see the fans.

What was the first mixtape you ever picked up?

It was “I Came From Nothing” by Thug. He just went so crazy on that. You play that in the car, it makes you go insane. Thug just went so crazy.

How do you think streaming platforms have changed hip-hop in Atlanta?

Back in the day, I didn’t know about Soundcloud or anything like that, I used to listen to a lot of mixtapes on Spinrilla. That's how I listen to a majority of my music. And now I can go on DSPs and the music is available to everyone. Looking back at Thug’s older stuff that was only on Spinrilla and mixtape sites, and now that they are on platforms the streams are higher than we were before.

It seems like you take more creative risks than your peers, what inspired you to do that?

I just don’t really care what people think. I do things because I want to do them, based off what I think sounds good and what I feel at the moment.

Earlier this year, in an interview with me, another rapper described you as being "glued to a kick drum”, as in being perfectly in sync with the kick. How did you develop that skill?

When I go into the studio, I zone everything else out. It’s just me and the beat, I can just really lock in. I am just in a whole different zone when I am recording because it really is just me and the beat in the studio.

What changed for you between Trapped on Cleveland 2 and Trapped on Cleveland 3?

I’m big now. That’s the difference. Back then I was poor, I didn’t have nothing, but now I am a superstar. Back then I didn’t have anything, any money. My experiences are so different and I wanted to show that through the new music. I want to show that I am mature.

Can you elaborate on the album cover for Trapped on Cleveland 3?

I wanted it to feel like a horror movie, a lot of the things that happened in the hood on Cleveland Avenue are scary. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of my favorite movies and I wanted it to feel like that.

You have a very particular ear for beats, what do you look for in an instrumental, and on the new project are you working with anyone for the first time?

I know within the first 3 seconds if that beat is for me or not. I listen to it, and if I don’t like it I’ll tell them “next”. Also, the people around me, producers, engineers A&R, they know the beats I like. They know what beats I like, so usually it’s a simple process selecting beats.

How was working with T Minus?

T-Minus….Yeah T-Minus it was cool. I’ve worked with him a lot, obviously one of my favorite producers. I have a great list of producers, including like Bloublood, that I worked with for this project.

You seemingly take more time in between projects than most trap artists. Why is that, and could you describe the creative process that went into Trapped on Cleveland 3?

I just don’t want to drop like crazy. Because a lot of time artists drop music so much that it gets forgotten, I want my fans to appreciate and listen to the music. I don’t want to drop things that people will just forget about.

It seems as though you bring a different collaborative energy to songs with features, what's your strategy when working with other artists and who’s been the artist you’ve felt the best collaborative energy with?

You know, people pay for verses, so I always go hard on them, I’m gonna make sure they get their money's worth. I go hard on every verse, anytime you hear me on the song, you know you’ll never get a weak verse from me. Whoever the song is for, I know you’ll listen back and think “Keed’s verse was hard”.

I have the best collaborative energy with Thug of course. And my brother Melly. We have this song, it’s really old, I can’t even find the song, but it’s so hard. It’s on a hard drive somewhere. It’s one of the hardest songs I’ve ever made. I think it leaked.

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In an interview with Complex, Roddy Ricch said he looks up to Future and Young Thug because "I was born after Tupac and Biggie died. What do you expect me to rap like? Who do you expect me to look up to?" Since both of you were born in ’98, do you have a similar perspective? If so, who would those artists be?

Thug of course. I agree with Roddy, same thing. I grew up listening to Thug. Obviously, I know legendary songs from Biggie and 2pac, from being around my parents and my elders, and I have great respect for them, I just didn’t grow up listening to them.

All of the artists on YSL are obviously heavily influenced by Thug, but in your case it seems like you’ve garnered the most impact from his earlier tapes. How did projects like ‘1017 Thug’ and ‘I Came From Nothing’ influence you?

Those tapes were so important to me, especially “1017 Thug”. It was almost like Thug wasn’t a human being, it was just so insane. It definitely influenced me so much.

Who is your dream collaborator outside of hip-hop?

Rihanna. I would love to work with Rihanna on a record.

What are your biggest aspirations in the fashion world?

I’m not just focused on being dripped down in designer. You can be dripped down in designer and not look good. I’ll wear a young designer, they send me customs for free and I’ll post them and tag them for the opportunity. It’s almost better, because people ask like “Where did you get that?” and I say it’s custom, 1 of 1, you can’t get this. I’m into designer, but it’s not everything.

On this album it seems as though you are displaying more of your rockstar roots, what’s the inspiration behind that?

Because I am a rockstar. I’m not trap, that trap shit done played out, I really am a rockstar at my core and I wanted to show that.

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