INTERVIEW: Lah-Kid
For many years, Lah-Kid has been a major player in the Milwaukee hip hop scene. Hailing from the North side, he proudly represents where he comes from on his new project “A North$ide Paradi$e”. We caught up with him to get a little bit of insight into the project, as well as to see what else he’s been up to:
B&E: You have a new project coming out. How would you describe the sound of this compared to previous Lah-Kid releases?
Lah-Kid: This music is more soulful as far as the production. I always wanted to do a project full of soul beats and samples and this is that project for me. The subject matter is geared towards what’s going on right now on the North side of Milwaukee. The riots, the police shootings, I wanted to capture the mind state of a young black man from North side right now, mixed with my personal experiences I had as teenager.
B&E: What was the creative process like this time around? Does it change from project to project for you?
Lah-Kid: Everything I do is organic and natural, so I really approach every project with uncertainty. I may have a title or subject that inspires me initially but I let my thoughts and my life take me wherever it takes me, if that makes sense. Like this project started out with the title “Kings Live Forever”, but with everything going on in the city, the news, and in my life, it naturally went in a different direction. So I had to put the “Kings Live Forever” idea on hold.
B&E: You’ve had some time off in between releases. Was that by design, or did it just sort of happen?
Lah-Kid: It just happened that way. I use to put out projects every year because I was trained and built to make a lot of music, especially in this era. I was a machine, but in time I learned that being a machine can be a weakness. Sometimes you make so much music and put out so much work that you get lost in the creative process, and then you put out a lot of uninspiring music. So I let everything just come to me naturally now like I said before, and just trust that in my mind I will know when the music is right, and I’m ready to share it with everybody.
B&E: What are your favorite tracks on the project?
Lah-Kid: I would say the title track “A North$ide Paradi$e” is my favorite. It pretty much sums up the whole album in one song. I would say that song, “Chances” featuring Yo-Dot, and “Sharp Shooter” are my top 3.
B&E: Have any artists played an impact on the new stuff? Anyone you’re listening to a lot of recently?
Lah-Kid: Honestly a lot of battle rappers inspired me to try different schemes and word play. Besides that, not really. I mean I listen to Cole and Kendrick, so I guess they inspire me to make a great body of work.
B&E: Lastly, after the release, what’s next for Lah-Kid?
Lah-Kid: Well I hope this project can live for awhile and that people enjoy it. After this, I gotta get this “Kings Live Forever” project out. The title means “timeless music”, so I hope the rap gods above will bless me with the inspiration to make that (laughs). And oh yeah, look out for this supergroup album I’m working on called “Player99”. Shout out to my team at Long Live Our Dreams, and thanks to Breaking and Entering for giving me a platform to be heard. #RBG #TwistingFingers
