KING MADI

Dami: What was your first introduction into hip-hop?

King Madi: I’d probably say Will Smith was the first time was the first time I really heard rapping. I grew up in a musical family so I was keen to a lot of music from the 80s-90s. I also listened to Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne, and The Black Eyed Peas.

Dami: What inspired you to start rapping?

King Madi: I always knew I loved hip-hop and I would study old hip-hop legends all the time especially when I was younger. Since like 5th grade, I used to freestyle at the park with my friends. We’d just find beats online and rap over them. It was never anything too serious; it was just for fun but my friends would always be like “Yo you really have something special to you, you should do this for real”. Being from a musical family (both my mum and dad used to be in music groups), I always knew it was my dream to be an artist, not even just rapping. In middle school, I formed a little group with 2 of my friends and that’s when I got into recording. The group eventually broke up but I continued to make my own music.

Dami: What’s your creative process like?

King Madi: I’m both a producer and a rapper so I typically make all of the beats I rap over. I need to be alone most of the time when I record because I do some crazy ass stuff in the booth that only really makes sense to me. People would think something is wrong with me if they got to see me recording a lot of the stuff that goes into my songs. I take a lot of inspiration from older music. I don’t really follow what’s going on in the mainstream, especially when I’m in the process of creating a project because I don’t want to be compared to anyone.

Dami: Any dream collabs?

King Madi: Absolutely. I would love to work with Missy Elliott and Timbaland. They’ve been a huge inspiration to me since I started. Missy Elliott actually follows me on Twitter which is just crazy to me. I’d also love to work with Tyler the Creator and Busta Rhymes. Other than that, I’m always networking and looking to collab with other underground artists.

Dami: You got a track dropping this Friday. What should we expect?

King Madi: Bars, bars, and more bars. The track is insane. It’s gritty and raw and overall just really fun. Lots to unpack and dissect.

Dami: How would you describe your sound?

King Madi: My sound is refreshing. I’ve worked pretty hard to be sure that I’m distinctive in the way I approach music. I’m not scared to go out of the box and do things that I might get called weird for or receive hate over because I express myself creatively through my music. When my tracks come on, I want people to know right away that it’s me even if they don’t like it.

Dami: Have you ever been discouraged from making music and what did you do to keep your head in check?

King Madi: Yes I definitely have. When you’re an artist, you have to realize that not everyone is going to see or understand your vision and dreams. There have been plenty of times I wanted to just call it quits and stop this music stuff but it’s the little things that keep me going. I’ve made friends in the underground hip-hop game from networking on Twitter and despite the hate I’ve received, I also have received a lot of love; even from people that don’t make music. My music has a vast amount of different subjects, including mental health, which I think is something everyone can relate to and should check up on. My EP “Everything’s Alright” is a good example of this. When I see that my hard work touches people’s lives, even if it’s just one person, it inspires me to keep going. What I’ve learned is that you never know whose listening and it really just takes the right person to hear the right song. It’s all about believing in your craft and having the patience to let other people believe in it too.

Dami: What you tryna achieve at the end of the year?

King Madi: There is a collaborative project I’m working on (which the song I’m dropping on Friday is for) and my goal is to just push it to the furthest level I can. This whole year I’ve basically spent networking and making a name for myself. I have plans for a very big project in 2022 so I guess you could say I’m just laying down the foundation this year. There’s a lot I have to offer musically and I’ve only just gotten started.

Dami: Where do you draw inspiration from?

King Madi: There’s a lot I take inspiration from. Definitely 90s music since that’s primarily what I grew up with but I also love sci-fi futuristic aesthetics. I take a lot of inspiration from movies and video games as well. I’m also very connected to nature. Sometimes, I’ll go for a walk in the woods and draw inspiration from that. Music is everywhere and nature offers a lot of it

Dami: What would you say has been your best experience as a rapper/producer?

King Madi: My best experience so far has been people tuning into my music and telling me how much I’ve improved since I started. It always makes me happy to know that there’s people out there that genuinely listen to my music and of course just growing as an artist and learning new skills is great too. I certainly think the best experiences are yet to come and I have a lot more in store too. I’m hoping to start performing as soon as I can. COVID has really stunted a lot of my performance plans but as it eases up, I’ll definitely be getting on stage more often.

Article written by: Dami

Links:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kingmadiandtype1ne/wild-collaborations

Twitter: @king_madi