Another of the big-hearted musicians playing the AITP Online Festival got back with us! I dig Lyrikill’s music and especially his attitude! Thanks, man!
MTM: Let’s start at the beginning. Tell us a little about yourself. how and when did you start making music?
Lirikill: I am Lyrikill, artist/emcee/hip-hop cultural curator from Louisiana. I began professionally making music in New Orleans in 1998. I have always played around with music since I was around 11, rapping to instrumentals on cassette singles.
MTM: Why do you do it, now?
Lyrikill: I have been blessed to befriend some incredible artists in New Orleans–Truth universal, Prospek, Jon Mercure, Suave, to name a few. We have built a community of sorts through The Soundclash and GrassRoots. At this point its a means of expression and camaraderie amongst friends. Where most people get together and drink and party, we get together and make music…well, we drink and party while doing music I should say.
MTM: What were some of your early influences and what inspires you today?
Lyrikill: Back in the 90s I was influenced by Wu-Tang, Nas, Common–the “interllectual emcees.” As I matured, I gained influence from all types of art–visual artists such as Claude Monet, vocalists like Billie Holiday, musicians like Curtis Mayfield and notable figures like Muhammad Ali & Cornel West. I have also been greatly influenced by my peers. I have always wanted to be the voice for my generation using music as a medium.
MTM: What was the last song you listened to (disc in the car or what-not)?
Lyrikill: AZ, “I Just Wanna Be There” from the Aziatic album. I’ve always been a fan of AZ and always felt like he was the underdog. Being featured on Illmatic and being around that Biggie and Jay-Z Brooklyn era, a lot of people would think he would be huge. Nevertheless, he’s maintained a loyal following and built a career from his music, so I admire his
perseverance and skill.
MTM: How did you connect with Artists in the Plus and what attracted you to working with them?
Lyrikill: Our record label partnered with Google to learn how to utilize the Google Hangout feature to connect with fans. We felt like urban music was a bit behind the curve on this but we felt we had a opportunity to maximize interaction with our fans.
Our label started connecting with peers on the Google Plus Platform and our label reached out to Artists in the Plus which welcomed us with open arms. Where I’m from, when people show you love you must reciprocate that love.
MTM: Last year’s festival was a huge success and changed a lot of things about music on the net. Were you a part of that?
Lyrikill: I hopped on the train a little late, but I was told about it and invited to this year’s fest and I gladly accepted.
MTM: What would you like to see as a result of the festival, this year?
Lyrikill: I’m expecting to meet some great people and be exposed to some new talent. A personal connection to great music is heaven. There is so much music now, that it is difficult to connect with it, regardless of the quality. I enjoy meeting the artists, learning their backstory and connecting to good music.
MTM: Have you been using services like Hangouts On Air, U-Stream, Street-Jelly, or others to perform live via video on line? What kind of reaction are you getting?
Lyrikill: I have done a few On-Air hangouts and the response is good. I have fans that may not be able to come to my shows locally but they enjoy being able to connect and stay updated. We have U-Streamed some shows, and the thing that lets me know that people want more, is the sound is tough to get right and people will tell us how to adjust the sound because they obviously want to hear what we bring.
MTM: Village Studios in LA will be hosting the festival, this year and there will be a studio stage in North Carolina and another in Norway. Will you be traveling or performing remote from your own studio?
Lyrikill: We’re still working out the trip in my schedule with my studio in Dallas being a backup. I plan to be in LA, I have so many people to see there.
MTM: If you could ask one performer to join you on a record, who would it be?
Lyrikill: Artist in the Plus created such a platform for many musicians to network but, it’s soo many to name I would like to work with.
MTM: What one thing would you change about this world, if you could?
Lyrikill: I would remove the skepticism/prejudice from people’s hearts and allow them to see the humanity in everyone. So many people are judgmental based on circumstances and mis-education. We should love people because they’re people.
MTM: Where can we find you and your music?
Lyrikill: “lyrikill.bandcamp.com” There are free downloads and retail albums there. I’m available on all twitter, facebook and instagram at @lyrikill or Lyrikillmusic.
MTM: In closing, is there anything you would like to add or anyone you would like to shout-out to?
Lyrikill: The whole Team at Eupham Music, Mike Swift, Chris Blount, Jon Mercureas well as our CEO Orriel. The good people at Inner Recess & gpNYC, Dubla, Prospek, Habib, Bazooka Joe, Elespee and the team in NYC. All the great artists I’ve been working with for years, L’Daialogue, Caligula, City Sparks, Lyriqs, Harn Solo, Tygah Woods, Truth Universal, Skipp Coon, Marcel P Black…theres really too many to name.
Special Shout out to John and the Artists in the Plus team for creating such a unique platform.
•That ought to do for now, let me know if you would like to talk
further about anything at all 😉
Yes, we have a new project coming soon called “Nostalgia” which will have some great material on it.
We want to bring that old school hip hop feel back.
[ed: Coolness on the new record! Let’s schedule a HOA to introduce it!]
