SEARCH FOR: INTERVIEWS

A little less than two weeks ago, Cochise came to Chicago to shoot his latest music video for “Tell Em” featuring $NOT, directed by Lyrical Lemonade’s own Cole Bennett. The day before that video was shot, Cole asked if I would be interested in interviewing Cochise, who I knew very little about at the time, so I agreed and started doing some research. I met Cochise roughly fifteen minutes before this interview started but it turned out GREAT, he has such an amazing personality and it made for one of my favorite interviews that I’ve done to date! I spoke to Cochise about several topics in this interview such as when he first started making music, his love for Odd Future, his soccer career, his new record “Tell Em” featuring $NOT, using his voice like an instrument, how he wanted to become a pirate and much more. Take some time out of your Monday to watch this brand new interview below!

“A lot of people have told me that I was the first person that made them feel at home and made them feel accepted. I want to make people feel the most authentic and show the world the best version of themselves that they can be.” -MK XYZ Photo Credit: Jackson x Joshua As much as it may seem like common sense, being your true self and owning your own personality is something that seems like it’s beyond normal now. With so many people trying to emulate whatever the next trend is, it’s rare that we find those artists that are just true to themselves inside and out. Once we stumble across an artist like that, we hold them near and dear to us–as they could go on to be a trendsetter, a leader, and an innovator for those who follow after them. One artist in particular who stands on their beliefs high and proud would be the next R&B sensation, MK XYZ. There are plenty of things that make MK far more unique than the average R&B singer. First and foremost, she was raised by Filipino and Black parents, experienced two different cities coming up, and is someone who …

To my knowledge, Lyrical Lemonade was one of the first big blog outlets to cover 18Veno – at the very least, we did one of his first interviews, which remains one of my favorite interviews I’ve done to date. I remember finding “1942” for the first time, mesmerized by the level of charisma packed into the song and equally as excited about the otherworldly production behind the release, courtesy of Neeko Baby. As time went on, the promise that Veno showed when I originally came across his music only grew. He developed into an outstanding storyteller, a firecracker of energy on every song he touched, and an artist whose hunger and excitement about music oozed through every song, every verse, and every line. Simply put, it felt like 18Veno wanted it more than anyone else. He was the chosen one out of South Carolina, developed by jetsonmade and the BoyMeetSpace camp into an undeniable voice in his state and beyond. Tragically, 18Veno’s life was taken in January, just 18 years old and on the verge of a breakout year. When the news came out, an outpouring of support arrived from artists, producers, fans, and friends alike, only cementing the profound impact …

As a Massachusetts native, I’ve had the pleasure of watching Brockton, MA supergroup Van Buren Records develop over the years, both individually and as a group. To say the least, every name in the crew has put in the work several times over. They’ve explored different sounds, figured out what feels right, put things out, gone back to the drawing board, practiced, and ultimately, found a sweet spot that speaks for itself in the form of their outstanding debut project, Bad For Press. 13 tracks long, Bad For Press is a massively focused effort – no easy feat when you’re a group trying to bring so many different voices, personalities, and styles into the same space, especially when done with such grace and fluidity. Each track feels like a step further into the world of Van Buren, which is especially important considering the group’s Brockton, MA roots (I’ve written about this before, but when you come from a place like Brockton that isn’t nationally known for music, it’s commendable to embrace those roots and make the effort in bringing listeners to Brockton.) Working on this basis of shared experience and chemistry, the group carves out an illustrious world of sound, cohesive in …

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to feature one of my favorite artists, syd B for her latest song, “Freezing” and today, she’s back on our pages for her new offering called, “Guilt Trip”. What’s best about this one is that syd didn’t do it alone; The up and comer enlisted help from her dear friend and close collaborator, Floyd Fuji which makes for a full piece overall. Instead of just writing some words in article format, I thought it would be beneficial to sit down with both syd and Floyd to talk about life, music and their working relationship! Continue reading to check out my conversation with them! — Sam: I’ve actually never written down questions for interviews. I just like having conversations and seeing where it takes us; So the first thing I’d love to know is how the two of you met. Both of you can take turns telling your side of the story. syd: Okay, I want to go first! Floyd: I knew she was going to try to go first! She hopped up so quick! syd: Okay, so, we both went to Berklee kind of around the same time. I’m a …

Over the past few months, I’ve become a massive fan of Daniel Javan. He just has this natural emotion within his voice that is always complemented by the incredible production he meticulously chooses and even though this isn’t the typical style of music I typically find myself listening to, he has made it a style that I definitely visit a lot more often than ever before. What’s even more insane is the fact that he’s only 17 years old which is something that you wouldn’t guess when tuning into any song he has released, but I think the maturity you hear in his offerings comes from his very vast and interesting international background. I’ve mentioned it in some of the other articles I’ve written about him, but for those of you who don’t know, he has had a very storied young life, moving around and living in various countries around the world. Although this might’ve been tough on some people, he used it as an opportunity to truly get in touch with himself, and that strong identity is definitely abundant throughout his music. Most recently, Daniel decided to drop off a song entitled “1, 2, 3” with his friend and …

Just a couple of months ago almost to the day, Lil Skies dropped off his sophomore album Unbothered. While it seems like he took a bit of a hiatus for a moment, it’s obvious to fans that he was still locked in the studio making some hits even if he wasn’t releasing them as regularly as he once was. When his album was upon us, Skies delivered 14 songs that were full of hits as well as some more revealing tracks that prove he’s not just some rapper who only gloats about his wealth, but things can get much deeper than they might appear on the surface. Obviously, when an artist releases an album, it’s pretty typical of them to continue the rollout for months to come with music videos, interviews, and the rest of the works as well, so when I saw that the Pennsylvanian star decided to bring his song “Take 5” to life in the form of a visual with director Bobby Lee Palmer, I was beyond stoked considering it’s one of my favorite cuts off of the project. Opening up, Skies can be found under the deck of a nice-sized yacht with a few lovely ladies …

From the moment I began writing for Lyrical Lemonade, I fell in love with unearthing the true gems of the music industry; Artists who definitively transcend the fad obsessed world that we live in and truly present themselves as individuals who can have a long lasting career filled with success and influence. At first, these types of artists weren’t easy to find, but after some time, I came across two guys who truly made me rethink what I considered great music to be. If you haven’t heard of Mulherin, then allow this article to serve as a PSA for anyone who is in dire need of discovering the next big thing. I use lofty phrases and words like that lightly, but when it comes to this LA-Based duo, I firmly believe that they are generational talents that need to be seen and heard in every way. I really can’t stress how great their art is and I’m so glad that I got the chance to catch up with twin brothers, Parker and Marshall Mulherin to talk about their artists project and everything that they’ve got in store for 2021. Like I said above; If you’re looking for your newest obsession, …

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, …