SEARCH FOR: INTERVIEWS

Kembe X is a Chicago legend and someone whose career I have been following closely since I was in high school. Late in 2020, I brought him by the LL office for a new interview where we talked about topics such as his musical influences, his old collective The Village, his friendship with Alex Wiley, what he thinks is missing in Chicago’s music community, the success of his song “Voices”, the time that he met Nas, his album I Was Depressed Until I Made This, his latest releases and he even broke down some legendary clips he was apart of. This was definitely one of my favorite interviews that I have ever done, and I hope my excitement for it translates to you!

Propelled by the chilling single “Who Want Smoke,” Jacksonville artist Nardo Wick has exploded into the spotlight over the past few weeks. First, it was a G Herbo cosign via Instagram Live that circulated the song last month, which parlayed into an immediate splash upon release. In the weeks following, “Who Want Smoke” has amassed over 2 million YouTube views, garnered cosigns from Lil Durk and Future, among others, and even landed Nardo a spot on the Judas and the Black Messiah movie soundtrack. All in just over 30 days. Needless to say, this meteoric rise has been for good reason, propelled by the dense, unforgettable nature of “Who Want Smoke” and Nardo’s knack for creating moments with his lyrics. From lines like “call me Nardo Yes Man, cuz’ I don’t no n****s,” to the infamous stomping which occurs at 1:16 in the video, the entire song is packed with ingenious one-liners, structured around high-octane production and chilling visuals to match. As such, “Who Want Smoke” has quickly outgrown the sum of its viral moments, introducing the world to a massively exciting newcomer with a sound entirely unique to his native Jacksonville. We had the chance to conduct the rising star’s first interview, …

Qari is one of the best rappers in Chicago and has been since he was only sixteen years old. He has been a staple in Chicago’s music community for years through his solo endeavors as well as his work in groups like Supreme Regime and Hurt Everybody. Sometime back in December, I had Qari come by the Lyrical Lemonade office for a brand new interview on The Lemonade Stand. This was one of my favorite interviews yet, I spoke to Qari about many things such as his musical influences, how Hurt Everybody was formed, when he first met Mulatto Beats, how becoming a father changed his life, what he thinks is missing in the city’s music scene and so much more. Take some time out of this snowy Monday to watch this brand new interview below!

Wolf was an artist who hit my radar back in 2020 and ever since then, I’ve been obsessed with her music and story. After “High Waist Jeans” made it in my inbox, I knew that I was witnessing the rise of a special talent, which then caused me to frantically analyze her discography with pure excitement. Some people just have that “it” factor and the moment you look at Wolf, it is undeniable that she falls in to that category. The New York native has been on an absolute tare lately as her song “Hoops” has been experiencing a revitalization over the past few weeks. People from all over the country are becoming fans of hers every day ad it’s all due to her amazing talent, infectious personality and drive to be the best singer/songwriter/producer that she can be.  As a self proclaimed Lyrical Lemonade fanatic herself, it was only right that we get her on our page and dive deep into what makes her the stellar star that she’s shaping in to be. This past week, I had the chance to sit down with Wolf and her management to learn more about this explosive journey that they’ve been on. …

Supa Bwe is a Chicago legend who has played a vital role in the city’s music community for about a decade now, even if you tried to disagree, it’s undeniable. Supa Bwe is one of my favorite artists of my lifetime, he has created music that has helped me get through the toughest points of my life, and I know that I am only one of the thousands of people who feel the same way. A couple of weeks before 2020 ended, I had Supa Bwe come by the Lyrical Lemonade headquarters for a brand new interview, and we now have the final product with a new episode of The Lemonade Stand. This was easily one of my favorite interviews that I have ever done, this was a great conversation, much love to Supa for stopping by! Take some time out of your day to watch this brand new interview below!

One theme that has remained constant amongst creatives is the nature of resilience when it comes to how people shift in the midst of a complicated pandemic and social unrest. Whether it be music, art, or fashion, these cultural industries have all had to find new ways to grow their footprint with new hurdles presented in front of them at any given point. Today we are featuring an individual by the name of Bijan Celani who heads New Tone Studios, a multidisciplinary creative house that tries to tell stories through clothing and other creative outlets. Bijan has put a heavy focus on connecting with artists when they stop in Vancouver, Canada to spread the vision of what he’s built from the ground up. Now there are many brands out there that are started up with these goals in mind, but an underlying driving vision is what separates the top tier from the countless streetwear brands that have come and gone over the past decade. Bijan has been crafting New Tone Studios long before his first piece of clothing was ever sold, the ideas have been in his head. Combining the clothing with elements of music and live events has him …

Kids Take Over is one of the most inventive and exciting platforms for hip hop on YouTube built from the ground up by one creative Canadian. The host Arshan has built an incredible brand by getting guests that other outlets would overlook, creating interesting interviews that shed light on all aspects of the music industry. The past few weeks have been huge for Mario Judah, his very public taunting of Playboi Carti to drop one of the most anticipated albums of the year after a million delays has garnered the attention of millions. Over the weekend, Mario dropped his own version of Whole Lotta Red on SoundCloud, this saga has only helped Mario evolve from a depressed kid who went against the grain to a very genuine and hilarious rockstar that hasn’t even begun to hit his stride as an antagonist to what people perceive as conventional. Kids Take Over was the first outlet to get an interview with Mario, Arshan’s calm demeanor allows Mario to show his real personality, dive deep into his fandom of Playboi Carti, and the method behind the madness. Watch the interview below and check out more of the content on Kids Take Over!

Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett doesn’t do very many interviews, but when he does, he always does it with great individuals such as Anthony Fantano. Just a few minutes ago, Anthony Fantano released his brand new interview featuring Cole, and it’s a great conversation that any Lyrical Lemonade fan or music fan, in general, will enjoy. These are two of the biggest YouTube related music minds in the world, and they had a great conversation about several different interesting subjects such as his time at DePaul, learning things off of YouTube, the early days of Lyrical Lemonade and so much more. Take some time out of your Wednesday to watch this brand new interview below!

Photo by Jovy Bergen and Jocasta Clarke Well, as we come to a close on one of the weirdest years of the past century we reflect on how the massive halt the music industry experienced with its traditional methods of growing artists through festivals, touring, and really anything that comes with having a room full of people collectively wild out together has changed in a major way. What tossed the larger industry engine into a tailspin, became a rare moment of opportunity for 1000s of kids who’s relationship with creating music existed almost entirely within the 4 walls of their bedrooms. We have seen stars emerge who may have not their time in the cultural limelight had society been moving at its regular pace. This year has had disastrous effects for many, but for a few, it has been a time to thrive while young people across the world are being forced to spend more time isolated online. It’s been fun to be a fan of these artists, as watching them get noticed by the masses and seeing their song all over the feed is something that just makes you feel happy inside. Recently, I got the chance to have an …

“Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it/Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it/Guess every super hero need his theme music” -Kanye West on “Power” The Chicago legend that is Mr. Kanye Omari West–many people love him, some people hate him. Regardless of how you feel about him, his views, personality traits, political stance, etc., it’s almost impossible to deny the impact he has had on this world, amazing level of artistry that he has delivered, and crowing him as nothing less than a musical genius. While as of late, his music may not be resonating with the listeners as it once did ten years ago, or even five years ago after the release of his highly-anticipated and critically acclaimed project The Life of Pablo, hip-hop historians and all-around music lovers never count out Kanye West as being one of the best creatives of all time. November 22, 2010 would be the day that Kanye West would release his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Little did he know that it would go down as one of the best musical bodies of work of all time, and end up being arguably one of the best …