Thank you for taking some time to be interviewed for Clout Culture Magazine. Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Kid Swift and I’m a recording artist from Chandler, AZ.
When did you starting recording and writing music? Have you always been doing hip hop and rap?
I’ve been writing music in my head for as long as I can remember, but I started writing down the lyrics for bands I was a part of starting around 13. It wasn’t until I was 15 that I even started liking or listening to rap, because prior to that age I could not connect with the lyrics of most rap songs. I recorded for the first time professionally at 16. I started using the name Kid Swift in 2009 and have been releasing music ever since.
Were you always doing rap? Or were you involved with other genres before this?
I was originally in the punk/alternative scene, took some baby steps into the hardcore scene, and then really found a home in the local hip-hop landscape. The other genres allowed me opportunities to meet some really awesome people, but not anyone I could call family. I have a family in the hip-hop scene.
When did things really start to pop off and how did it happen?
Things aren’t necessarily popping off too crazy yet, but they definitely started to gain steam when I started performing and freestyling at parties at 18 and 19. I was never facing real spitters at the parties, but I was never beaten. That’s when I decided to go to school to learn how to record myself and save thousands of dollars on recording costs. After I got done with school I went to Nashville, TN and worked in a studio out there as an intern. Then I came back home after that and decided to find someone who knew more than I knew, spent more time recording than I had, and someone who did nothing but record. And that person was Jon Sullivan of Sullivan Audio.
Who gets bragging rights for helping you get to where you are? And who is your support system now?
The person to blame for that is definitely Dela Preme. I have a lot of respect for dude and I’ve seen him grind through things unthinkable. He was who introduced me to Jon, and he definitely brings me out to more sets/events/festivals than anyone else. Dela is a key part of my support system, along with Jon and his wife Caity, my mom, my boss Tesi and my producer Naser. It takes a lot of people to keep me on track and focused and offer criticism when I need it and these people are definitely willing to do that whenever they notice an area I can improve in.
I saw you posted your set list on social media. There where a lot of features on there. Can you tell us about the album? Who is on it? What can we expect?
The album is 10 tracks, and it’s 10 features. The album is called WITHOUT. It’s 9 AZ artists and one Nashville artist I met when I worked in the studio out there. The artists I selected to be a part of this project were people that have been recording and grinding shows out here for years, which made it really easy to turn into a quality finished product. Every single person brings a new perspective to what AZ music sounds like, and it was a lot of fun creating all of these tracks over the last two years. There are a lot of neighborhoods and cities represented on this album as well, which is something that is cool to look at now that it’s done.
Got any other albums planned for this year?
After WITHOUT I got three more albums dropping this year, STUNT, SAVAGES, and PROSPER. That’s 30 more tracks, no features, and they will all be out by 12/30. It’s been a long time getting ready for my shot, and this is the year I’m capitalizing to the fullest.
What else you got in store for us this year? Any music videos in the works?
Funny you should ask, we are getting ready to shoot Bring It Back with Dela Preme under the very capable hands of director Sammy Black/VIBEGOOD. We have a lot in store for the video and I can’t wait to shoot it. It’s gonna be a cinematic type feel, it’ll make more sense when you see it.
If you could go on tour with anybody in the world. Who would be on the bill with you? Where would the tour go? What’s Kid Swifts “Dream Tour”?
I like this question, first off. If this was my “Dream Tour”, we’re doing like 90 days straight in countries and continents all over the world. If there is an audience for good music, I’m there. Dela Preme would definitely be with me on said tour and we would be turnt at every stop on some rockstar shit. It would be cool to go on tour with Lil Skies, Shakewell, Caskey or Tyler the Creator or something like that, those people all have fantastic live performances and definitely inspire me when I’m trying to step my concert game up.
What hardships and tribulations have you been hit with on your journey and how has it affected you and your sound?
I got kicked out at 18 for smoking weed. I was definitely not prepared to be living on my own at that point, but I did what I had to do. I had a lil baby studio and I probably recorded 200-300 tracks in 6 months at that first apartment. I dove head first into trying to better my sound on both ends of the glass, but found that the artist side is the side I aspired to be on. I have definitely been molded somewhat by some shitty past experiences, and it makes it hard for me to trust people. That’s why it was so crazy meeting Jon for the first time because I felt that I could trust his judgement with my music even from the first session. Jon has helped me find my sound and fine tune it over time with more practice and experience. We went to Nashville in February for a week and I wrote and recorded 26 songs in 30 hours over 4 days. I think that part of my sound and creative process is derived from what I had to endure. I could never afford a lot of studio time all in one session, so I had to get good with writing and practicing my music before I recorded in order to save time and maximize my output from every session. It also helped when I was recording myself, because I got tired of me messing up takes and I wanted myself to not waste my own time haha.
Where do you see yourself in 3 years? How about 10?
In three years I’m still gonna be with the shits as far as touring, writing, creating, and everything else. In 10 years, I see myself falling more into running and establishing my record label as a dominant force in the music industry. I plan to expand the roster eventually, not soon, but when the time is right to include artists with a similar mindset to my own and people who have a proven track record of hard work and bouncing back from losses while learning mistakes. I don’t want to add artists to my label that are already established and successful. I want to turn my label into a proving grounds for the young dope spitters who have something to prove and are willing to do what they have to in order to reach their goals and aspirations.
What is the name of your label?
Koalaty Music Group LLC. I couldn’t start a business without a pun lololol.
As we wrap this up. Is there anything else you want our subscribers to take with them? And thank you for your time.
I want everyone who reads this to know that you possess everything you need to do whatever you want. It’s gonna take time, it’s gonna take money, and it’s gonna take shaking some hands, but if you don’t continually try you will never progress. You can’t score goals without taking shots. So just do a little more everyday and you can do ANYTHING (not just rap).
Thank you for having me shozzout Clout Culture and shozzout Lil Seltrah we out here.
